Mitchell Street

Mitchell Street, Glasgow. Closed Down.

Samuel Dow’s. 1990.

To read the full history of Samuel Dow and his empire of public houses, check the website store for my second book.

Samuel Dow’s premises after the great fire.

In the News 1970…

New Drive On Hotel And Restaurant Fronts By Dow’s.

All set and rarin’ to go. That’s the attitude of the staff of Samuel Dow, Ltd., 242 Clyde Street, Glasgow, as they prepared to move into the hotel and restaurant businesses in an even bigger way.

The company had appointed three bright salesmen, Jim Snowie, Bill Macrae, and Duncan McFarlane, who will call exclusively on the hotel and restaurant trade from now on.

Mt Snowie, from his home in Aberdeen, will operate in Inverness, Cromarty, Sutherland, Caithness, Banff, Moray and Nairn, Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeen, Kincardineshire, Orkney, and Shetland.

Mr Macrae, an Edinburgh man, will be calling on establishments in the Capital, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Kinross, Peeblesshire, Selkirkshire, Roxburghshire and Berwickshire.

Mr McFarlane’s sphere of activity, from Glasgow, will include the northern, southern and central parts of the city, Ayrshire, Wigtownshire, Dumfrieshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Stirlingshire, Dumbartonshire and Argyll.

Left to right Mr W R Macrae, Mr D McFarlane and Mr J Snowie, salesmen with Samuel Dow, Ltd., Glasgow, and Mr Innes Ingram, director and general manager of the company, grouped round the statuette of Samuel McCalman or Dow, a West Highlander from Lochaber, who founded the business of Samuel Dow in the Bridgegate in 1807.

All three are particularly well qualified to deal with the specialised requirements of the hotel and restaurant trade and each of them has qualifications and is well experienced on the subject of table wine and the formulation of wine lists.

They will be working under the direction of Innes Ingram, previously sales director and now director and general manager of the company, who had personal experience of the hotel and restaurant trade.

He had nine years catering management experience before entering the wine trade in 1961. He was a first-prize graduate of the Scottish Hotel School and was awarded the Younger travelling scholarship. This took him to Bordeaux and really marked the start of his interest in wine. Since then he had travelled extensively in France and Portugal, and he had been since 1965 a Champagne Academician. He was also a past president of the Forty Nine Wine and Spirit Club of Scotland.

Dow’s were fully geared for their enterprise and circulated their new interim price-list to hotels and restaurants.

The company maintained extensive and well stocked cellars in Glasgow and this, in conjunction with their new group resources, is reflected in the new list in its comprehensive range of table wines, spirits and liqueurs.

Dow’s will operate their new distribution from Glasgow and promises a first-class service, coupled with expert advice to the trade.

In the NEWS 1978…

Danny McGrain pushing over coins at Sammy Dows 1978.

It’s a Pushover for Danny McGrain…

No one ever called Danny McGrain a pushover before, but that’s exactly what the best full back in the world was today, writes Chick Young.

The Celtic idol was in action in Sammy Dow’s pub in the city’s Mitchell Street, pushing over a pile of 2p pieces that the regulars have been saving.

The money mountain will be going to help pay for a holiday for the kids from Milton children’s home in Bishopriggs. There was around £200 in the pile and the children wanted Danny to give it the big heave because he was such a smash-hit when he visited the home on Christmas Eve.

Said Danny, “All these coins remind me of the bloke who swallowed 2p. The doctor told him there was no change…

Update 2019…

Also see Samuel Dow’s other premises…

Dundas Street, Great Western Road, Kilmarnock Road, Nithsdale Street.

Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.

END.