Edinburgh retro: 13 photos of Edinburgh high rises including iconic 'Trainspotting flats'

By Gary Flockhart

Lifestyle Editor

Published 24th Feb 2025, 18:01 BST

These incredible photos are guaranteed to evoke memories for generations of people who called Edinburgh’s high rise flats home.

Touted as the cure to Edinburgh’s social housing ills, plenty of high rises were built across Edinburgh in the 1960s and 1970s

These so-called 'concrete villages in the sky', which rose up and multiplied around Auld Reekie, still hold a special place in the hearts of many of those who lived in them – even if high-rise housing has fallen out of fashion in recent years

Scroll through our picture gallery to see 13 photos of Edinburgh’s high rise flats down the decades.

Have a look through our picture gallery to see 13 images of Edinburgh’s high rise flats down the decades.

1. Edinburgh’s high rise flats down the decades - in pictures

Have a look through our picture gallery to see 13 images of Edinburgh’s high rise flats down the decades. Photo: Third Party

An exterior view Crudens Flats in Sighthill, 1960s.

2. Crudens Flats

An exterior view Crudens Flats in Sighthill, 1960s. Photo: TSPL

Ten-storey flats at Moat Street in Slateford, 1960s.

3. Moat Street

Ten-storey flats at Moat Street in Slateford, 1960s. Photo: TSPL

Aerial shot of the new flats being built at Cables Wynd - aka 'The Banana Flats' - as part of the redevelopment of Leith in May 1965.

4. Cables Wynd

Aerial shot of the new flats being built at Cables Wynd - aka 'The Banana Flats' - as part of the redevelopment of Leith in May 1965. Photo: TSPL

Edinburgh History Photo Article Photo memories

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.