Old Glasgow Pubs

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Victoria Road

Victoria Bar

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400 Victoria Road, Queens Park, Glasgow. G42 8YS. Tel: 0141332 2404.

Victoria Bar

Victoria Bar. 1991.

There has been a pub on this site since at least 1887. An old pub sat on this corner occupied by landlord James Bain Whyte, the old premises were demolished and a new pub with a tenement of flats above was erected on the site of the old pub, Mr Whyte continued to sell liquor here after the First World War.

In the 1930s John Robertson was licensee, he continued in this pub for the next thirty years.

Victoria Bar sign 2008

Victoria Bar, dated 1903.

Mr Jim Brogan Celtic Football fame now owns this pub.

The Findlay Brother once owned these premises, click here to read more.

Queens Park Cafe

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530 Victoria Road, Glasgow. G42.

Queenspark Cafe

Queens Park Cafe. 1991.

There has been a pub on this site since 1870. Landlord John A McArthur occupied the premises until the middle of the 1870s, his wife Margaret then took control of the business after his death until 1885, when she sold the pub to Alexander Sutherland.

Mr Sutherland was fortunate enough to own the property and renamed the pub to Queen’s Park Cafe in the 1890s as this was the peak of the temperance movement. As the pub was situated in an exclusive part of the south side with tenements filled with ladies and gentlemen of the city, the pub was a target by the temperance movement and was under threat of closure. Mr Sutherland like many other city publican added the title Cafe to their premises.

Gilmour’s Oatmeal Stout was a specialty at Queen’s Park Cafe during the early part of the 1900s. After nearly 30 years trading in this pub, the Sutherland family sold it at the beginning of the First World War to Alexander Graham Harper. The Harper family continued in this pub until the 1960s. David Houston then took over as licensee until the late 1970s.

This popular south side local is still going strong, the late Mr Mark McManus of Taggart fame, the Scottish Television detective series drank here for years and regarded this as his local.

Licence Holders.
1978-1967 David Houston.
1960 M Harper.
1950 Jessa McFeat Jones Williamson for the late Jessie Harper.
1937 Jessie M F Harper.
1920-1914 Alexander Graham Harper.
1914-1886 Alexander Sutherland.
1885-1880 Mrs Margaret McArthur.
1875-1870 John A McArthur.

Other Victoria Road Pubs…

Calder the. 349
Depot the. 78
McNee’s. 275-79
Nickie Tams. 500-510
O’Donnell’s. 500-510
Old Vic. 500-510
Pandora. 349
Victoria Bar the. 400

The Old Vic

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500-510 Victoria Road, Glasgow. G42 8PQ. Tel: 01414332431.

Old Vic

The Old Vic. 1991.

The Old Vic was opened in 1965 by Tennent Caledonian Breweries Ltd. It was formerly Thomson & Thomson Wines & Groceries Ltd a licensed grocers business in the 1940s.

A year after the opening of the Old Vic a new lounge was added which could seat 80 people. The Snug lounge as it was known was declared opened by Allan Anderson of West of Scotland sales manager for Tennent Caledonian Breweries.

The new manager was Mr P Calder helped by his wife and daughter.

Old Vic 1 interior

At the opening of the new lounge left to right R B Baxter, Tennent Caledonian Breweries, A Anderson and Mr D Peebles, Carlsberg Scottish Importers Ltd. 1966.

Old Vic interior

left to right Miss H Calder, Mrs & Mr P Calder and Miss M Riley of Rent-a-Flower who provided the flower arrangements for the occasion.

The Old Vic had a facelift and a name change, Nickie Tam’s.

It’s now Called O’Donnell’s Bar & Music Lounge. Tel: 0141 433 2430.

O'Donnell's Bar

O’Donnell’s Bar.

Licence Holder.
1973-1969 James Cameron (for Tennent Caledonia Breweries Ltd.)

The Depot

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78 Victoria Road, Glasgow. G42 7AA. Tel: 0141 422 1904.

