70 Bedford Street, Gorbals, Glasgow. G5 9NZ.
Tron Bar. 1991.
To read the full history of this very old pub, check back soon for our second book.
Mrs Lucy Reynolds, Jimmy and daughter Ann Marie behind the bar of the Luanna Lounge at the Tron Bar. 1960s.
Peter Keenan playing dominoes at the Tron Bar, the tournament between the Wellington Bar and the Sportsman Bar that Mr Keenan owned. 1970s.
Left to right: family friend; Mrs. Lucy Reynolds and daughter Marie.
191 Byres Road, Partick, Glasgow. G12. Tel: 01413411024.
Tennent’s Bar. 1991.
Hugh Tennent jun. obtained a certificate to sell wines beers and spirits from premises on this site since 1888. A new tenement was built on the site with a new public house for Hugh Tennent in the 1890’s.
Hugh Tennent jun. was the grandson of the Hugh Tennent of Wellpark Brewery, Duke Street. He was born in Tasmania in 1842. In 1871 he established the Wellshot Brewery in Cambuslang, when he gave up brewing in that district he became a wine & spirit merchant in Clydebank, Glasgow, Rutherglen and Whiteinch. His establishments were run like clockwork with all the newest equipment installed, he dispensed in large polished wooden barrels his own single malt called “Royal Brackla.”
In 1881 he was living in Wellshot House, Rutherglen with his housekeeper Barbara Kennedy and a domestic servant Jeanie McDonald, he was still a single man at this time employing 30 men and 7 boys in Wellshot Brewery.
Hugh Tennent jun died in 1919, his son George Beaconsfield Tennent took control of the public houses and other businesses his father had going at the time. However there was a dark secret Hugh Tennent jun kept to himself which later came out after his death, he had another family and mistress, a court case that was continued until 1955.
When Hugh Tennent died in 1919 he left two families one of 4 children by Ellen Clarke and one of 11 children by Rebecca Whaley and an estate valued at £70,724.
James Wilson judicial factor of the late Hugh Tennent stated that there were 13 defenders, most of them living in the Glasgow area, were believed to be all the children and heirs of Tennent, Mr Wilson also stated that there might have been others who had gone abroad and who could not be traced.
Tennent in his will and codicils, made provisions which included the payment of an annuity of £1500 to his widow, Rebecca Whaley Tennent. He also provided that his trustees should hold the residue of his estate, including and surplus annual income, for his children equally in liferent and to their respective issue equally per family in fee until the death or remarriage of his widow. Mrs Tennent died in June 1953.
The question of fact in the case, was who were the legitimate children of the testator. Of the four children by Ellen Clarke only one Hugh Tennent, Tantallon Road, Glasgow survived. The latter contended that the testator and Ellen Clarke were married at Mount Florida, Glasgow in 1873 or 1883 by interchange of consent or by the Rev. Henry Drysdale of Mount Florida Church.
It was argued by counsel for the other claimants that no declaration by the testator after the death of the woman was relevant since it could not be communicated to her. They argued that the testator was never married to Ellen Clarke and accordingly all the first family were illegitimate.
The Judge said this was a case in which it was sought to establish a marriage between and man and woman who had been in the position of mistress and keeper. In those circumstances he believed it necessary to have clear evidence in support of the marriage.
There appeared to be no evidence whatsoever to establish a marriage by declaration in 1873 between the testator and Ellen Clarke. This would have had the effect of making the three elder children of Rebecca Whaley illegitimate. If it had appeared from the evidence of Hugh Tennents housekeeper Miss Kennedy that she had been present at a death bed ceremony it might have been possible to spell out the declarations made by the testator subsequent to the death of Ellen Clarke, corrobation for that evidence.
The Judge said he regretted in some respect that he had not been able to find evidence sufficient to establish a death bed marriage on January 10 1883, since if that had been established it was admitted that all the children would be legitimate and entitled to share equally in the fund.
The Three Judge’s. 2007.
Tennent’s Bar today is as popular as it was when it opened it’s doors for the first time. If you like a cheap lunch and a good pint this is the place for you.
1 Baronald Street, Rutherglen, Glasgow. G73 1AF. Tel: 01416472568.
Tennent’s. 1991.
This pub was named after Hugh Tennent Jun.
Interior view of Tennents Bar 1953 shortly after alterations.
Tennents. 2009.
151-55 Bath Street, Glasgow. G2 4SQ. Tel: 0141 221 7711.
Spy closed in September 2005 and reopened as the Butterfly & the Pig.
3a-5 Blackfriars Street, Glasgow, G1 1PG. Tel: 01415523894.
Strathduie. 1991.
The Strathduie was built in 1893 for publicans J & J McWilliam, wine and spirit merchants, however there has been a tavern on this site since 1840. The old tavern was then occupied by John McNeil who only stayed here for a couple of years. Christopher Wishart then occupied the premises until 1845.
In 1851 James McWilliam of J & J McWilliam took over the old howff. Blackfriar Street was then called Stirling Street which had a total of six public houses.
