Edinburgh then and now - photo archive

Compare old and new views of Edinburgh with our beautiful and nostalgic photograph selection.

EDINBURGH PRINCES STREET

One of Scotland's most famous streets, offering stunning views over Edinburgh's Old Town, with the castle, Scott Monument and Royal Mile, and Princes Street gardens. Work on Princes Street began in 1770, with the south side of the road left free of buildings, to allow the Old Town to be viewed in all its splendour.

ST GILES CATHEDRAL

St Giles Cathedral stands on the Royal Mile, an ancient thoroughfare which links Edinburgh Castle to the Palace and Abbey of Holyrood. The present cathedral was built in the 14th century and enlarged in the 1800s, and has been a place of worship for over 900 years. The building contains the chapel of the Order of the Thistle, a chivalric company of knights chosen by the Queen.

MERCAT CROSS

Edinburgh's Mercat Cross stands beside St Giles Cathedral on the Royal Mile and was traditionally the site for public proclamations. The current cross is a 19th-century monument, but a mercat cross has existed in this vicinity since the 13th century.

CALTON HILL

Offering a superb view of the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh, Calton Hill is home to the unfinished National Monument, to commemorate Waterloo, as well as Nelson's Monument and the City Observatory and Old Observatory House.

MORE: For more on Edinburgh, read our feature on ten castles in and around the city.

(archive images copyright Tuck DB Postcards; Modern images - Princes Street copyright Allengingi; Mercat Cross copyright Kim Traynor; St Giles Cathedral copyright Nilfanion; Calton Hill copyright Andrew Bossi)