7-9 Gordon Street, Glasgow. G1 3LP.
Also see Bier’s other premises which include:
Address G
The Royal
29-31 Glebe Street, Townhead, Glasgow.
The Royal. 1991.
There has been licensed premises on this site since 1849. The longest licensee to hold the certificate was William Smith, he took over the pub in 1851 and continued to serve the locals here till 1895.
Many Glasgow publican’s in Victorian times lived very close to their business, William and his wife Mary stayed in Stirling Road in the 1880s with their son David a shipbuilders clerk and their daughter Maggie who was still at school.
The licence was transferred to Mrs Mary Stirling Smith Munro in 1895, she sold the pub in 1910 along with her other establishment at 113 Springburn Road, many will remember this old pub as “Dougan’s.”Mary’s husband ran this pub from the 1880s.
William Collins took over the Glebe Street business in 1910 paying an annul rent of £70, his wife ran the pub after the Second World War.
The Royal Bar was taken over by Edward Lee, Funeral Director’s, who had premises in Glebe Street, Westmuir Street and St. Vincent Street. Edward Lee’s first pub was in Millroad Street before taking over the Royal Bar.
This well established hostelry was demolished in the early part of the 1990s along with the Manx Bar to make way for a car park.
The Lee family however got new premises across the road which is far bigger than the old pub. The name Lee is now above the doorway of the new pub which is on St. James Road.
The Lee 100 St James Road, Glasgow G4 0NS.
The Ross-shire Bar
20 Greenhaugh Street, Govan, Glasgow.
In 1899 Thomas Russell was the landlord for this old established Govan howff.
Murdo MacKenzie took over the business in 1918 and continued as licensee until the late 1940s.
During the 1950s James Mulholland owned the pub, he also ran a pub at 31 South Portland Street. In 1962 the licence was transfered to Hughina Stewart Foulds Mulholland, she held the licence until the 1970s.
Annul dinner dance, left to right Mr & Mrs Chasson, Ross-shire Bar, Mr & Mrs E Mulholland, Ross-shire Bar, Mr & Mrs Joseph Fleck, Mr & Mrs J McAulay, Boghead Inn, Carmunnock, George Grier, Mrs Johnstone, Mrs Lundie, Mr M Haxton, Mrs A Anderson, Mrs Grier, Mr A Anderson, George Younger’s. 1958.
Left to right Mr & Mrs J D Boyd, Boghead Inn, Mrs & Mr James Mulholland, Mr & Mrs J McAulay, Boghead Inn, Mrs & Mr W Chasson, Ross-shire Bar, Mrs & Mr Andrew McAulay, Kyles of Bute Bar, Govan.
Licence Holders.
173-1962 Hughina Stewart Mulholland.
1960 James Mulholland.
1937-1918 Murdo MacKenzie.
1899 Thomas Russell.
The Rob Roy
389 Gallowgate, Glasgow.
The Rob Roy. 1991.
This was one of my old favourite pubs in the east end of the city.
Situated at the corner of the Gallowgate and Hill Street, it was a popular haunt for employees of the meat market and Tennent Caledonian Breweries.
There has been a pub on this site since at least the 1830s. In 1863 Archibald MacPherson took over this old established howff, Mr MacPherson was a prosperous businessman also having pubs in 278 Main Street, Bridgeton, 2 pubs on Duke Street, one at 200 and the other at 263 Duke Street, 460 Paisley Road, 224 Castle Street, 8 Dale Street and the very old established “Monteith’s” tavern 387 Argyle Street.
Archibald took over “Monteith’s” tavern in 1875, however he was not to live long to enjoy his small empire of pubs or to watch his young family growing up, he drowned in the summer of 1878, while fishing opposite Dunoon. His wife Margaret carried on the business and when Hugh the eldest son was of age he helped his mother in the running of the family concern.
The old “Monteith’s” premises were converted into a store and bottling department for wholesale no drink at the bar was sold, every inch of ground floor was taken up with puncheons, butts and barrels. The underground cellars were also full of the very best wines in wood and bottle from the choicest vineyards. La Rosa 40 year old, Burgundies of 1863 and 1867, stacks of hocks of 1857 and 1868, ports of 1870, sherries of 1862 and scores of other bottles some of them over 50 years old. A large stock of whisky was also ready for vatting, prominent among them was “Orkney,” of 1882, “Royal Brackla” and “Long John,” old brandies and Vieux Rhum.
At the rear of the building a Highlander Donald McDonald, a brother of Mrs MacPherson was in charge of the bottling, another brother Alexander was cashier. It was somewhat a family affair at Monteith’s old premises.
