After the completion of Gilmerton junction, 1989 saw the finishing touches applied to Edinburgh’s new ring road – the A720 City Bypass. In the city centre, new developments included a new financial hub, Saltire Court, being constructed at the notorious Castle Terrace gap-site, and the city’s first ever purpose-built mosque in the Southside.
There was drama on the football pitch, too. Hearts came agonisingly close to reaching the UEFA Cup semis, narrowly losing out over two legs against German powerhouse Bayern Munich following a 1-0 win at Tynecastle.
Towards the end of the year, there was sadness. In October, the Guthrie Street gas explosion caused the collapse of a tenement, claiming the lives of 21-year-old student Nicola Donnelly and 35-year-old lecturer Peter Small.
Have a look through our photo gallery for a nostalgic trip back to 1989.
13. Acrobatics at the RSA EIF 1989
A street entertainer does a splits climb up the pillars of the Royal Scottish Academy in Princes Street during Edinburgh Festival 1989. Photo: Denis Straughan
14. Ian Hislop in Edinburgh 1989
Ian Hislop, editor of the satirical magazine Private Eye, was in the Capital to review the Edinburgh Festival in August 1989. Mr Hislop is pictured outside the Festival Fringe Society in the Royal Mile. Photo: Stanley Hunter
15. 'Macbeth' Inchcolm island ferry 1989
The Maid of the Forth ferry passes under the Forth bridge taking theatre-goers to Inchcolm island in the Firth of Forth for a special production of Macbeth during Edinburgh Festival 1989. Ferry overbooking meant organiser Richard Demarco faced disappointed customers at South Queensferry. Photo: Alan Macdonald
16. Simple Minds concert audience 1989
A Concert Security guard sprays the audience with water during a Simple Minds concert at Meadowbank stadium in Edinburgh, August 1989. Photo: Alan Ledgerwood