With its cobbled streets, elegant Georgian architecture, lush green parks and gardens and abundant mix of independent shops and restaurants, Stockbridge is one of the city’s most popular neighbourhoods.
Just a short walk from Edinburgh city centre, the area has a distinct and charming village feel. Whether visiting for the day or staying longer, this small but perfectly formed neighbourhood is packed with delights that have kept locals and visitors entertained for years.
Among the photos from our archive are pupils putting on a show to save their school, a visit to the area by dancer, director, choreographer, and actor Wayne Sleep in the 1980s, ‘Shug the Lug’ from Still Game actor Paul Young backing a school environmental project, and legendary gone but not forgotten Stockbridge nightclub Cinderellas Rockerfellas.
We also discovered that the inspiration for a blockbuster Hollywood movie in the 1990s came from Stockbridge, and there are also more famous faces in the area including celebrity chef Tom Kitchin and a royal visit by the Queen Mother.
See more great retro photos of Stockbridge in our photo gallery below.
1. Jumping for joy
Richard Carr taking part in the sack race during the Stockbridge School sports day, in June, 1968. | TSPL
2. It's a duck's life
Two-year-old Catalan sheep dog Alba catches one of the 100 yellow ducks released into the Water of Leith during the Stockbridge Charity Duck Race in July, 2011. | TSPL Photo: Ian Georgeson
3. Mrs Doubtfire
Madame Doubtfire's old junk shop in Stockbridge pictured in 1982. The shop closed and was sold on when she died in 1979. Madame Doubtfire, the old woman who ran the shop, was the inspiration for a book, and later a film by the same name, written by Anne Fine in 1986. | TSPL
4. Back in time at school
To celebrate Stockbridge Primary School turning 125-years-old in 2002, the teachers and pupils wore 1877 period costumes and played traditional playground games. | TSPL Photo: Justin Spittle