Edinburgh Retro: 29 fascinating pictures of North Bridge through the years as road reopens to two-way traffic

North Bridge is a key route linking Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. But for several years it has been undergoing extensive repairs and refurbishment. Now it has reopened to two-way traffic, signalling the final phase of the project.

Here’s are some fascinating pictures selected from the Evening News archive, looking back at North Bridge over the decades.

The entrance to North Bridge from Princes Street is, of course marked on one side by the large Balmoral Hotel, formerly the North British Hotel, and on the other by what was the GPO building and is now Waverley Gate.

As well as the Evening News and The Scotsman, North Bridge has been home to some of Edinburgh’s major department stores. And its exposed position means it has also seen plenty of weather - from fog to snow to gales.

Scroll through and see what else one of our most familiar roads has been through over the years.

29. North Bridge 15-07-26

North Bridge reopened to two-way traffic in March 2025, but right up until this month that still meant using only one side of the roadway. | TSPL

Photo Sales

Memories Nostalgia

Edinburgh Retro: 29 fascinating pictures of North Bridge through the years as road reopens to two-way traffic

North Bridge is a key route linking Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns. But for several years it has been undergoing extensive repairs and refurbishment. Now it has reopened to two-way traffic, signalling the final phase of the project.

29. North Bridge 15-07-26

Sign up to our Retro newsletter

Thank you for signing up!