508 Great Western Road, Glasgow. G12 8EL. Tel: 0141 334 2995.
L’academie. 1991.
508 Great Western Road, Glasgow. G12 8EL. Tel: 0141 334 2995.
L’academie. 1991.
234-38 Meadowpark Street, Dennistoun, Glasgow.
La Cala. 1991.
Opened in 1969 La Cala was the most up-to-date licensed premises in the district. La Cala, which means a Haven was the venture of young Tom Heenan and his mother. The big regret at the opening was that Tom’s father, who died the previous year, was unable to see the realisation of his son’s dream.
Situated near the corner of Meadowpark Street and Alexandra Parade La Cala had a public bar with seating for about 30 and a total capacity of 175, a lounge bar with alcove seating accommodation for 150 guests. In the lounge stripwood lampshades like lanterns shed a rosy glow upon the cherry wood panelling, the carpet matched the woodwork in fawn and brown colour.
Young Tom Heenan was not old enough to hold the licence, this did not stop him in his dreams of becoming a Glasgow Publican, he employed Pat Conlan as manager and licensee in the meantime.
Tom eventually got his licence for the La Cala in 1970.
Exterior of the new La Cala 1969.
Interior view 1969.
left to right Mr H McCormack, West of Scotland manager for Usher’s brewery, Mr & Mrs John Taggart, Big John’s Bar and the Royal Restaurant, Coatbridge, D G MacKay, Scottish sales amanger for Usher’s brewery, Mrs Heenan and young Tom Heenan.
This image was taken in 1972 on the occasion of the Ind Coope reception. Mr B G Frost, free trade sales director, Tetley’s met some of the Ind Coope customers at a reception at the Ind Coope offices in Clyde Street. Mr Frost (second from the right) is seen with Messrs Miller Reid, Reid’s Bar; James Elliot, Pop Inn; T Heenan, La Cala; R Meiklem, Montgomerie Arms in East Kilbride and W Langham, catering manager, British Rail (Scotland.)
151 Springfield Road, Glasgow.
L. MacPherson’s bar was situated at the corner of Springfield Road and Lily Street, Dalmarnock. Many residents of this area will remember this old established bar as the 151 Bar.
There was licensed premises on this site since at least 1875, the landlord then was a gentleman called James King.
In 1879 Alexander Taylor took over the old pub, he also owned Taylor’s Bar in Hutcheson Street, now called the Court Bar. Mr Taylor continued trading at Springfield Road until the early part of the 1900s.
In 1907 Lachlan MacPherson took over the premises, he was a well established wine & spirit merchant a bonder and blender having premises called the New City Lights, Castle Street.
MacPherson was born in a small village called Rahoy, fifteen miles from Oban, where he was educated. At an early age he came to Glasgow with his widowed mother and family, he became apprenticed to the trade of gold beating. After three years in this craft his employer gave up the business, young MacPherson was desperate as he was bringing in the money for his poor mother. He then became a messenger boy with Messrs Costigaine Bros., of the Granite House. After a few months here he joined the staff of Mr McLachlan, wine & spirit merchant, a native of his birth place in premises on Clyde Street, Port Dundas.
After a year he left to work for Mr John Watt in his Cowcaddens pub, the old Pop Inn, after 18 months he was managing his premises in Parliamentary Road, the old Forfarshire Bar. MacPherson stayed in this responsible position for fourteen years and left to become his own boss at premises on Castle Street.
Lachlan was one of the originators of the Wine, Beer and Spirit Trade Employees Association, in his spare time he loved music and played the bagpipes. He was a Gaelic Scholar and kept in touch with all the Gaelic literature in Glasgow. A Forester of Royal Ash Lodge, no. 5515. He loved the bowls and played in both St. Rollox and Belvedere Bowling greens. He was a member of the Defence Association, and many others including, Incorporation of Bonnetmakers and Dyers, the Deacon and Free Press, an Anderston Weaver and one of the Clydesdale Merchants. He was still an unmarried man in his 40s.
He took over the old licence for the 151 Bar on Springfield Road in 1907 which was a short distance from the Victoria Racing Grounds, the tramway cars from Anniesland passed the front door every few minutes, the area surrounding this old pub was a thriving part of the east end of Glasgow.
The lettering above the pub was in Gold, the main entrance on Springfield Road was the main bar area and Lily Street was the family department. On entering the main bar you were faced with a large mahogany horse shoe bar with large barrels on the gantry, he was not just a wine & spirit merchant but a bonder and blender too. Small tables and chairs took up the rest of the floor space. Mahogany wood stained panelling adorned the walls with crimson dado, the glasswork was of chaste design, the beer store and cellar was adjacent to the bar, and to the left was Mr MacPherson’s private office and telephone booth.
MacPherson continued in the Springfield Road premises until the 1920s.
In 1930 James McAloon was licensee, he also ran the Possil Bar, Possil Road. Sarah Duffin McAloon took over the licence in mid 1930s. Malcolm Paterson then took over, he was the last holder of the certificate until it was demolished around 1970. Mr Paterson also owned the Provanmill Inn, Royston Road.
Mr Lachlan MacPherson. 1893.
30 Stockwell Street, Glasgow.
Ronnie’s Bar. 1991.
This old established pub was better known in the 1980s as Kittys’ Bar. When I was a teenager my father drank in here with his many friend, he had a small shop in Brunswick Street next to the Mitre Bar, selling bedding and soft toys. I remember he gave me a massive lion soft toy to carry to Kittys’ Bar, I could hardly lift the feline it was that big, my father had to give me a hand in case I fell. On arriving at Kitty’s everyone gazed at the size of this toy as my father sat it on the bar and said this is Kittys’ bar.
