A walk along Lothian Road | Edinburgh

In this weeks Edinburgh Vlog we take a walk along Lothian Road. We see the Caledonian Hotel, the old Picture House, the FIlmhouse, Odeon cinema. we also see lots of places to eat in Edinburgh as well as three it theatres. The Usher hall, the traverse and the lyceum.

Theme music created by Nick Cole-Hamilton, for more info visit

Our new Channel art was made by

If you would like to support the channel our Patreon page is:

Follow us on twitter

Follow us on instagram

Follow the dogs on Instagram

#Edinburgh #Lothianroad #clanbroonford

[gillfinlayson]

Lovely video. I like the walkabout videos most of all!
My favourite spot on Lothian Road is the inscription on the Film house's wall about the wonderful Edinburgh actor Alastair Sim (everyone remembers Miss Fritton in the original St Trinians films?) who was born on the same site in 1900.
Also, the Art Deco Lothian House, which you mentioned, was built on the former site of the Port Hopetoun Basin, where you could pick up a narrow boat & travel all the way to Glasgow on the Union Canal.
Two rather famous people came to Edinburgh to work on the excavation of the canal as "navvies" in 1818. Mr Burke & Mr Hare, Edinburgh's notorious serial killers who found a more lucrative way of making cash!
Thanks Tony for all your endeavours Returned from Edinburgh two weeks ago & missing it already. Hoping to get up again in March for Six Nations rugby! 🏈🌟😁

[richardsonkinnear]

The Usher Hall ❤.
I remember when Sean Connery was being honoured by his home town and received the keys to the city. The place was all barricaded off and Lothian road was chaotic.
Dignitaries, TV and movie stars attended.
When Sean stood up to receive his award the place fell silent.
He looked upwards and around the great hall and then said;
“You know It’s pretty nice in here, I never been inside before but I remember delivering milk to the door.”

The audience gave him a standing ovation… what a guy., he remained as humble as he was when he was a kid.

[JohnFindlay-zx]

Two memories. The first.
Was my dad taking me to see Where Eagles Dare at the Caley cinema way back in 1968/69.
Second. Queueing outside the Odeon in the days when it was the ABC to see Jaws as a 12 years old. I think I queued for a hour and a half, that was way back in 1975.

[robfarquhar]

The building at the top of lothian road was a council building for DHSS benefits my 2 sisters and brother in law worked there from leaving school, directly below it on the corner was Woolworths for many years . When was the old clock removed from Tollcross, it was a beautiful piece of architecture with all the old original tram lines on the road.

[JCJTC]

My Mum worked as an usherette at the Odeon back in the 60s when it was the ABC Regal. She met The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

[santanderry]

Hello Tony
Your last two videos couldn't have been better timed. Me and the missus paid our first visit to Edinburgh just last week. We stayed in Fountainbridge and went into town via Lothian Road. I watched your video on the history of gardyloo the day after a tour of Mary King's Close where they talked about the unsanitary living conditions in the Edinburgh of the time. Absolutely loved Edinburgh and are already planning a return visit. Thanks for the videos. They really bring to life your beautiful city.
All the best
Paul.

[margaretsilvester]

Thanks for the memory Toni. Hubby and I came across from Oz at the end of October of this year, we stayed in an apartment just above that Keycutting shop and straight opposite the pound shop... great memories of Edinburgh.

[julierivera]

My boyfriend used to take me to Bar Italia back in the 1980s. The food was always good. So nice to see it again.

[donmurray]

The Caley hotel was still a station last time I was in Lothian Road. The Picture House was a cinema, and apart from the Usher hall, everything else is different! I saw the Exorcist at the ABC, and the Beatles played live there in the sixties. The whole "Poundland/Superdrug" corner was a huge Woolworths, round into Fountainbridge. Keep up the good work, I've quite a backlog to work through!

[ianhyndman]

Hi Tony your story of you and your dad reminded me of a similar (earlier) visit. My dad took my brother and me to the Caley when Butch Cassidy first came out probably in 1969 or 1970! Huge occasion for my younger brother and me.


