The place to see how city has changed

Published on Saturday 26 January 2008 09:52

ROAD closures, diversions and congestion are nothing new in the Capital but with news that Shandwick Place – one of the city's busiest thoroughfares – will soon be closed for five months as part of the £498 million tram project, delays are only likely to get worse.

Whether trams returning to Edinburgh is a good thing or not is debatable, but one thing's for sure, Shandwick Place will be transformed beyond all recognition. And while the Capital waits with bated breath to see the results, the area's diverse history should not be forgotten.

These days Shandwick Place is a bustling thoroughfare but rewind to the 19th century and you'd find a very different place – an area that was traffic-free and tranquil.

Those out for an afternoon stroll would have had uninterrupted views of the Castle, and of St John's Episcopal Church and St Cuthbert's Parish Church.

By the early 20th century the horse-drawn carriages had been replaced with cars, and shops had sprung up, making the area one of the city's top shopping districts. Stores included Robert Maul and Son, school outfitters Aitken and Niven, and florist and confectioner Todd and Co.

By 1952, Shandwick Place was one of the main routes into the city centre and tram wires criss-crossed the tenement buildings.

Just three years later, with congestion increasing due to the surge in car ownership and buses, the roads appeared confusing with tram lines overrun by the endless stream of buses.

Pedestrians had to manoeuvre between trams, buses and cars to cross the increasingly busy street.

By the 1960s, trams were a thing of the past with cars, taxis and buses reigning supreme – when there wasn't a herd of elephants making their way along Shandwick Place en route to Murrayfield, as part of the Billy Smart Circus elephant parade.

And by the 1970s, Shandwick Place was bustling and a top shopping destination. Our picture shows a young Billy Connolly after he opened a new boutique.

Shandwick Place – like much of the Capital – continues to evolve, and, in the face of tram works, hopefully it will change for all the right reasons.