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Old photos of Edinburgh

17 photographs of Edinburgh, from 1865 to 2025 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Edinburgh? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 17 photographs of Edinburgh on PlaceWas span 7 decades, from 1865 to 2025. 3 of them were taken before 1980; the other 14 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.4 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.15 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Edinburgh through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Waverly Gate or Old GPO, Edinburgh — photos through time
Waverly Gate or Old GPO 5 photos · 1966–2017
Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel, Edinburgh — photos through time
Edinburgh's Balmoral Hotel 4 photos · 2009–2025
City of Edinburgh - 15 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, Edinburgh — photos through time
City of Edinburgh - 15 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh 2 photos · 2024
General Register House, Edinburgh — photos through time
General Register House 2 photos · 2024–2025

Stories from Edinburgh

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Edinburgh Princes Street, Edinburgh, 1966
Edinburgh Princes Street 1966 A classical view along Edinburgh's Princes Street eastwards, 1966. View eastward to Calton Hill with its monuments and dominated by the North British Hotel with its clocktower on the right - a Railway Hotel in those…
Haymarket, Edinburgh, 1982
Haymarket 1982 The frequent Edinburgh to Glasgow shuttle service was formerly operated by pairs of class 27s on each end of a rake of non-air conditioned mark 2 stock. By the end of the 1970s these were in need of replacement.
Edinburgh Waverley, Edinburgh, 1986
Edinburgh Waverley 1986 Taken at Edinburgh Waverley on 29 March 1986, 26027 (Built in 1959) is seen on a train of parcels vans.
Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 2009
Edinburgh 2009 A street view in Edinburgh, Scotland, photographed in 2009, within a city whose Old and New Towns together form a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1995 for their contrasting medieval and Georgian townscapes.
Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 2009
Edinburgh 2009 A street scene in Edinburgh, Scotland, photographed in 2009, amid the closes and tenements that characterize the city's medieval Old Town, laid out along the Royal Mile leading up to the castle.
Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 2009
Edinburgh 2009 Edinburgh's city centre, photographed in 2009, within the historic core that has served as Scotland's capital since the 15th century and remains dominated by the silhouette of Edinburgh Castle.
Edinburgh, Edinburgh, 2009
Edinburgh 2009 Edinburgh Castle overlooks this 2009 view of the Scottish capital's historic center, built high on a volcanic crag that has been fortified since at least the Iron Age.
General Register House, Edinburgh, 2025
General Register House 2025 General Register House in Edinburgh, Scotland, photographed in April 2025. Designed by Robert Adam and opened in the late eighteenth century, the building has long housed Scotland's national archives at the east end of…
1860s · 1 photo
1890s · 1 photo
1960s · 1 photo
1980s · 2 photos
2000s · 4 photos
2010s · 1 photo
2020s · 7 photos