John Gorevan

The Snapp Bar

February 9, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

54 Cornwall Street, Kinning Park, Glasgow.

The Snapp. 1930s.

This old Kinning Park hostelry was owned by James Shanks in the 1880s, Mr Shanks owned some of the best bars in the city of Glasgow including 80 Cowcaddens, ( W T Doherty’s,) 72 Maitland Street, 32 Hamilton Street, Govan. In the 1870s he started out in the Royalty Bar, West Nile Street. Mr Shanks held the licence for Cornwall Street until 1904.

James Reid before refurbishment in the 1930s.

James Reid then took over the pub, he held a licence for another pub at 226 St. James Street, Kinning Park. Mr Reid continued as licensee until the 1930s when the pub was refurbishment and renamed to the Snapp Bar. Wine & Spirit merchant William B Frew then occupied the premises.

After WW2 the pub was run by George Mullen, George went on to own the Snapp Bar, London Road in the east end of the city, he also owned the Blythswood Bar, Clydebank.

The Snapp Bar was demolished in the 1960s.

Licence Holders.

1890 James Shanks.

1930-1904 James Reid.

1938 William Brechin Frew.

1947-1962 George Grant Davidson Mullen.

James McLean

February 9, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

83 Stirling Street, Cowcaddens, Glasgow.

To read the full history of this popular Cowcaddens pub, check back soon for my second book.

Also see James McLean’s other premises Click here.

James Hutchison

February 9, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

164-166 Paisley Road West, Glasgow.

James Hutchison’s bar sat at the corner of Paisley Road West and Plantation Street.

There has been a pub on this sit since 1883, William Laird traded here until 1893 at Melrose Buildings.

In 1894 George Blair acquired the licence, he also had a pub at 79 Main Street, Bridgeton now called the Park Lane Tavern.

James Hutchison took over the pub in 1930, he ran the Auld Gushet Hoose, 151 Duke Street and traded in Paisley Road successfully until a few years after WW2.

James Hutchison’s bar became known as the Plantation Inn and was demolished in the late1970s.

—————————————————–

In the NEWS 1977…

Mike Sharkey outside the Old Plantation Inn. 1977.

But pub boss Mike has a barricade plan…

Landlord Mike Sharkey is preparing to barricade himself in his Govan pub in defiance of a Glasgow District Council order to move.

The council want Mike out of the Old Plantation Inn because they say the tenement building where it is situated is dangerous and they have a warrant for its demolition.

The 40 year old publican, who lives at 8 Torriden Avenue, Dumbreck, doesn’t want his pub demolished because he stands to lose about £75,000.

And he claims that the building’s dangerous condition was caused by the District Council. Mike, a former civil engineer, who took over the Old Plantation Inn in Paisley Road West four years ago, said the council sent in a demolition squad to knock down a tenement block adjoining his pub.

DANGEROUS

“They thought there was a mutual gable between the two properties,” he said, “but half way through the demolition, they discovered this was not the case. “Apparently there were only two chimney breasts and a thin brick partition separating the buildings, and the fact that the adjoining tenement was taken away meant that the building my pub was in was liable to become dangerous.”

The pub owner was granted an interim interdict preventing the District Council carrying out any further demolition work. The District Council’s building control department examined the property and gave Mike a continuation to draw up a safe scheme for strengthening the gable wall.

“They then decided that the pub tenement be condemned as dangerous, and that the seven tenants and occupiers on the upper floors be removed out and rehoused,” he said.

“No action was to be taken on demolition so that I could come up with a scheme for partial demolition of the property and reroofing the pub. This was to be done at my own cost, and I would have had to buy the upstairs premises.

“However, in the meantime, the Department of Environmental Health obtained a draft resolution condemning this tenement as “sub-tolerable.”

“It takes between six months to a year for a final resolution to come through, so this meant that I would have to spend at least £10,000 in reroofing and demolishing only to have the whole pub knocked down within a year.”

The District Council’s assistant director of building control Mr Robert Dalgleish said that after council workmen started demolition, the chimney breast between the two tenements was found to be loose.

WARRANT

“This matter was continued several times, but eventually we were granted a warrant for the complete demolition of the property of which Mr Sharkey is a part-owner.

“As far as we are concerned there would be no compensation. This would be a matter for District Council consideration.”

When asked about the pub-owner’s claims that the building’s dangerous condition was caused by the demolition work on the other tenement, Mr Dalgleish said that this was not the case.

His view, however, was opposed by a representative of a City firm of consultant engineers who made a report on the tenement.

Meanwhile, the deadline given to the publican is drawing nearer. Mike has been ordered to leave the premises on or before 12 noon on June 27, but he says he is staying put.

“I don’t see why their mistakes should cost me. I have a wife and seven children, and the council want to take away my livelihood. “The one thing I am not going to do is leave. I’m going to barricade myself in if necessary.”