James McWilliam was a prominent figure in the Scottish Licensed Trade he also owned another pub in West Street at the corner of 64 Clyde Place, and a licensed grocers business in Queen Street. Mr McWilliam was a member of the Parliamentary and Managing Committee of the Scottish Licensed Trade Defence Committee.
In 1899 the McWilliam family which included Alexander, Andrew, and James between them were in charge of 10 public houses., Alexander McWilliam was in charge of Samuel Dow’s public houses at 54-58 Mitchell Street, 1157-59 Pollokshaws Road at Kilmarnock Road and 226 Great Western Road.
Andrew McWilliam was licensee at 570 Rutherglen Road, 4 Clyde Place, 12 Bridge Street, 16-18 Maxwell Street and 64 East Howard Street.
James and John McWilliam had pubs at 1 West Street 64 Clyde Place and 3a-5 Stirling Street. James and John traded under the title of J & J McWilliam.
In 1892 the old pub was demolished and a new tenement with a pub on the ground floor was erected for Mr McWilliam, he died in 1901 at his home in Montgomerie Drive, Kelvinside, leaving vast’s amounts of money in his will. He also left in his estate £500 each to the Royal Western and the Victoria Infirmaries, £50 each to Lenzie Convalescent Home, Dunoon Homes, Glasgow Eye Infirmary, Asylum for the blind, Ophthalmic Institution, £210 to the Wine & Spirit and Beer Trade Benevolent Institution and £105 to the Session of St. John’s Parish Church for the benefit of the poor.
The Strathduie Bar looking up Blackfriar Street in the 1960s.
It may be interesting to note that Mr McWilliams sister married Samuel Dow another well known Glasgow wine and spirit merchant, when his wife died Mr Dow presented a stained glass window in her memory to Bellahouston Parish Church of which they were members.
After James McWilliam’s death Alexander McWilliam took control of the business which was sold a few years later to Samuel McKinnon. Another prominent Glasgow publican to take control of the licence was James Wilson who served the locals here from 1913, Mr Wilson was one of those unfortunate men who witnessed two world wars.
Today the pub is still going strong, for many years this pub has been known for it’s great sing-a-longs, many a good chanter in this old pub.
Strathduie. 2005.
Date above the tenement building 1893.
Licence Holders.
1991 James Casey.
1973-1965 Allan Peter Hannah.
1937-1913 James Wilson.
1910 Samuel McKinnon.
1902 Alexander McWilliam for J & J McWilliam.
1899-1851 James McWilliam.
1850-1846 Ogilvie Stratton.
1845-1842 Christopher Wishart.
1842-1840 John McNeil.
24 Bridge Street, Tradeston, Glasgow. Tel: 01414292544.
Sou Wester. 1991.
To read the full history of this pub click here.
In the News 1972…
Honest Harry’s A Dart “Shark”
He sweat for £1 an ounce.
The world of the darts player is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is a world thick with cigarette smoke, redolent of beer. It is usually a small world, confined to one corner of a busy bustling bar; a tiny amphitheatre of effort and endeavour.
Yet for the fanatics and there are thousands of them it is a competitive world they thoroughly enjoy. From the “backwoods” bars and clubs the road may lead up to the halls and championships where £100 may hang on a dart and with it the label champion of champions.
For Harry Heenan of the Sou’ Wester Bar, Bridge Street, Glasgow, there has been such a journey, to the top, to the spotlights, and the title champion of Scotland. But whether he is winning or losing, Harry enjoys his darts; they all in fact enjoy their darts.
All Shapes
They carry them about in hand- fashioned special cases, presentation darts, ordinary darts, sets with Jim Pike barrels, fat barrels, thin barrels, long barrels. In plastic, in metal, in wood. Says Frank Quinn, president of the newly formed Scottish Darts Association. “There must be 1000 different kinds of darts. The variety is quite fantastic.”
Harry Heenan is a product of this world. He has all the assets that make the top player, the eye, the temperament, and the ability to play the pressure dart. With 1000 people watching as you try for the 3100 pay off double that you must hit on the board nine feet away, the pressure can be practically unbearable.
Harry is a “shark” at the game. His 1971 list of titles included the Evening Times Scottish singles championship, the Glasgow singles and doubles, and the singles and doubles of his home “stable” the Sou’ Wester.
Success
Harry is no smart Alec. He is remarkably honest in his assessment of his reasons for liking the game and playing it. He confesses, “You get a lot more out of darts than you have to put into it prizes and pleasure in my case. It’s not like football or any of the demanding games. You don’t have to kill yourself training.
“You don’t have to deprive yourself of anything. You can take a drink and your favourite dish. You can eat cream buns if so inclined. There are some great stout darts players and many fine thin ones. It really is an enjoyable pastime, inexpensive, and rewarding.”
But if Harry talks blithely about the rewards of the game they are certainly not achieved without some sweat and strain. Darts is never a placid affair when the moneys on. When the stakes are in three figures they all sweat. And Harry is no exception, although undoubtedly he keeps his considerable cool by following what he calls his “technique” or approach to the game.
