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

Sauchiehall Street is well-known for Stag and Hen groups visiting the city as well as our own Glaswegians looking for a cracking night out!

Nico’s

March 14, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

375 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. G2. Tel: 0141 332 7438.

Nico’s 1991.

In the NEWS 1979…

Nico's interior Sauchiehall Street

It’s a touch of bars and garters at Nico’s Brasserie, two of attractive barmaids and barman Samuel. 1979.

A little piece of La Vie Parisienne arrived in Glasgow at the weekend. Nico’s Brasserie, which opened on Friday April 1979, promises to bring a little French magic to the Champs Elysee of Glasgow, Sauchiehall Street.

Nico’s oozes French charm from its coffee and croissants to it’s white aproned waiters and waitresses. The man behind the venture is Brian Mulholland, a young businessman who has been in the licensed trade for several years. Opening Nico’s has cost him £135,000 but Brian reckons it will be worth it.

“By opening Nico’s I have tried to bring a little bit of cosmopolitan atmosphere to Glasgow,” Brain said, “Nico’s isn’t a restaurant, it’s a bar that serves food.”

Anyone who has been in a French bar will feel immediately at home in Nico’s. The interior was designed by a television set designer and there are 1500 tiles on the walls, each one hand painted by a company at West Kilbride

The specially made lighting comes from London, the marble top from Florence, and the crockery, include huge bowl shaped coffee cups, from France. Back-ground music is a mixture of Edith Piaf and the Pasadena Roof Orchestra.

As I mentioned Nico’s does serve food. The breakfast menu includes coffee, hot chocolate served with croissants (freshly made every day), toast, pate, and cheese. The main menu is available from 12 noon till 9 p.m.

“The menu is so varied that customers need pay only about £1.50 for meat and a selection of salads or £6.50 if they prefer to try everything,” Brain said.

Nico’s is open six days a week from 8.30 a.m. till 11 p.m. It is licensed from 11 a.m. till 11 p.m. The bar is also opened on a Sunday from noon till 11 p.m. and is licensed from 6.30 till 11 p.m.

—————————————————

Nico’s., October 2005.

Nico’s. 2008.

It’s nice to see that Nico’s has a new paint job every few years.

—————————————

Up-Date 2012…

Nico’s is one of the most popular bars in town, the place is very clean, staff are very courteous and toilets are so clean you could eat of the floor. This is a pub I would recommend to anyone who is in the Sauchiehall Street area. Well worth a visit.

Nicensleazy Bar

March 14, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

421 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

This popular bar is located near Charing Cross end of Sauchiehall Street. It was formerly called the New Chancery.

The New Chancery. 1990s.

Niceensleasy. 2008.

There are three pubs next door to each other, you have Nicensleazy, the Local and the Box all competing for the same clientele. 2008.

Three pubs next door to each other. 2008.

Moon

March 6, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

92 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. G2 3DE. Tel: 0141 332 5883.

Moon. 2006.

This was originally The White Elephant then Night Moves and Rooftops now the Moon.

White Elephant Adverts 1976.

———————————————–

The White Elephant advert 1977.

In the NEWS 1977…

Woman held after city disco blaze…

Detectives arrested a young woman after an early morning fire forced 250 people to flee from one of Glasgow’s city centre discos today.

The arrest came shortly after a 1.45 a.m. blaze was discovered at the White Elephant at 82 Sauchiehall Street.

NO PANIC

A CID spokesman said, “A young woman has been charged with fire-raising. She has now been freed pending further inquiries.” The alarm was raised by disco manager Robert Brown (24). Nearly 30 firemen, some wearing breathing apparatus tackled the fire which started on a first floor stair landing, two floors below the disco in which more than 200 young people crowded the dance floor.

Flames and thick smoke spread quickly up the stair well badly damaging timber panels. Manager Robert Brown, of 23 Bogton Avenue, Muirhead, Glasgow, smelled smoke.

He and a steward went to investigate, thinking it was due to an electrical fault. When they saw flames leaping up the stairway, they immediately asked dee-jay Gordon Drummond to announce a fire alarm.

The disco was in full swing at the time, but the dancers, including members of the Castle Doune Football Club with their wives and friends, left without panic down a fire escape leading to a lane at the rear of the building.

The cost of the damage has not yet been estimated. Later it was stated the disco would be open as usual this evening.

——————————————-

A few years after the fire at the White Elephant, it reopened as the Roseland.

Roseland nightclub advert 1978.

Mojama

March 6, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

426 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. G2 3LG. Tel: 0141 332 4760.

Mojama. 2005.

Mojamo in a poor state and closed down a few years later from the top image. Photograph taken 2008.

This is now an Indian restaurant called Tuk Tuk

The Metropole

March 6, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

164-166 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow.

The Metropole bar was situated facing Wellington Street and next to Wellington Arcade which ran through to Renfrew Street and from here you crossed the street and went into another arcade called the Queen’s, next to the Camp Bar.

In the 1870s a pub sat on this site run by John Thomson, he also had pubs on Thistle Street, Gorbals, south side and 27 Cathedral Street, Townhead.

In 1891 Gerald McGorty acquired a licence, he owned these premises and rented another pub out to Mrs McAllister in Renfrew Street. Mr McGorty took over another pub in 1902, formerly the Quadrivium Bar, in Eglinton Street this bar is now called the Star Bar.

Mr McGorty died in 1917, his wife Rose took over the licence until the end of WW1.

Woolworth’s store occupied the site for over 50 years.