Take a Look into the History of Glasgow's Sauchiehall Street Pubs

506 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

Locarno. 1920s.

The Locarno Ballroom, Sauchiehall Street, photographed in 1930 when it was for sale. The Locarno was closed between 1929 and 1934.

The ballroom had opened on the site of a former cinema, the Charing Cross Electric Theatre, in 1926. It was named for the town in Switzerland where a treaty had been signed in the previous year, under which the European powers agreed to regard the frontiers of western Europe as permanent, raising false hopes of a lasting peace.

The first Scottish Professional Dancing Championships were held at the Locarno in 1928. The winners were Alex Warren and Cecilia Bristow. The Locarno was regarded as one of Glasgow’s top dancing venues for many years, and was popular with American servicemen during the Second World War. In the 1960s the name was changed to Tiffany’s, as discotheques became fashionable. Dancing finished when the building was converted into a casino in the 1970s.

From the Glasgow Story website.

Advert for Tiffany’s. 1972.

In the News 1972…

Singer Lovelace Watkins flies into Glasgow Airport tomorrow in preparation for his shows at Tiffany’s on Monday and Tuesday. When he sets foot on the tarmac he will be greeted, if that is the right word, by a pipe band and several girls in tartan.

Lovelace is holding a press conference in the Crazy Daisy at 5.30 p.m. on Sunday. Appearing with him in the show are compere Johnny Hughes, accordionist Bobby Davis, and a dancing troupe. Backing for the show should be tremendous because they have got Bill Fanning fronting his 14 piece band.

Bill and the boys have been working tremendously hard for some time working out new arrangements and they will be doing a spot of their own. Programme for the two Glasgow nights are roughly dancing from 7.30 till 8.20 p.m.; cabaret from 8.20 till 9.20; dancing from then until 10 o’clock when Lovelace will come on and do the last hour or so.

Things should go really smoothly because Tiffany’s have a revolving stage. I was along at the Rose Ball which was attended by Princess Margaret last week and it was tremendously effective then and helped the continuity of the show.

Granville Street, corner of Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

The Three Pigeons,advert 1973.