A number of much-loved institutions – among them the Ritz Cinema on Rodney Street, R W Forsyth department store on Princes Street, and jewellers Abbott of Greyfriars – closed their doors for good.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. A swanky new cocktail bar, Charlie Parker’s, opened up on George Street, while ex-Manchester United and Hibs star George Best returned to Easter Road with his new team San Jose Earthquakes.
We’ve trawled through the photo archives at the Evening News to bring you 18 memories of Edinburgh in 1981.
1. Charlie Parkers 1981
Charlie Parkers, George Street, Edinburgh. The main cocktail bar, September 1981 Photo: Hamish Campbell
2. Picardy Place 1981
The roundabout and 'kinetic sculpture' (one of Edinburgh's first examples of community art) at the top of Leith Walk/Picardy Place in Edinburgh, July 1981. Photo: George Smith
3. Gales in Edinburgh 1981
Windy city: A girl laughs as her friend, with a rucksack, tries to get past Edinburgh's Waverley Steps at their junction with Princes Street during the gales of November 1981. Photo: Ian Brand
4. Early morning pub opening 1981
Men from the night shift at the Ferranti factory enjoy an early morning pint of beer at The Cavern pub in leith, November 1981. Photo: Albert Jordan