There has been a pub on this site since at least the 1840s. One of the publicans to hold the licence was John White Crichton, born in 1866 in Langloan, he was educated in Thomson Street school, Dennistoun, where he passed through his classes without special distinction. But he seemed to have a taste for mechanical work, his greatest pleasure as a boy was watching the steam cranes at work. He entered into this trade when he left school and passed his apprenticeship with A & P Steven, Provanside Engine Works. He stop his engineering job to help out his father’s business in Townmill Road where he remained for 5 years. In 1890 he was given a transfer to Stockwell Street.
A very fine public house used to stand on the site of Kitties’ Bar and was known all over the city as the Balmoral.
However Mr Crichton was better known for his other profession as an engineer, he invented the “Emergency” beer raising engine, a simple idea and much smaller than the larger beer engines in cellars of that time. John W Crichton went bankrupt in 1897. The pub side of his business was taken over by Robert Black the pub was then known as the “Record Bar” then Robert Paterson took over the business in 1902. Mr Paterson also owned the Park Bar on Main Street, Tollcross which is now closed and called the Village.
During the 1930s the Stockwell Street premises were run by John Lloyd jun he also had a pub on Parliamentary Road at the corner of Black Street. The pub was sold to the West of Scotland Taverns Ltd in 1959, the licensee Joseph Smillie ran a successful business here for many years, he also ran Mill’s Bar in Duke Street, a pub on Morrison Street and Westmuir Street, now called O’Kane’s.
————————————
In the NEWS 1979…
Kitty’s Bar advert 1979.
Kitty’s Bar was owned by Ted Watters and his wife Kitty, the interior of Kitty’s Bar was panelled wall to wall with no particular featured decor. However the Watters and their staff were very friendly.
The couple were old friends of Glen and have been in the trade for a few years. They used to have a pub on London Road, Bridgeton, but when it was demolished they moved the Stockwell Street. It was a move they never regretted.
Darts was a favourite sport in Kitty’s Bar. Their Darts team were champions of the Independent League in 1978.
20 Stirling Street, Glasgow. Now Blackfriar Street. Demolished.
The King’s Head Inn was situated on this Street.
The first listing for the King’s Head Inn was in 1828 the landlord was Mr James McKerracher, a Vintner and Stabler at 20 Stirling Street. However he is mentioned in 1824 as a Vintner & Stabler at 32 Stirling Street. The following year his business was at 20 Stirling Street.
James continued as landlord of the King’s Head Inn until 1831, he then went on to run the White Hart Inn at 4 Dunlop Street.
Next to run the King’s Head Inn in 1833 was a lady called Mrs D Cameron, she also ran the stabling and carrier quarter. The following year Alexander McPhail was running the King’s Head Inn. Alexander continued as Landlord until his death in 1846, his wife then took over the running of the Inn until 1851.
The Inn was then taken over by John Drummond later on in the same year. John was not just the new landlord by was also a Police Dung contractor, letting out the back of the premises for several carrier quarter’s. The last listing of the King’s Head Inn was in 1857 still run by John Drummond, the following year he is found running his Police Dung Contractor, Stables and Offices at 6 North Wallace Street, he was then living at 10 Canning Place in the east end of the city. The old building of the King’s Head Inn was demolished around 1899.
Thanks to David A Stevenson
Do you know anything about this old Inn? If so please leave a comment.
END.
31 South Portland Street, Gorbals, Glasgow. Demolished.
Mr William Neilson. 1887.
William Neilson was born in Glasgow in the 1840s. After leaving school he learned the trade of Marine engineering. After his apprenticeship he went to the United States of American and Canada and held responsible positions in some of the principal Railways both in the States and the Dominion. After several years he went to Peru, he was for twelve years employed on land and sea, principally on Sugar and Rum Plantations. While in Peru he was entrusted with the charge of the engineering department and held in high esteem by his employers as a most capable engineer. One of the most exciting episodes in his life was the prominent part he was compelled to take in the engagements between the Chileans and Peruvians.
While on the plantation of Mr Swaine, a Scotsman, they were repeatedly harassed by one side or the other, and it was only by payments of large sums of money that the property was saved from destruction by the marsauders, who on one occasion, killed upwards of 1200 China-men employed on the estate. On several of these occasions Mr Neilson was in great danger of his life, and had to take refuge on British ships. In these revolutionary wars that convulsed the country, he had on many occasions to hoist the British flag for protection; but the most terrible scene, of which he was an eye witness, was the capture of Sima by the Chileans, when seven thousand Peruvians and five thousand Chilieans were slaughtered in the streets of the town, and it was only by the intervention of the foreign Consuls that further scenes of horror and atrocity were avoided. After this he came back to Scotland.
The King’s Arms corner of Oxford and South Portland Street.
On his return he opened a public house in South Portland Street at the corner of Oxford Street. He had great knowledge of the west coast of South America which made him an authority on some parts of that country.
William Neilson’s pub became known as the Kings Arms, a well known local in the Gorbals. The pub was taken over in 1896 to wine and spirit merchant Robert Shields. George and John MacLachlan of Castle Bars owned this property and leased the business to various publicans for many years. Mr Shields paid an annul rent of £90 to the MacLachlan brothers.
Robert Shields resided at 12 Lorne Terrace, Maryhill and travelled daily to his pub on South Portland Street before going to his other premises at 155 Queen Street (Crammond Bar).
During the First World War the pub was taken over by Alexander Young who continued to serve the locals until his death during the second world war. His wife Mary then took over the licence.
James Mulholland will still be remembered by many as landlord during the 1960s, he also owned a pub at 20 Greenhaugh Street, Govan. The last publican to run the pub was a Mr Whyte, he continued running the pub until it was finally closed down and demolished in the 1970s.
Do you remember this old Pub? If so please leave a comment.
END.