Jack Gillon

Edinburgh has always been a city of unusual characters and its own often peculiar history. Quirky Edinburgh delves into lesser known but fascinating tales from Edinburgh’s past. In it readers will find stories of the sedan chairs that transported the gentry around the city in the eighteenth century, horse racing on Leith Sands, the open air Royal Patent Gymnasium that delighted its Victorian visitors with rides on the Great Sea Serpent and Giant See-Saw, an exploding post box, the 80-foot spiral of kinetic art placed on a roundabout, the original Mrs Doubtfire and much, much more. Quirky Edinburgh celebrates the unusual and often strange history of Edinburgh and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Edinburgh will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the city’s quirky history.

The 1960s, 1970s and 1980s were decades of great change. Many towns and cities were redeveloped with projects that dramatically affected the character of the place. People’s shopping habits were altered as supermarkets took over from traditional stores and corner shops. Leisure habits were changing too, as cheap air travel led to the arrival of the foreign package holiday and a new range of leisure facilities were developed at home. Fashions, as ever, were changing in this period, reflecting radical changes in society and the ways in which we viewed ourselves. Transport also evolved, with a move away from the railway and buses, creating a strain on the roads and leading to new road schemes.These changes in people’s habits and lifestyles were keenly felt in Scotland’s capital as the city grew in size. Old and dilapidated housing was demolished, to be replaced by new housing estates; other areas were redeveloped and new shopping centres were built, universities were expanding and many long-established pastimes and activities, cultural centres and places of leisure were evolving. Local author Jack Gillon recaptures it all in this fascinating portrayal of the city and its people over the course of these most nostalgic decades.