Binns

To most people, the big store at the west end of Princes Street is Frasers. The "B" set in the stone is a reminder that it used to be Binns. Which sends me on a nostalgia trip...

Although I was born in Edinburgh and have lived most of my adult life here, I grew up in Fife. Childhood trips to the Big City were a special treat. Four of the big stores made big impressions on me: Binns, Forsyths and Jenners on Princes Street and PT's (Patrick Thomsons) on the Bridges. By the time I came to live here in the 80s, only Jenners remained.

I also remember the Jaguar showroom in Shandwick Place (where Habitat is now, I think) and the Citroen showroom where Festival Square was built. My recollections of other shops are very vague...

Which set me thinking: which shops I remembered from my childhood were stilll there? Not many. Jenners (yes, I know it's not the same since Frasers bought it, but it's still there and it's still called Jenners...); Boots on Princes St; Hamilton & Inches and Grays of George Street; Rae Macintosh (though I'm not convinced that it has always been on Queensferry Street).

And that's it. I'm sure there are more which have survived, but those are the only ones I can remember. For a long time I have meant to meka a photographic record of every shop on Princes Street now. I must do that sometime.

I thought of converting this pic to sepia to match my nostalgic meanderings, but I don't like sepia. It looks better in B&W :-)