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You are here: Home / Archives for Address N / Nithsdale Road

Nithsdale Road

The Titwood Bar

March 26, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

Titwood Bar sign

58 Nithsdale Road, Strathbungo, Glasgow. G41 2An.

Titwood Bar

The Titwood Bar. 1991.

Andrew Small a wine & spirit merchant occupied these premises and obtained a public house licence in 1893. Mr Small paid an annul rent of £62 10/- (shillings) to the owner of the property Mrs Janet McIntyre, 40 Nithsdale Road.

Robert Hill Stevens ran this prosperous business during the 1930s and 40s. The pub was taken over by Marion Cullen in 1950. A new cocktail lounge bar was added to the pub in 1954 called “The Elbow Room.” The contractors were Messrs Caskell & Chambers (Scotland) Ltd who were the leading pub designers at the time.

Wallpaper was hung on the walls with mirrors to give the new lounge a larger feel to it, a crescent shaped Honduras mahogany bar counter was also installed. Honduras mahogany was also used for the wall panelling in the lounge.

The Cullen family continued to run this popular bar until the 1960s. Tennent Caledonian Breweries took over in 1964, the pub was then run by Roy Hutchison for over ten years.

Titwood Bar interior

Interior view of the new cocktail lounge bar the “Elbow Room” 1954.

———————————-

In the NEWS 1978…

Tenants say pub is breaking up their homes…

Bill Findlay and brother John outside the Titwood Bar 1978

Bill Findlay (right) with his brother John. 1978.

Residents on Glasgow’s South Side are drawing up battle against the owners of their local pub.

For the people of 50 Nithsdale Road are angry over cracked walls and broken door frames which they say were caused by extensive renovation in the Titwood Bar downstairs.

Now a legal wrangle involving lawyers, architects, and engineers from both sides has begun in a bid to resolve blame for the damage.

PROBLEM

The problem started in May when the modernisation work began at the former Tennent Caledonian Pub, bought by William Findlay and his brother James and John.

Said resident Ian Murray, “Relations were very amicable to begin with, with the owners approaching us and apologising in advance for any noise and inconvenience. “But we didn’t know what was to come.”

It was during the work that cracks appeared on the stair wall and a paving stone sank down at the back of the close. But then damage began to appear in the house. Said Robert Buchanan who lives on the first floor of the building, “I noticed the wallpaper was beginning to peel away and when I looked behind it a crack had appeared.

“I knew it was a fresh crack and an engineer confirmed it was. I also noticed that the doors in the hall had gone off line and the frames were coming adrift.”

Mr Buchanan approached the Findlay brothers but found them unco-oprative. “They just don’t seem to be bothering now they are in the pub,” he said.

Today a solicitor acting for the tenants confirmed that action was being prepared and that an engineer’s report is due shortly on the cause of the damage.

At the bar John Findlay said, “This matter is in the hands of our architects and solicitors. I think it is better to say nothing to the newspapers.”

———————————

In the NEWS 1978…

Ally Picks Out Another Winner…

Scotland’s football manager, Ally MacLeod, flies tonight with his squad for the World Cup finals in Argentina. But before he left Glasgow he made a point of dropping into the Titwood Bar in Nithsdale Road, owned by his old friend Bill Findlay and his two brothers.

The Findlay brothers recently bought the pub from Tennent Caledonian Breweries and, after spending the last few weeks modernising the premises they invited Ally along to the reopening.

The Titwood was originally divided into three parts, lounge bar, public bar, and off-sales. Now it’s all been knocked into one large lounge which has been attractively decorated on traditional lines.

Bill Findlay and his brothers, who also own the Victoria Bar in Victoria Road, will be serving lunchtime meals in the Titwood Bar.”We plan to offer an extensive menu at lunch-times covering everything from a Ploughman’s lunch to scampi,” Mr Findlay told me.

PARKING

The brothers hope that the Titwood will become popular with businessmen looking for a pleasant lunch. “We are quite near the Kingston Bridge and being in a cul-de-sac we have plenty of parking space,” he said.

Although there is no live entertainment in the pub there will be background music and a large colour television has been installed, perhaps to let customers keep up with the latest World Cup news.

“Ally MacLeod was received a lot of criticism recently about his commercial ventures but although we offered him a cheque he said he would be delighted to do it for nothing.” Bill Findlay said.

“We offered, than to make him a gift but he suggested that instead we make out a cheque to Mr Alex Wilson of the British Sailors Society,” Mr Findlay added.

Titwood Bar advert 1978

Titwood Bar advert 1978.

———————————————–

In 1979 the Findlay brother also owned the Craigdhu Bar in Paisley. Click here to read more.

Titwood Bar 2009

Titwood Bar. 2009

Titwood Bar 2009

Titwood Bar. 2009.

Titwood Bar Sign

The Titwood Bar sign. 2009.

Licence Holders.
1991 Philomenia Irvine for Bass Inns.
1973-1964 Roy Hutchison for Tennent Caledonain Breweries.
1960 A Cullen.
1950 Marion Cullen.
1940-1937 Robert Hill Stevens.
1920-1893 Andrew Small.

