Princes Street

Shops between Castle Street and Frederick Street

Jaeger to Salisbury's

Princes Street Shops and Decorations

Princes Street Shops - Jaeger to Salisbury - 1960s? ©

 

Princes Street Shops

Shops

Thank you to Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for allowing me to reproduce this photo that he took of shops in Princes Street, probably in the 1960s.

I have assumed that the decorations are for Christmas, rather than for the Edinburgh Festival.

I believe the shops are from left to right:

-  Jaeger (fashions)

-  Singer (sewing machines)

-  ?

-  Salisbury (handbags)

Acknowledgement:  Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England:  November 21, 2011

Date of the Photo

A little research using the Edinburgh & Leith Post Office Directories (or a comment from Allan) might reveal the approximate date of this photo.

Here's what I have found from the directories that I have readily available for the shops and businesses from Jaeger up to the junction of Princes Street and Frederick Street.  (The numbering appears a little odd, but the details below are as they were published in the directories!)

 

1950

1961

1970

119a

Jaeger

Jaeger

-

119

Singer

Singer

Singer

118

Law, William & George

Law, William & George

Law, William & George

118a

The Copenhagen

-

-

118

Commercial Bank

National Commercial Bank

Royal Bank of Scotland

I see no mention of Salisburys in any of these directories.

If I discover anything more about the date of this photo, I'll add it to this page.

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  December 6, 2011

Reply

1.

Phil Wilson

Aberdeen, Scotland

Thank  you to Phil Wilson who wrote:

Festival Decorations

August 1960

"I have a photo that was taken in or about August 1960 showing these same decorations.  This seems to be too early for them to be Christmas decorations.

Princes Street Shops - Jaeger to Salisbury - 1960s? ©

I believe they would have been for the Edinburgh Festival, and that the photo above would  probably have been taken at the time of the Festival in August/September 1960."

Phil Wilson, Aberdeen, Scotland:  December 9, 2011

 

Reply

2.

Simon Capaldi

Sheriffhall, Midlothian, Scotland

Simon Capaldi wrote:

Only in Scotland ...

"Only in Scotland would people wear the same type of clothes in August and December!"

Simon Capaldi, Sheriffhall, Midlothian, Scotland:  December 24, 2011

 

Reply

3.

Danny Callaghan

Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland

Danny Callaghan added:

Christmas Decorations?

"I'd have to disagree with Phil Wilson's comments (in 1. above) on the  on the dating of this picture.    It seems to me not to have been taken in August or September.

Princes Street Shops - Jaeger to Salisbury - 1960s? ©

It is dark, and there are lots of shoppers about so it must have been taken before 6.00 pm. Taking that into consideration, and also the heavy coats everyone is wearing, the photo would appear to me to have been taken at about Christmas.   As to the year  - I don't know that.

Christmas Decorations?

"The restaurant on the first floor was 'The Copenhagen'." was the restaurant on the first floor.

Danny Callaghan, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland:  December 24, 2011

Reply

4.

Peter Stubbs

Edinburgh

Date of the Photo

More Questions

Does anybody else have any views about the likely date of this photo?

e.g.

1.  Is it possible that the same decorations might have been used for the Festival then again for Christmas?

2. Might the same decorations have been used for more than one year?

3.  Might the people in this photo just be 'window shopping' after the shops have closed?  The Singer shop appears to be closed, with a gate across its entrance and the shop between Singer and Salisburys  does not appear to be open.

4.  There appear to be diners in 'The Copenhagen' restaurant that Danny mentions.  Does anybody know whether this restaurant closed at 6pm or remained open in the evenings?

Peter Stubbs, Edinburgh:  December 24, 2011

Reply

5.

Phil Wilson

Aberdeen, Scotland

Thank you to Phil Wilson for replying:

Festival Decorations

"You asked whether these decorations were used in different years.  In fact, they were.  I've just noticed the same type of decorations in one of my night-time views dating from 1963.

The central street-lights on this 1963 photo are the new, oblong, orange, sodium type."

Phil Wilson, Aberdeen, Scotland:  December 9, 2011

 

Reply

6.

Allan Dodds

Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England

Thank you to Allan Dodds, who took the photo at the top of this page for replying:

Edinburgh Festival  -  1961

"This photo

Princes Street Shops - Jaeger to Salisbury - 1960s? ©

was taken in 1961 on the same roll of film that I used to photograph the Epstein Exhibition.  I was just using up the roll, as I couldn't wait to see how the film developed!

Allan Dodds, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Scotland

Epstein Memorial Exhibition  -  1961

The Epstein Memorial Exhibition in Edinburgh was held at Waverley Market from 19 August to 18 September 1961  i.e. during the Edinburgh Festival.

    Epstein Memorial Exhibition at Waverley Market - Christ in Majesty - 1961 ©

So, Allan's comments above confirm that the decorations beside the shops in Princes Street were indeed the Edinburgh Festival decorations of 1961.

Peter Stubbs:  Edinburgh:  December 25, 2011

Princes Street: looking W

Princes Street: looking E

Princes Street: looking N

Princes Street: looking S

 

 

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