As 1925 drew to a close, rumours about the future of the Annandale Street Industrial Hall, Edinburgh's first purpose-built exhibition space were confirmed when the proprietors decided to sell the property.
Against all evidence, they insisted that the space was capable of supporting its original commercial purpose.
As we saw last week, owing to the destruction by fire of the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, the prestigious Scottish Motor Trade Association switched its annual motor show to the Industrial Hall and Waverley Market for the week of 13–21 November 1925.
As noted in last week's article, in the summer of 1925, Edinburgh politicians, officials and commentators had reacted with barely suppressed excitement to the news that the Kelviin Halls in Glasgow had burned down.
On the surface, all appeared to be well at the Industrial Hall, Edinburgh’s first purpose-built exhibition space, as a new year dawned.
On 6 January 1925, beneath a positive review for a similar show at the ailing Waverley Market venue, the Edinburgh Evening News sang the praises of the soon-to-conclude World’s Fair and Carnival:
The new season for the Industrial Hall on Annandale Street began modestly at the start of February 1924 with a fund-raising concert on behalf of the British Legion of Ex-Servicemen.
Our account of Edinburgh's first purpose-built, permanent exhibition space on Annandale Street continues in early 1924.
On 2 January, a record crowd of 26,500 people attended the World's Fair and Carnival in the Industrial Hall (today's Lothian Buses depot) over the course of one day.
The following account is from the Scotsman, 3 January 1924..
One week ago, we began this series with a brief history of how vacant land on Annandale Street came to be converted into the capital's first purpose-built exhibition space.
As reported in Issue 342, a commemorative red wheel has recently been attached to the boundary wall of the Lothian Buses depot on Annandale Street. It marks the importance of the site in Scotland’s transport history since 1926.