
Located near Morningside and The Grange in the south of the city, Blackford is a residential neighbourhood of mainly Victorian and Edwardian housing that takes its name from the hill of the same name that dominates the area.
Blackford Hill is part of the 149 acre Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill Local Nature Reserve, and was the site of an ancient hill fort.
The Royal Observatory, which was recently the subject of a major redevelopment project, is located near the summit, as is a police radio transmitter and a meteorological station.
At the base of the hill is Blackford Pond, which is a popular sport for families and dog walkers and was created in the Victorian era, complete with an island.
It was used by the Waverley Curling Club, formed in 1848, for matches well into the 20th century.
Here are 16 pictures to take you back to the Blackford of the 1950s and 1960s.
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A lunar eclipse over the Royal Observatory at Blackford Hill in 1950.
Photo: TSPL
A Salvation Army band plays at a Covenanters Service on Blackford Hill in June 1957.
Photo: Unknown
The University of Edinburgh’s Kings’ Buildings, at Blackford Hill, pictured in 1950.
Photo: Unknown
Russian space scientist Professor Alla Massevitch examines the telescope at the Blackford Hill Observatory with Prof LA Buick.
Photo: TSPL
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