In 1899 Robert Allan Stevenson took over the pub on the Gallowgate the name above the doorway was then Stevenson’s which stayed in the family until around 1930.
Gallowgate publican Archibald McIntyre then took over the pub, Archie had McIntyre’s Bar further alone the Gallowgate at no. 615 next to the Bellgrove Hotel, his father Dugald had it before him acquiring it in 1898. On the outbreak of the Second World War the Gallowgate pubs were run by Mrs McIntyre as all the young male members of the family were in the forces. Dugald McIntyre then took over the licence, however in 1945 young 21 year old Dugald was killed in action, he was in the Merchant Navy. The McIntyre family continued to run the pubs successfully until the 1950s, the Rob Roy however was sold to Colin H M McNab in 1960. Colin’s son John then took over the running of the pub running it until it closed in the 1990s. John was a real gentleman when I met him in the Rob Roy many years ago he always welcomed me when I was researching the Gallowgate pubs.
Interior view of the Rob Roy circa 1960 with John McNab in the foreground.
One day not long before the pub closed, I gave John McNab a visit, we chatted about the various pubs on the Gallowgate when he stopped and looked over towards the small glass heated cabinet that held the hot pie’s, and said to the barmaid his wife, there’s the little bugger there, I looked round thinking he was talking about some child that came into the bar, John and his wife laughed, I still couldn’t see anyone, then John pointed him out to me, a small mouse eating crumbs on the bar, I jumped as I am still not very sure when rodents are around me.
John was great at telling stories and talked about the barber’s shop that used to be next door, the barber himself would frequently nip into the bar for a quick one in between customers. It was for this reason he became known to the locals as Sweeney Todd. One day he dived into an adjacent toilet and within seconds was screaming. “There’s a dead body on the toilet,” he told people who crowded round to investigate.
There was a body, as such, mischievous workers at the nearby meat market had skinned a sheep and deposited it on the WC for him to find.
Group of eastend publicans back row on the far right is Archibald McIntyre, owner of the Rob Roy, Gallowgate and McIntyre’s Bar also Gallowgate. 1934.
To read more on the pubs on the Gallowgate read up & Doon the Gallowgate by John Gorevan. A copy can be bought for a few pounds at the Hielan Jessie on the Gallowgate or contact me at [email protected]
Licence Holders.
1991-1970 John Hamilton McNab.
1960 Colin H M McNab.
1957 J Paterson.
1950 Mary McMillan McIntyre.
1944 Dugald McIntyre.
1937-1934 Archibald McIntyre.
1928 Ann McOnie Sutherland, Stevenson, Wilson.
1902-1899 Robert Allan Stevenson.
1885-1879 Mrs MacPherson.
1878-1863 Archibald MacPherson.
1860 Thomas Morrison.
1859 John McKinnon.
1831 William King.
The Road House
Glasgow Road, Bargeddie, Glasgow.
The Road House. 2005.
A road sign attached to the pub, a reminder of the old coaching days.
A view of the old pub at the end of the cottages looking towards Glasgow.
The Right Half
16-18 George Street, Glasgow.
The Right Half. 1991.
It was shame to see this old Glasgow pub being demolished a few years ago.
There was a pub on this site away back in 1844, Alexander McKenzie was then landlord before pastry baker and spirit merchant James Gentles ran the premises for a short while.
In 1849 Alexander Fraser became the new owner, Mr Fraser lived with his wife Jane a few door away from the pub. He was born in Nairn in bonnie Scotland, he came to Glasgow at an early age to start as a publican in the city. Mr Fraser met his wife in Glasgow and had a large family, all of whom worked in the pub at some time, business prospered and other pubs were added to his small empire one at 36 Stirling Road and one at 1 Kings Cross, he was them known as a grocer and spirit merchant. With a good income Mr & Mrs Fraser moved home to Westercraigs, Dennistoun an exclusive address in the east end of the city. Locals in the area knew that if they went for a refreshment in Fraser’s Bar they would get nothing but the best liquor available. Alexander’s sons took over the business after his death and the family ran the pub until the 1960s.
In 1966 the pub was run by Colin Maxwell Brown jun the pub also had a name change, this is when it was called the Right Half. Mr Brown was a well known publican in the east end of the city in Bridgeton area having two pubs there, the Pop Inn at London Road at the corner of Fraser Street and the Regent Bar, London Road at the corner of West Street. He also ran a pub at St. Andrew’s Road at Shields Road. William Brown took over the running of the pub until it closed a few years ago.
View of the Right Half. 1960s.
The Brown family advert 1975.