Edinburgh in the 1920s
Pictures of daily and working life in 1920s Edinburgh.
1920s Britain was a period of transformation as the country emerged from the long and costly war years.
Major industries such as the railways, shipping and coal were returned to private hands. In 1922, an Irish Free State was created.
Sunday remained a day of rest, (no trains, shops and theatres, or pubs in Scotland and Wales) but the church’s influence and membership declined.
The General Strike of 1926 exposed a deep class divide. For some – school teachers, skilled and white-collar workers – the twenties brought better times, but for others – rural and industrial communities – it was a time of disillusion and hardship.
The 1920 Edinburgh Boundaries Extension & Tramways Act expanded the city from 17 to 53 square miles, increasing its population from 320,000 to 425,000. It brought together the communities of residential Edinburgh, industrial Leith and rural Midlothian under one administration.
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