These stunning photos of lost Edinburgh cinemas hark back to the days when they were known as 'picture palaces'.
Back then, a trip to ‘the pictures' was a decidedly glamorous affair, with many beautiful buildings serving as chapels of the moving image.
The Capital’s Southside district and its surrounding area was packed with cinemas, and despite there being so many, there would be huge queues to get in.
Sadly, now there are none. Here Lisa Sibbald, the author of the book: Edinburgh’s Southside – History, People, Memories, takes us on a tour of the area’s lost film houses.
Take a look through our photo gallery to see 11 of Southside’s lost cinemas – and let us know in the comments section if you were lucky enough to visit any of them when they were still screening movies.
5. The Waverley Picture House
The Waverley opened in Infirmary Street before 1911 in a former church, and closed in 1922. The building now belongs to the University of Edinburgh. Photo: Google
6. The Star
Situated on St Mary's Street in a former public hall, The Star opened in 1914 and closed in 1927. Photo: Unknown
7. The Classic/La Scala
Exterior of the Classic cinema in Nicolson Street Edinburgh. Opened in 1912 as La Scala, by March 1986 the Classic was showing mostly adult films and closed in 1987. Photo: Alan Ledgerwood
8. New Victoria Cinema/Odeon
Opened i 1930 on the day Sean Connery was born, the New Victoria Cinema on Clerk Street is fondly recalled by Southsiders. In the 1960s it was renovated and renamed Odeon. The cinema has been closed since 2003 and its future remains uncertain. Photo: Unknown