Edinburgh’s Davidson’s Mains area was once a village outside the city but has now become a district within the capital.
Once known as Muttonhole, the area is named after William Davidson - a wealthy merchant who purchased Muirhouse, east of the area, in 1776. The quiet and sleepy area is made up of country-like cottages, with a variety of shops and businesses.
It wasn’t always like this though, as seen in a collection of images that have been uploaded to YouTube by Neil McIntosh.
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Captioning the video, Neil said: “I have lived close to Davidson’s Mains for most of my life.
“I have always been interested in photography, old maps and local history. I collected a few old photographs of Davidson’s Mains to practise and perfect the technique of transitioning between old black and white photos and colour photos of the present day scene.
“I presented my talk to a local heritage group and thought that making a movie of just the photograph transitions would be of interest to a wider audience.”
First, we see a painting of the main street from 1882 with women collecting wood, horses trotting down the road and chickens wandering around. Back then, it was very much a country village.
We then compare this with an image of the same street from 2020, where we can see Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland charity shop as cars make their way through the roundabout. Going back to 1900, we see a very different street - while the video tells us the are was recorded as Muttonhole village on John Adair’s map in 1682.
Neil then tells us the Village Well, which sits across from the former Police Box in the area, reportedly dates back to 1832. Some of the businesses in the area, such as Black and Lizars opticians and Ye Olde Inn are photographed.
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Part of Davidson’s Mains history includes a railway station, which was closed back in 1951 prior to the Beeching cuts due to underuse. These days, the district is served by Lothian buses 21 and 41.
We also see what was once the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) building, which now stands as a Costa. Over time, RBS began closing down many branches up and down the country with users leaning towards digital options.
Other lost buildings include the Lauriston School for Girls, which served the area until 1867. It was demolished almost 100 years later in 1962.
Shops that once served the area include Reynolds’ Stores and Coopers, which only those of a certain age will be lucky enough to remember.
We also see gas lights that line the streets that were still in use in 1950. Back in 1934, farmers taking their Christmas turkeys and geese through the village streets are pictured - headed for David Whiteford’s butcher shop.
All in all, we can say for sure that Davidson’s Mains has seen many changes over the decades.
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