I subscribed to your channel after I came across your trip to the Playhouse - great show. Now I've introduced my sister and mum (both living in Henley-on-Thames) and my daughter (moved to London after graduating from Edinburgh Uni 18 months ago). I am in Dubai so you help feed my nostalgia needs! I wrote a little piece on Donaldson's (School) and posted it on facebook and "Lost Edinburgh" a while ago. Perhaps you could do a show from there one day - its a beautiful building now converted into luxury flats I believe. My grandad was Clerk of Works there in the '60s and '70s and my brother, sister and I spent all our school holidays in that wonderland when we traveled back home every summer having moved down south. Keep up the great work.

[skyfallmusic]

Re The Caley Picture House. I don’t know if that was the actual cinema at the time, but I first saw Star Wars in a cinema on lower Lothian Road - in 1977! Ugh, I feel auld. - oh an I first saw ‘Stargate’ in the Odeon :)

[scomarty]

Yeah Tony. The same thing happened to me at the The Odeon (then the ABC) for an E.T. screening. Queue was massive, went all the way round the corner into Semple Street. waited for a bit until it got into Bread Street, then the wee man came to count how many could get in and he cut it just in front of me, . Really frustrating! so I had to wait another 2/3 weeks before I could get the chance again to see it. Then I got in but only just.

[ianmartin]

When we stayed in Edinburgh, we walked Lothian road everyday, we stayed at Hampton by Hilton, great memories watching this video, thanks Tony

[jmcfarling]

I ALWAYS love your walkabouts! You have a wonderful way of making it feel like we're just out takin' a wee walk with a good mate . (Although, we've truly never met.) Loved the story of you and your Dad at the cinema and the historical plaque. It makes me want to go back to Edinburgh!

[slydermartin]

Was hoping that you would walk all the way up to that intersection. Stayed in an Air B&B just beyond the Kings Theater overlooking Bruntsfield Links. Nice little Pub there, The Golf Tavern. Always a pleasure watching your videos.

[Cheezsoup]

That building (top of Lothian road with the ABC [oops Odeon]) in it, is Lothian House.
Lothian house was built on the site of port Hopetoun which used to be the end of the Union canal (now the canal ends at Lochrin Basin).
It was conceived as an apartment block, hotel and cinema but the hotel part was never built.
It is now still apartments but with a few extras thrown in and of course the Odeon at the end.
The Inland Revenue were some of the first tenants

Impressive monumental classical office building, occupying entire length of
street. Designed for Sir Albert Ball (Nottingham) Ltd, and built on the site of
the Port Hopetoun terminal of the Union Canal. A scheme for the site, drawn
up by Robert Mayhew, appears to have been rejected in 1934. Stewart
Kaye's initial proposals including a large hotel along Morrison Street and a
3000-seat cinema, entered from Lothian Road, were conceived with
government use in mind; the first tenants included the Inland Revenue. The
hotel was never built, but the site was subsequently taken up by the Regal
Cinema and renamed the ABC in 1969. The cinema was closed in 2000 with
the auditorium demolished and redeveloped as offices and a small multiplex
cinema

[tucacipriani]

Lots of informations, great vlog Tony. I'm waiting for another live. 😉😘😘

[deidremay]

Aah yes....my daughter and I walked this road each day of our visit in 2013, from our accommodation on the canal, on our way to explore for the day. Can't wait to be there again next year. Thanks for sharing. 🐨🇦🇺🤗

[katesouthworth]

Love the walkabout videos!
Remember Century 2000! 😩😩😩

[ecossebev]

I remember the ABC fondly. Loving the videos, been a resident of Edinburgh for over 50 years and you're pointing out things I've passed hundreds of times, but never noticed that they were there.
Just watched your walk down Cockburn Street and I'm with you, I love to see the original/old shop signage. Perhaps you could do a video of Edinburgh's ghost signs. That would be pretty cool.
Keep up the good work