774 Springfield Road, Glasgow. G31 4HL. Tel: 01415540361.
The Oak Bar. 1991.
The Oak Bar, August 2005.
This pub was formerly called the Clansman.
Springfield Road
L MacPherson
151 Springfield Road, Glasgow.
L. MacPherson’s bar was situated at the corner of Springfield Road and Lily Street, Dalmarnock. Many residents of this area will remember this old established bar as the 151 Bar.
There was licensed premises on this site since at least 1875, the landlord then was a gentleman called James King.
In 1879 Alexander Taylor took over the old pub, he also owned Taylor’s Bar in Hutcheson Street, now called the Court Bar. Mr Taylor continued trading at Springfield Road until the early part of the 1900s.
In 1907 Lachlan MacPherson took over the premises, he was a well established wine & spirit merchant a bonder and blender having premises called the New City Lights, Castle Street.
MacPherson was born in a small village called Rahoy, fifteen miles from Oban, where he was educated. At an early age he came to Glasgow with his widowed mother and family, he became apprenticed to the trade of gold beating. After three years in this craft his employer gave up the business, young MacPherson was desperate as he was bringing in the money for his poor mother. He then became a messenger boy with Messrs Costigaine Bros., of the Granite House. After a few months here he joined the staff of Mr McLachlan, wine & spirit merchant, a native of his birth place in premises on Clyde Street, Port Dundas.
After a year he left to work for Mr John Watt in his Cowcaddens pub, the old Pop Inn, after 18 months he was managing his premises in Parliamentary Road, the old Forfarshire Bar. MacPherson stayed in this responsible position for fourteen years and left to become his own boss at premises on Castle Street.
Lachlan was one of the originators of the Wine, Beer and Spirit Trade Employees Association, in his spare time he loved music and played the bagpipes. He was a Gaelic Scholar and kept in touch with all the Gaelic literature in Glasgow. A Forester of Royal Ash Lodge, no. 5515. He loved the bowls and played in both St. Rollox and Belvedere Bowling greens. He was a member of the Defence Association, and many others including, Incorporation of Bonnetmakers and Dyers, the Deacon and Free Press, an Anderston Weaver and one of the Clydesdale Merchants. He was still an unmarried man in his 40s.
He took over the old licence for the 151 Bar on Springfield Road in 1907 which was a short distance from the Victoria Racing Grounds, the tramway cars from Anniesland passed the front door every few minutes, the area surrounding this old pub was a thriving part of the east end of Glasgow.
The lettering above the pub was in Gold, the main entrance on Springfield Road was the main bar area and Lily Street was the family department. On entering the main bar you were faced with a large mahogany horse shoe bar with large barrels on the gantry, he was not just a wine & spirit merchant but a bonder and blender too. Small tables and chairs took up the rest of the floor space. Mahogany wood stained panelling adorned the walls with crimson dado, the glasswork was of chaste design, the beer store and cellar was adjacent to the bar, and to the left was Mr MacPherson’s private office and telephone booth.
MacPherson continued in the Springfield Road premises until the 1920s.
In 1930 James McAloon was licensee, he also ran the Possil Bar, Possil Road. Sarah Duffin McAloon took over the licence in mid 1930s. Malcolm Paterson then took over, he was the last holder of the certificate until it was demolished around 1970. Mr Paterson also owned the Provanmill Inn, Royston Road.
Mr Lachlan MacPherson. 1893.