Edinburgh in the good old days - your views online

What do you miss about Edinburgh’s past?

Edinburgh in the 1950s, as imagined by filmmaker Sylvain Comet in The Illusionist

Paul Reynolds

The hangings and the birching bench!

Janice Ovenstone

I enjoyed going into British Home Stores in the seventies when I was first married and buying lovely cheese and gammon steaks etc. It was a great place to go for all these fresh products.

Sandie Whigham

Proper Hogmanay at the Tron.

Morag Edward

Enormous flatshares for undergraduates in wonderful old tenements with ridiculously cheap bedrooms and lots of flatmates. No HMO, no council tax, no flimsy dividing walls and no designer new builds.

Kathleen Lawson

Decent shops along Princes Street. Gone are the days you could spend a whole day walking from one end to the other going in and out good shops and even being spoilt for choice for lunch.

Louise Wilkinson

I really miss it being more accessible to the general population. Centre of town has become so posh and upmarket it's just not welcoming any more. All of the decent shops have gone and there's either tat or designer stuff left. Having said that, I also really miss Jenners and BHS - the big department stores are all gone too.

Jennifer Cumming

Cheap Edinburgh fringe tickets. I saw so many shows from such a young age that opened my eyes and influenced my Edinburgh upbringing. Where else would you be able to get that? It’s far too commercial now.

Chelsey Pineapple

All the music venues.

David Blackwood

Being able to walk on the pavement without the possibility of being run into into by a cyclist.

Angela Brown

Miss having access to all the roads in town, the shops in Leith and Princes Street, bobbies on the street making it safer.

David Tait

The carnival in the Waverley at Christmas.

Carol Heart

Everything. Take me back to Edinburgh in 60s.

Hazel Lewis

Manners and patience!

Veronica Milne

Used to be so proud of Princes Street with the Gardens on the other side. It was known throughout Europe. Now just phone shops and supposed Scottish tat. No longer a joy.

Grant Hamilton

Bruce's Record Shop and Thinns bookshop on the Bridges.

Fay Susan Edgar

On a wet day walking from the east end to the west end browsing through all the shops, like Woolworths C&A, Jenners and British Home Stores, Littlewoods, Debenhams, Binns then Habitat at the west end.

Anne-Marie Bain

Where to start. All the great shops that were on Princes Street. From Jenners, Binns, John Menzies, Austin Reed, Littlewoods, Woolworths etc. Loads of shoe shops and cafes too. No comparison to it now. Also the streets were not covered in tramped-in chewing gum.

Grant Hodgson

I miss roads free from Spaces for People plastic junk.

Alistair Dunlop

The live music scene. Every major international band played the Playhouse and the Venue had some big names too, as well as many other smaller gigs.

Lee Jack

Being able to drive from one end of the city to the other in less than an hour.

Andrew Stuart

Gray's on George Street, it literally had everything and was like a proper old shop.

Alistair Paterson

When Edinburgh Monarchs speedway team actually raced in Edinburgh, not 20 miles away, disgracefully treated by council when demolished old Meadowbank stadium to build Commonwealth Games stadium.

Paul Goodwin

John Menzies and the guy who used to shout ‘Evening News... Scotsman’ at the top of his voice.

Elizabeth Summerfield

The small, family-owned butchers, fishmongers, grocers and greengrocers that used to be dotted along every high street. We used to have genuine 20-minute neighbourhoods before the student blocks, hotels, serviced apartments and Airbnbs took over housing from residents. Small businesses can't survive if there aren't enough families in their area who need what they sell. Students and tourists don't cook.

Lynne Hainsworth

Beautiful buildings and being able to drive around and park. Convenience! Also it was clean. It's just grubby now.

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