John Gorevan

Hugh McGrail

January 25, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

124 Bridgegate, Glasgow.

The pub on the right hand side was Hugh McGrail’s bar, it sat at the corner of Aird’s Lane which was on the other side of the road from Hurrell’s old pub which is now the Westering Winds.

Archibald Donely a publican from the High Street occupied these premises in the 1870s.

In 1894 Hugh McGrail took over the old pub, he got his training in the spirit trade from his father Patrick, a wine & spirit merchant who traded from a small pub at 76-78 Eglinton Street. Patrick came from Ireland in the 1870s to set up as a publican in Glasgow, he lived with his wife Bridget and a large family of six children in Stockwell Street just around the corner from the Bridgegate. Hugh was the eldest son and worked in his father pub in Eglinton street as a waiter, his brothers William and Andrew also worked in the trade during summer holidays.

When Patrick passed away Hugh took control of his fathers pub and his own business in the Bridgegate. However when his sister Bridget became old enough to hold a licence she took over as licensee for her fathers pub on Eglinton Street.

Hugh McGrail’s bar in the Bridgegate was demolished in the 1920s.

Other Bridgegate Pubs…

Victorias. (Vicky’s)

Westering Winds.

The Hub

January 25, 2017 by John Gorevan 3 Comments

175 Great Western Road, Glasgow. G4 9AW. Tel: 0141 331 1901.

The Hub. 1991.

The Hub opened it’s door in 1963. The premises were situated in a district where a great deal of motor trading was done.

The walls were decorated with line drawings of vintage cars with photographs of famous cars and models such as the Coventry Daimler, Golden Arrow and Rolls Royce. The new establishment had a bar upstairs and the lounge downstairs which extended into the basement of adjoining premises.

Proprietor Mrs Pitt and Brewers Thomas Usher & Son opened the new venture with many celebrities and well known figures in the licensed trade. A vintage car advertising the Hub bar drove around the west end and along Great Western Road before stopping outside the Hub.

Advertising vintage car outside the new Hub public house. 1963.

A cardboard sign with were going to the opening of the Hub at Great Western Road was positioned on the doors and at the rear of the car.

The opening ceremony was performed by Mr Andrew Dickson a well known personality in the Glasgow motor trade, among the guests was stage and TV personality Jimmy Logan.

Left to right I G Donaldson, director of Thomas Usher & Son, Andrew Dickson, Mrs Pitt and Jimmy Logan. 1963.

Now known as the Liquid Ship. Tel: as above.

Licence Holders.

1990 Michael Donovan.

1973-1969 Daniel Miller Gordon.

Howden’s

January 25, 2017 by John Gorevan 3 Comments

1607 Paisley Road West, Glasgow. G52 3QX. Tel: 01418821546.

Howden’s. 1991.

Mr. David Howden owned this bar in the 1930s, he also owned the Cessnock Bar in Harvie Street, off Paisley Road West.

The House of Lords

January 25, 2017 by John Gorevan 2 Comments

118 Bell Street, Glasgow. Demolished.

This old establishment was situated in Bell Street just off High Street, it has now been demolished with flats being built on the site. To read the full history of this once popular bar check out our book here.

This old pub was formerly called the Pop Inn.

Interior view’s of the Pop Inn. 1936.

The pub was refurbished in 1936, Mr Kelly the proprietor stripped the four walls of this old pub, he erected a new center island gantry with an oval surrounding counter. The gantry was well designed in mahogany, concealed lighting showed off the display of drinks on the shelves.

Around the walls he had constructed eight cabins (small rooms,) with rounded fronts, each would have accommodated about eight to ten people. Upholstered seating was installed in each room with new non-burnable tables, all double tiered. In the far right corner was a lunch, dining and supper room, the pub enjoyed the advantage of the supper hour. Ladies were now allowed into the premises, new toilets were installed for their purpose. Beyond the dining saloon was the kitchen, fitted with all the mod cons.

A feature of the pub was the coloured glass vestibule at the entrance, an old leaded partition picturing some of the heroes of the South African War, Generals Roberts, Buller and MacDonald, purchased on the demolition of old licensed premises elsewhere in the city.

There were two fireplaces, one on each side of the room, one a coal fire the other electric. The floor was covered in Lino. The pub was now called the Pop Inn Restaurant. Also read the history of Mr Kelly’s other public house at 70 Cowcaddens “The Pop Inn.”

Do you know anything about this old Glasgow Pub? If so please leave a comment below.

