Some of Edinburgh’s busiest roads have seen major changes over the years, so we took a look into our photo archive to see how much they have changed.
While some of the city’s roads like Princes Street and St John’s Road in Corstorphine have remained almost unchanged in terms of the surrounding architecture for generations, others such as Lothian Road and Gorgie Road have seen big changes.
While we also take a look back at the site of the start of the West Approach Road just before it was built, linking the city centre with Gorgie and Roseburn, despite the dual carriageway being originally proposed to reach as far as the M8 on the western edge of Edinburgh.
1. Princes Street then
While the buildings on Edinburgh's premier shopping street have remained mostly the same over the years, the shops at street level have changed a lot, with this block between Frederick Street and Castle Street seeing recent store closures including Debenhams and Next. The street itself has changed also since the photo of the old street lighting on Princes Street was taken in November 1968. | TSPL Photo: National World
2. Princes Street now
Tram lines returned to Princes Street in the past decade, while the pavement was also widened at the turn of the century. Despite this, footfall on the landmark street is down in recent years, with many shoppers preferring the out of town shopping centres at Straiton, Livingston and the Fort, as well as the recently revamped St James Quarter at the east end of Princes Street. | Google Maps
3. West Approach Road then
The Lothian Road goods yard pictured in September, 1972, on what was the railway line which led from the city centre to the back of Gorgie. The 2.27 mile West Approach road was built along it westwards from Lothian Road to Westfield Road with a spur to Dundee Street and opened in 1974, at a cost of £550,000. The old picture house on Lothian Road is still visible, with Edinburgh Castle in the background. | TSPL Photo: National World
4. West Approach Road now
The West Approach Road, sometimes known as the Western Approach Road, is a comparatively fast link into Edinburgh city centre from the west. It's partially recycled and reutilised railway route, partially new build through redeveloped ground, and part of a much bigger plan that would have made it all the way out through unused ground to the M8. Although it was formerly free from pedestrians almost its entire length and mostly surrounded by industrial sites, the eastern section has now been repurposed to provide access to the newly redeveloped neighbourhood of Fountainbridge, with the road ending in Edinburgh's financial district at Lothian Road, which was built around the 1990s. | Google Maps