Princes Street
Shops between Castle Street and
Frederick Street
Jaeger
to
Salisbury's |
Princes Street Shops and
Decorations
©
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.
©
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.
©
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
©
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.
©
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 |
|