Image of The Depot Bar Victoria Road, Glasgow 1991
The Depot. 1991.

This public house was handy for all the drinkers that worked in the nearby bus depot on Victoria Road.

Image of The Depot Bar Victoria Road, Glasgow 2008
The Depot Bar. 2008.
Image of The Depot Bar Victoria Road 2014
The Depot Bar. 2014.

Update 2017… The Depot Bar is closed.

Update 2018… The Depot Bar is opened again.

Do you have any memories of The Depot Bar? If so please leave a comment.

END.

Calders Lounge.

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349 Victoria Road, Glasgow. G42 7SA. 

Calders Lounge. 1991.

This pub is better known as the Pandora. It was opened 1962 by restaurateur Mr Reo Stakis, it was formerly a large double cafe converted into a public bar cocktail bar and lounge with a small off-licence sandwiched in between.

A feature was the fluted woodwork which lined the walls and ceiling in the public bar. Mirrors were fitted at stages along the plain gantry a red carpet with musical instruments and score inwoven stretched to within four feet of the bar.

The cocktail bar and lounge was cosy and again the panelled woodwork appeared at the entrance and around the bar. The fitted carpet was of abstract design in a dull red colour and in contrast the walls on one side were blue and the other grey, these colours being repeated in the upholstered wall seats.

The cocktail bar was well lit by spotlights at the rear with red shaded fittings over the bar top. The gantry divided by a door leading to the public bar had an orange tinted glass background on one side and a mirror back on the other both having glass shelving.

In charge of the Pandora was Chick Geatons a former Celtic Football player.

Scottish & Newcastle Breweries took over the Pandora, it went Dutch in 1972.

Manager of the Pandora was Frank Cox.

Interior Views of the Pandora 1962.

In the News 1972…

Pandora Goes Dutch.

Going Dutch has taken on a fresh meaning for customers at a new Glasgow restaurant. This time it does not mean that they pay their own way, but that they can choose from a selection of true Dutch speciality dished on the menu.

For instance they may choose Uitsmijter made up of ham, bread, salad, fried egg, copped parsley and French fried potatoes. Or they may fancy Blinde Vinken, which consists of veal escalops, minced beef and rashers of bacon, and perhaps they might like a glass of Borrell, a Dutch gin served iced and taken straight.

These dishes are on the menu at The Barn restaurant of the Five Flies, a large extension of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries Pandora managed house in Victoria Road, Glasgow, incorporating also a new Courtyard lounge bar. Manager of the Pandora and its new extensions is Mr. Frank Cox, who joined Scottish & Newcastle two years ago.

The Lounge at the Pandora was called The Five Flies.

The Five Flies Lounge advert 1977.

The Five Flies Lounge, corner of Victoria Road / Calder Street. Monday special with Lee Tracy. 7p.m. Late Night Supper and Sing-Along. Grilled Bacon, Baked Potatoes and Salad. Total Price 50p. YES ONLY 50p. Also on Wednesday 7p.m-12 p.m.

Pandora and the Five Flies Lounge advert 1978.

By popular demand an evening with KANDI. On Sunday. 18th June, Ticket at door from 7 P.M.

80p (including meal) Come Early! It’s always a sell-out!

Up-To-Date-NEWS…2017.

A COMMUNITY-run food firm is planning to open its first large-scale supermarket.

Locavore, which started its vegetable supply business five years ago, is hoping to start the supermarket in the South Side within the next nine months. The firm grows crops locally across three sites in Glasgow, and sells them to hundreds of customers via its vegetable box scheme.

The property at the corner of Calder Street was previously home to the Pandora Bar, and will be used for the new supermarket provided Locavore can secure a building warrant in the next three months.

Locavore Grocery.

The Pandora with a cream exterior.

The Pandora with a green exterior.

Update…2019.

Thank goodness the pub was reverted back to a pub and the pub went up for sale of offers of £280,000.

Update May…2019.

This pub has been sold. We will update later when we find out more.

Do you remember this South-side favourite? If so please leave a comment.

END.