Edinburgh's Liberton through the years: 30 pictures from the 1950s and 1960s showing what life was like in the Capital's residential suburb

The name Liberton is thought to come from a combination of the Old English words ‘hlith’ and ‘beretun’, meaning ‘barley farm on a hillside’.

Others believe it is derived from Libertun, meaning ‘leper town’, referring to a colony of lepers exiled from the city – although this theory is now broadly considered to be apocryphal.

The most important building in the former village has always been the church, with two Celtic crosses found on the site of the current Kirk showing that a place of worship existed as far back as the 9th century.

A record of a chapel at Liberton was included in the Great Charter of Holyrood of 1143, when King David I granted the building to the Abbey of Holyrood.

Following the Reformation it became a parish church, extended in the 17th and 18th centuries, before untimately being demolished in 1814.

It was replaced a year later with the current church, designed by James Gillespie Graham.

Other notable buildings include the 15th century Liberton Tower and the A-listed 16th century fortified Liberton House.

Liberton’s most famous son is Sherlock Holmes author Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born near the Braid Burn, where the Cameron Toll Shopping Centre now stands.

The village was officially incorporated into Edinburgh in 1920 and grew in popularity as a residential area, with schools and other services quickly following.

Here are 30 pictures to take you back to the Liberton of the 1950s and 1960s.

Read more:

Edinburgh’s Morningside: These 28 pictures from the 1950s and 1960s show the fascinating past of the residential neighbourhood

17 pictures of Edinburgh’s Lothian Road in the 1950s and 1960s show how much the familiar Capital street has changed

Edinburgh’s Meadows: These pictures from the 1950s and 1960s show the fascinating past of the popular park

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven’t already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.