Remember when: Ice rink proves to be the hottest ticket in town

SINCE it opened its doors to the public in 1952, Murrayfield Ice Rink has held a fond place in the hearts of thousands of people across the Capital.

As the only ice rink in the city, it is a favourite not only with skaters but with those who come in their droves to watch major entertainment events, including skating displays, boxing matches, music concerts, ice speedway and ice hockey.

It was in this week back in 1962 that the rink became the setting for a jazz concert, the first time the music form had ever been included in the official Edinburgh Festival programme.

The concert included Rory and Alex McEwan, Al Fairweather and Sandy Brown's All Stars, George Melly, Carolyn Hester and Dick Farina and thrilled the thousands of onlookers who packed themselves into the venue.

Murrayfield Ice Rink may have opened its doors in 1952, but the building was actually completed many years earlier, in 1939.

The army immediately began to use it both during and after the Second World War, though, meaning the public only got the chance to enjoy its facilities more than a decade later.

Since then, it has hosted a range of truly unforgettable events, such as the eye- catching display from UK members of the League of Health and Beauty, who lined up in orderly rows in the rink in May 1954 to give a unique display of exercises.