“You’ve get to try to be relaxed,” says Harry, fixing you with unwavering eyes and waving his hands about expressively. “You can’t do your best throwing tensed up, now can you? It stands to reason. You must concentrate too. If you can achieve these two things, that’s half the battle. The rest is the breaks.”
The breaks are the great imponderables, the fractions, in flight that mean the difference between a dart in a double and a doleful expression. Darts crowds understand such things. They are so knowledgeable it’s almost frightening. They are really the championship dropouts, the players who have been beaten on the road to the finals.
They are there to play each and every dart, and the atmosphere at a final would generate enough electricity to keep the South of Scotland Board happy in the present power crisis.
Climax
Harry has lived through such electric storms. In Govan Town Hall on a warm June night last year, in a crackling climax to his best-ever season. Harry, snatching tiny sips of beer between games, and being coaxed and cajoled by a highly partisan home crowd, because the first Glasgow League player to win the Scottish Title.
His two-hour effort took “a year off his life and half a stone off his weight” as he jokingly put it, and won him a £100 cheque, the magnificent “Evening Times” Cup, and two bottles of the best. That’s what Harry, a non-smoking, moderate drinking, 35 year old bar manager, means when he says the game can be rewarding, sometimes at around £1 an ounce.
“Jim Pike, Recognised as one of the great exponents of the game. His many tricks include covering a board with a sheet of paper and hitting selected doubles, trebles, and singles as spectators call them out. Another part of his repertoire is standing with his back to the board using a mirror as a “guide” to throwing.
In the News 1974…
Punchbowl have to fill the Cup…!
Punchbowl (above) and Sou’ Wester A (below), currently the two strongest teams in the Glasgow Darts Association, had a rare old scrap when they clashed in the final of the White Horse Trophy tournament. Victory went to the Punchbowl 9-8, but only after the two teams had tied it at 6-6 and a best of five games decider had been ordered. 1974.
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In the NEWS 1975…
Pictured with a cheque for £140 for the Sharon Lodge Kidney Machine Fund are (left to right) Alex McDonald of Rangers; Willie Scott, Sou Wester Bar; Tony Hanlon, managing director of Kinglass Wines and Spirit Ltd; David Wills, the firm’s sales manager; and Dixie deans of Celtic, who also took part in the pro-am darts tournament The tournament raised £70 which was doubled by Kinglass Wines and Spirits Ltd to make the £140 total.
The Sharon Lodge kidney machine fund faced tragedy this week.
The organisers of the fund had intended to give surplus cash to help buy a machine for a 14-year-old boy from Garthamlock, Glasgow. But the boy, James McEleney, died on Wednesday.
Now all cash left over after paying for a kidney machine for 12-year-old Sharon from Barlanark, will go to the kidney unit of the Sick Children’s Hospital, where it will help to buy other machines.
Darts match
With just over a week of fund to run, the total stands at more than £4690. Of this figure, more than £1200 has been passed on by the “Evening Times” on behalf of readers, factory workers, and other groups who sent in cash.
The latest donation came from the Auew Club in West Regent Street in the city centre. Last night they held a “Pro-Am” darts tournament involving club members and Rangers and Celtic footballers.
And Alex Ferguson, the St Mirren club manager who also runs a Public House, was there to pass on cash collected in his pub. Money also came from the employees of raincoat manufacturer P. Zolkwer and son in the Queenslie Industrial Estate.
They raised the money by holding raffles during their tea break and at their annual dance last week. Money has come in from D.R.G Lairds Packing in Pollokshaws, Glasgow, workers at the Prestcold factory in Hillington, and Lenzie Union Church Sunday School.
The sergeants mess at the 51st R.A.O.C. base in Woodgreen Avenue, King’s Park, gave £51. They raised this by holding a competition games night with the regulars of the A.A. Bar in Kinning Park. Albion Motors have also sent in cash as have two school classes, 7C of St. Sixtus primary and 7B of Thornwood primary.
On Sunday, a police football team from the Northern Division will take on a team supplied by Celtic in a fund raising game at Shettleston Juniors park with a 3 p.m. kick-off. Before the match, which will be attended by Radio Clyde Djs, there will be a display of dog-handling.
The fund closes on March 24 with a dance in the Celtic Social Club’ One of the organisers of the fund Mrs Ruby Gourlay, said, “The support for the fund has been tremendous.”
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In the NEWS 1975…
Mr william Keaney (right), mine host of the Sou Wester, Bridge Street, Glasgow, with the new Whitbread Four-Man Shield put up for annual competition between darts teams from the Sou Wester and the Quaich. Company representative Mr Harry Anderson made the presentation., 1975.
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In the NEWS 1976…
Trophy night for the winners of the Glasgow woman’s darts league at the final of their competition for the Kensas Club Darts Trophy in the Grosvenor Hotel, Glasgow.
Winners were the Garfield Hotel team from Stepps, who beat the girls from the Sou Wester Bar, Gorbals, Glasgow.
Left to right are winners Nancy Taylor, Carol McKerron, Gil Brodie, area manager for Gallaher cigarettes, Margaret Devlin (team captain) and Janet Taylor. 1976.
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