The Horse Shoe Bar

January 25, 2017 by John Gorevan 2 Comments

19 Drury Street, Glasgow. G2 5AE. Tel: 01412295711.

The Horse Shoe Bar. 1991.

One of Glasgow’s hidden treasures, it also has the longest bar in UK.

The next time your your in town and nothing to do, go into the Horse Shoe for a drink and see how many horse shoe’s you can find in the bar alone. I don’t think anyone as stayed sober long enough to count them.

One of the most famous owners of the Horse Shoe Bar was John Scouler.

To read the full history of the Horse Shoe check out our book here.

The Horse Shoe Bar. 2007.

Swinging sign.

This etched stained glass panel was taken from the Union Bar on Union Street when John Y Whyte was proprietor.

In 1971 the latest in the Tennent Caledonian Breweries chain of public houses to be brought up-to-date was the famous Horse Shoe Bar, Drury Street, Glasgow, where, however, the remodelling had been concentrated on the dinning room upstairs. The Bar downstairs was also redecorated, but its existing characteristics were to be retained. The manager of the Horse Shoe Bar was Mr James Rowan.

Mr James Rowan. 1971.

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In the NEWS 1979…

42 lucky years for Jimmy and Horse Shoe Bar…

Horse shoes are lucky for Jimmy. 1979.

When Jimmy Rowan started in the Horse Shoe bar in Glasgow’s Drury Street all of 42 years ago, a half of whisky cost eight (old) pence and a pint 6d.

Rowan has been manager for 22 years and the pub draws in half a million pounds every year. The little manage claims that pound for pound, his shop in the narrow street slap-bang in the city centre is the best in the business.

It has much in its favour, it looks like a hostelry from another age, a indeed it is, having opened 20 years ago.

The horseshoe motif is everywhere on mirrors, the toilets, the fireplaces. In fact it has become such a famous meeting place that the owners have been offered a “London Bridge” deal.

An American firm are so impressed that they have offered to buy it lock stock and all those big shiny old barrals and transport the lot to New York, where thatold-fashioned look would be a wow.

The unflapable manager hopes at least to have another four years as top man. Catch the names of some of the characters who have partaken of food and drink in the pub.

Roy Rogers turned up one busy lunch hour, complete with Tigger. Needless to say room was made for both. Then there was the near riot up and down the counter.

Sir John Mills and daughter Hayley came in for a quiet tipple. The Horse Shoe doesn’t crave publicity, with its drawings and the fact that it turned down that fabulous offer from New York.

There can be few more experienced or longer serving bar manager in Glasgow than Rowan. He says that only twice in 42 years he has had to call in the police to avert trouble.

Horse Shoe Tavern

January 25, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

Glasgow Road, Half Way.

The Horse Shoe Tavern had an established date of 1804, it succeeded an ancient hostelry giving the place it’s name of Half Way House also known as the Auld Hoose. It was opposite here that the Glasgow to Paisley steam carriage exploded in 1807, the charred remains of the carriage were kept at one time in the Kelvingrove Museum.

The locals bragged that Queen Mary rested and took lunch in here on her way to Crookston Castle. What is certain is that the Harvie family owned this old tavern for generations.

This old building sat on the highway to Paisley and was half way between Glasgow and Paisley. Part of the old tavern was utilised as a smiddy, where many a lucky horse shoe was turned, the smith acting in the double capacity of horse-shoer and Boniface. This was as far back as the time of the great grandfather of Miss Elizabeth Harvie, who was proprietor in the early 1900s. The lease bearing the date 1800 was granted by Lord Blantyre and was for the term of 99 years.

Next to the old tavern, Robert Harvie, Elizabeth’s father, built a two storey house over the smith’s shop as a dwelling house for his son John Harvie, who carried on a large and successful dairy business, supplying most of his products and milk to Govan. Mr Robert Harvie had licensed premises at Williamsburgh, Hawkhead, Paisley and while attending strictly to his own business, he and his brother David efficiently assisted their sister Elizabeth in the management of the Horse Shoe Tavern.

In 1881 Robert Harvie the proprietor of the tavern was living with his large family, he lost his wife at an early age. His dwelling house was large enough to sleep all this children, Elizabeth, 24, John was a joiner aged 27, Robert a blacksmith, 18, James a clerk, 16, William was still at school, 14, David was also at school, 12. Roberts other daughter Mary Stewart was also living in the house with her husband also a blacksmith and their children Walter and Jessie. Robert employed a domestic servant Maggie Martin and a boarder James Broadley a general labourer, he was an old Irish gentleman of 74 years.

The old tavern was demolished in 1901 and a new tenement of houses was erected in it’s place.