Nostalgia: Glass act - Edinburgh’s pubs

PUBS are part of the fabric of any city, and another one is always welcome in Edinburgh. The red carpet has recently been laid down for The Raeburn, which threw open its doors in Stockbridge last week.

The official unveiling came two days later than planned after boss Norval Barclay arrived to find it under a foot of water – the result of an accident after an upstairs neighbour left the taps on.

The Dean Street bar is now attracting customers – just like the Cooper’s Rest Bar at the corner of Lorne Street and Easter Road was on May 23, 1975, when the Tartan Army gathered ahead of their trip to London and Wembley, where the good spirits were dampened when Scotland were left on the receiving end of a 5-1 thumping from the Auld Enemy.

No doubt plenty of drinking was done by these fans later – but this time in despair.

One of the most imposing venues seen in the city’s history was The Thistle Inn Rutherford’s in Leith Street. Seen here in 1973, the floors above the bar stood out clearly from its neighbours thanks to its distinctive colouring.

And in the days of footballers dressing as dapper gentlemen, the Norhet Bar in Davidson’s Mains was the venue of choice for a group of former Hearts players enjoying a day off.

Dressed in their Sunday best were Jimmy Wardhaugh, Willie Duff, Alan Anderson, Roy Barry and Davie Lang, pictured with owner Ron Johnstone, who no

doubt made sure the ex-

Jambos were kept well fed and watered.

And while pubs have come and gone in the Capital,

others have undergone

major revamps. But not all of them forced, like the

Artisan Bar in Abbeyhill, which needed more than just a

few running repairs after a articulated lorry careered through its facade in

November 1969.