Rare Edinburgh photos showing the grand opening of the iconic Ocean Terminal in 2001 have resurfaced and are quite the blast from the past.
The shopping centre situated on the shores of Leith was one of the first shopping centres to be built in the noughties era and came eight years after the opening of the Gyle shopping centre in the west of Edinburgh - and one year before the Omni centre.
Gail Porter and her then husband Dan Hipgrave (Toploader) were invited to the centre in order to mark the opening of the centre in 2001.
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The couple can be seen looking lovingly at one another with the Royal Yacht Britannia in the background.
Visitors to the centre can still access the Yacht via the centre and the experience is still one of the main attractions at Ocean Terminal.
Alongside the picture of the iconic Gail Porter is an image showing an artist's vision for the centre, as well as multiple photos showing residents of Edinburgh enjoying food and drink within the retail space.
The centre was built on the vacant and derelict site of Henry’s shipyard which had closed in 1994.
Once open, the centre was home to several retail giants and was even home to a cinema run by Ster Century cinemas - now the VUE cinema.
The cinema hosted the Edinburgh premier for Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone shortly after opening, with J.K. Rowling in attendance with her then boyfriend.
Two years later, the grounds belonging to Ocean Terminal hosted the MTV Awards in 2003 with celebs such as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, The Black Eyed Peas and Pink in attendance.
Several photos from the event can be viewed here but below you will see that even Beyoncé was not safe from the fashion of the time.
The construction and opening of Ocean Terminal is considered to mark the beginning of regeneration/gentrification of Leith with the site being the catalyst for development of the shoreline.
Today, the surrounding area of Ocean Terminal is bustling with luxury flats and independent businesses, with the regeneration/gentrification spreading to other areas of Leith that had become run down throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s.
But it has not been all plain sailing for Ocean Terminal with the centre suffering badly after the recession of 2008 that hammered high street retailers across the UK.
Another issue to overcome was the rise of online shopping that put spaces like Ocean Terminal under threat.
The centre has had to adapt and evolve as a result to meet the needs of the modern market, with units lying vacant for years at a time, the centre has adopted other means to utilise the space, with events such as Zombie hunting and car boot sales taking place at the venue.
However there is renewed hope that the centre will see a return of the glory days with the area surrounding Ocean Terminal becoming increasingly residential.
What are your favourite memories of Ocean Terminal? Feel free to share them in the comments section.