Filed Under: Nithsdale Road, NithsdaleRoad, T

Samuel Dow. Lebowski’s Pop Up. Sammy’s.

March 22, 2017 by John Gorevan 3 Comments

71 Nithsdale Road, Glasgow. G41 2AJ. Tel: 0141 423 0107.

Exterior view of Samuel Dow, Nithsdale Road 1991
Samuel Dow, 1991.

There’s been a public house on this site since 1877, owned by wine and spirit merchant James Miller. In 1880 James Miller had  wholesale and retail premises at 44-46 Cavendish Street and retail business at 115 Houston Street at the corner of 78-80 South Kinning Place.

In 1881 spirit merchant J B Strewart took over the running of the business for a year before William Graham took over. from 1882 till 1905 Mr Graham served the locals, he also had premises at 27 St James Street at the corner of Paterson Street, Kingston.

Other well known wine & spirit merchants to run this popular bar was John H Gilmour, A. B.& W Stevenson, Robert B Gilchrist. In 1973 Andrew Carolan took over.

Samuel Dow 2008
Samuel Dow, 2008.
Samuel Dow sign 2015
Samuel Dow Sign, 2015.
Interior view of Samuel Dow, Nithsdale Road 1958
Interior of the main bar, 1958.
Interior view of the Lounge 1958
Lounge bar, 1958.

Update 2015…

In June 2015 Samuel Dow, closed for good, however the following month Lebowski’s Pop Up bar took over and is till going strong 2019.
Exterior of Lebowski's Pop Up bar Nithsdale Road 2015
Lebowski’s Pop Up, 2015.
Dow’s other premises.

Update 2019…

Exterior view of Sammy's Nithsdale Road October 2019
Sammy’s, 2019.

The pub got a new name in the Autumn of 2019, not called Samuel Dow but Sammy’s Bar & Kitchen.

Mitchell Street, Dundas Street, Kilmarnock Road, Great Western Road.
Do you have any memories of this old South Side Bar, If so please leave a comment.
END.

Filed Under: Nithsdale Road, NithsdaleRoad, S Tagged With: A B & W Stevenson, A B Stevenson., Alexander Boyd Stevenson, Andrew Carolan, J B Stewart, James Miller, Nithsdale Road, Nithsdale Road Pubs, Robert B Gilchrist, Samuel Dow, William Graham, William Stevenson

The Fotheringay

January 16, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

 

17-21 Nithsdale Road, Glasgow. G41 2AL.Tel: 01414231088.

The Fotheringay Bar

Fotheringay. 1991.

This is now the Horse Shoe owned by ex-manager David Smith of the Horse Shoe Bar in Drury Street.

The Fotheringay was opened in 1965 by east end publican William M Johnston, Mr Johnston owned the Charter Bar on Tollcross Road.

The Fotheringay was a new venture consisting of a buffet lounge, public bar, delicatessen and an off-sales. The new lounge could comfortably seat 120. A novel feature of the lounge was the two natural cellars with wrought iron gates which were used to display wine bottles.

Fotheringay interior2

Left to right at the opening of the Fotheringay Mr William M Johnston, Mrs Barr, Mrs Johnston and Mr Barr, president of the Licensed Trade Defence Association. 1965.

Fotheringay interior1

Interior view of the buffet lounge.

Fotheringay interior

Some of the guests left to right H Carmichael, J Rankin, J Gow, J Chalmers and M Forbes all well known figures in the licensed trade.

It’s now called the Horse Shoe Bar, with the same lettering as the Horse Shoe Bar in Drury Street and the same manager . It didn’t last long and the place closed a few years later.

—————————————

In the NEWS 1978…

The Beer Boss Pulls A Smart One…

Fotheringay 1978

The Fotheringay staff (left to right) Andy McCallum, Ricky and Margaret Thom, and David Barclay.

The Fotheringay, which some say is the best pub Tennent Caledonian own in Glasgow, is having some problems these days, from the former sales director of Tennent Caledonian.

When Billy Findlay gave up his director’s job with T.C. he bought the Titwood Bar from the company.

Then it was a place which TC were not too interested in improving because their ace bar, The Fotheringay was directly facing in Nithsdale Street, Strathbungo.

Bill and his brothers John and Jim had no such reservations and spent tens of thousands doing up the place.

NICE BAR

Now Bill, who worked for 21 years with Tennent’s, is taking custom away from their best pub. Says Bill: “My future is staked in this place and I am not going to put my family and home in jeopardy for the sake of Tennent’s Okay, the Fotheringay has a good reputation and I am on good terms with the manager but I want the Titwood to be even better.”

Across the road, manager Ricky Thom told me, “The Titwood now is a nice bar but I don’t think it is going to do the Fotheringay out of business.

The Horse Shoe Bar Nithsdale Road 2008

The Horse Shoe Bar. 2005.

The Horse Shoe Bar has now a transfer of the lease for anyone interested in running their own pub, a transfer premium of £46,500 is asked for. September 2005.

The bar reopened as the Fother. 2008.

Fothers Nithsdale Road 2008

Fother’s. 2008.

Licence Holders.
1970 Peter Colquhoun McKechnie.
1965 William M Johnston.

Filed Under: F, Nithsdale Road, NithsdaleRoad

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