15 Edinburgh department stores that are gone but not forgotten

By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Feb 2019, 09:16 GMT
Updated 23rd Feb 2019, 15:21 GMT
Traffic lights system at West End Edinburgh - People watch new system from barrier in Princes Street. Shops in the background are Binns and Alex Ferguson.placeholder image
Traffic lights system at West End Edinburgh - People watch new system from barrier in Princes Street. Shops in the background are Binns and Alex Ferguson.

EDINBURGH once boasted a raft of large ‘shopping palaces’ along its main thoroughfares, but the vast majority have bitten the dust in recent decades.

With a plethora of different department stores to choose from, the shopping experience of yesteryear in central Edinburgh was markedly different than it is today. As the building that was once home to Fraser’s flagship Edinburgh store at the West End prepares to undergo a multi-million pound transformation into a world-class whisky tourism hub for Johnnie Walker, we take a look back at the Capital’s long list of lost department stores that are gone but not forgotten.

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Darling's department store, owned by former Edinburgh Lord Provost William Y Darling, was renowned for its high fashion in dresses, suits and hats.placeholder image
Darling's department store, owned by former Edinburgh Lord Provost William Y Darling, was renowned for its high fashion in dresses, suits and hats.
Patrick Thomson's opened at North Bridge in 1906 and lasted until 1982, by which time owners House of Fraser had changed its name to Arnott's.placeholder image
Patrick Thomson's opened at North Bridge in 1906 and lasted until 1982, by which time owners House of Fraser had changed its name to Arnott's.
Binns department store at the West End was rebranded as Fraser's in the 1970s.placeholder image
Binns department store at the West End was rebranded as Fraser's in the 1970s.
C & A Modes was destroyed by fire in November 1955. The store was later rebuilt but closed in the early 2000s.placeholder image
C & A Modes was destroyed by fire in November 1955. The store was later rebuilt but closed in the early 2000s.
Grants at North Bridge which had the first escalator in Edinburgh installed in 1959.placeholder image
Grants at North Bridge which had the first escalator in Edinburgh installed in 1959.
Peter Allans occupied a long stretch of South Bridge for decades.placeholder image
Peter Allans occupied a long stretch of South Bridge for decades.
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