Nostalgia: Fun in the fifties seems like a world away

Published on Saturday 30 August 2008 11:55

In the 1950s, as our pictures show, entertainment for boys and girls in the city ranged from swimming and markets to street games such as hopscotch or peevers.

This fascinating era has been brought back to life in a new book, titled Edinburgh and the Lothians in the 1950s. It explores many of the photographs held in the archives of the Evening News and The Scotsman.

In the main picture we can see boys and girls out on a Leith street corner in the 1950s occupying themselves with hopscotch or "beds". Not everyone saw the games as harmless fun – in 1921 this paper described miscreants "chalking and disfiguring the streets" with the game.

Some were a bit more indulgent when it came to children playing – including, it seems, the city authorities. A sign on Johnston Street in Leith declares that the street is closed to cars from 4pm until sunset, leaving the space as a safe children's playground.

One for the grown-ups as well as the youngsters was Portobello Pool and our picture shows just how popular it was in its 1950s heyday. Interest in the pool declined from the 1970s onwards – it was eventually demolished in 1988. The site now houses a five-a-side football complex and an indoor bowling centre.

The Scottish Kennel Club Dog Show was just one of the many events held at the now demolished Waverley Market. And the Palais de Dance wasn't just utilised for dancing. Here three Royal Navy sailors look deeply engrossed in the task of judging the Miss Edinburgh beauty contest in 1959.

For women who weren't keen on entering beauty contests, there were always the "housewives' demonstrations" organised by the Evening Dispatch. Here ladies learn how to tint hair and how to use a washing machine – albeit one which appears to use a manual crank rather than electricity.

Edinburgh and the Lothians in the 1950s is available at a special price of 9.99 (12.99) by calling 0808-180 2008 or visiting www.shop.scotsman.com/1950book