367 Wellshot Road,Tollcross, Glasgow. G32. Demolished.
Carrington’s. 1991.
I am sure this old pub was called The Cock Robin.
This notorious east end local is now demolished.
Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.
END.
367 Wellshot Road,Tollcross, Glasgow. G32. Demolished.
Carrington’s. 1991.
I am sure this old pub was called The Cock Robin.
This notorious east end local is now demolished.
Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.
END.
46 West George Street, Glasgow. G2 1DH. Tel: 0141 354 5154.
Carnegie’s. 1991.
Carnegie’s chain of pubs were so popular in the city fifteen years ago, there was also Carnegie’s in St Vincent Street, Waterloo Street and Cambridge Street.
Over the years many well-known name have come and gone from this part of town such as Talk of the Town, Gigi’s, Peggy Sue’s and Waxy O’Connor’s.
Waxy O’Connor’s now occupies this site.
During the 1970s Gigi occupied part of this establishment.
In the NEWS 1978…
Gigi’s will brighten up the Disco scene…
Gigi exterior 1978, with Adriano’s Spaghetti House.
There was a time when an evening out in Glasgow was akin to a tour of a graveyard. If you wanted more than a night at the cinema then you would be sadly disappointed.
Happily these days of the entertainment famine are almost gone. New restaurants open almost every month, cabaret has arrived in style, and pubs have less restrictive opening hours.
The latest nightspot to open its doors to the public is Gigi’s, a discotheque that is bound to win a place in the heart of any dedicated swinger.
The name Gigi might already be familiar to some of you. The discotheque was actually opened just over a year ago above Adriano’s Spaghetti House in West George Street, but it was used for functions only.
Now its owners have decided to open it to the public. The official opening will be next Wednesday evening.
Gigi’s is, in fact, situated in part of the old Exchange restaurant and some of the decor has still been retained. When the premises were turned into a dicotheque the owners installed the latest lighting and sound equipment, making it one of the best equipped discotheques in town.
On the floor above Gigi’s is Tickers, a sort of cafe and restaurant, where dancers can take time off from dancing and enjoy a quick snack or meal.
Music in the discotheque will be played by two resident disc jockeys and it will be piped up to the restaurant above. Although Gigi will now not be availiable for private functions, the management will still be accepting group bookings. Because it is licensed, entry will be given to over eighteens only.
Discotheques have always found favour with the teens and twenties age group in Glasgow.
Well, let us face it, after a week’s hard slog at work there is no better way to get rid of pent up energies than gyrating on a discotheque floor on a Saturday night.
And now that Gigi’s is open each night of the week except Tuesday, it means that there can be a touch of “Saturday Night Fever” almost every night of the week.
Gigi newest discotheque. Advert 1978.
Gigi Glasgow’s Swinging Disco Bar & Restaurant where you can eat, drink, and dance till 2 a.m.
Gigi Disco advert 1978.
Do you have any memories of Gigi’s, Adriano’s Spaghetti House, Peggy Sue’s, Carnegie’s, Talk of the town, or Waxy O’Connor’s? If so please leave a comment.
END.
21 Waterloo Street, Glasgow. G2 6BZ. Tel: 0141 221 5479.
Carnegie’s. 1991.
Carnegie’s chain of pubs were so popular in the city fifteen years ago, there was also Carnegie’s in West George Street, St Vincent Street and Cambridge Street.
Update…2019.
………………
The above images are of a book of matches advertising Carnegie’s and Fouquet’s two well Glasgow drinking venues.
Update…2008.
From at least 2008 this venue has been known as Rhoderick Dhu.
Situated in the heart of Glasgow, sister to the Best Bar-None, Rhoderick Dhu, The Ruag Function Suite offers Scottish hospitality at its best! A family owned business we take pride in ensuring that your special occasion is an event to remember.
Do you remember this Carnegie’s or have memories of any venue from this address? Please leave a comment.
END.
56 West Regent Street, Glasgow. G2 2RA. Closed.
In 1948 56 West Regent Street was a plumbers store owned by John Richmond & Company. In the 1950s it was opened as “The Nosh Bar.” In 1960 it was owned by Mr. A Nobile. The premises was also known as the Colony Restaurant. However it will be best remembered as Burns Howff for its live rock bands, music and sing-a-longs.
John Waterson took over the pub in March 1967 and turned it into one of the best known bars in the city. He formerly owned Burns Cottage in Paisley Road.
Burns Howff, West Regent Street.
Glasgow architect Dan Kemp was responsible for the transformation of the new Burns Howff which was formerly the Colony restaurant. The popularity of music in Mr. Waterson’s other premises the Burns Cottage was on a television show about a singing competition, see Burns Cottage, the popularity of the event sparked Mr. Waterson to open up in town, which was the first free house in the city for some years.
A public lounge bar had been laid out on the lower floor, with spacious seating, in black leather upholstery. Red lights were sunk in the low ceiling, while the bar was simply illuminated, including spot lights on the gantry pointing to the bust of the Bard.
John Waterson in the long bar of the main lounge in Burns Howff. 1967.
Upstairs another long bar had similar seating for about 140 and here Grace Boyle presides on the bar, designed on a smaller scale with the main bar downstairs. Another form of entertainment in one corner holds the five-piece “Ploughman” group which performs daily, except Saturday mornings, when the Jazz Centre offers music.
Closed circuit TV had been introduced, if the demand is there, to permit customers in the lower lounge to watch the band performing above. The music is relayed throughout the premises.
At the rear of the premises on the lower floor there was also a special cold room which had something new in beer containers. These were three stainless steel containers each holding the equivalent of five barrels. They are thermostatically controlled. A pilot light at one end of the main bar indicates where beer is being drawn at any particular time.
In charge of the Main Bar was Margaret MacNeil, while managing the premises was Mr. Tom McGunn. Mr. Waterson, who was carrying on the Burns Cottage and the Market Bar, Paisley, has been in the Trade for some 30 Years.
Another photograph of John Waterson with full highland attire. 1960s.
John Waterson with the leaders of the Bards and Sabres. 1966. Also see Burns Cottage.
Burns Howff, Exorian. 1982.
John Waterson on the right next to Anthony McAulay of the Pig & Whistle and J Donaghey of the Devon Bar. 1970.
Mr. John Waterson with Miss Kronenbourg, 1970.
Miss Kronenbourg, Fiona MacDonald from Glasgow, being introduced by John Waterson at a reception at Burns Howff, West Regent Street, Glasgow to promote the French lager. Miss Kronenbourg had just completed a tour of central Scotland and the Borders accompanied by salesmen from Tennent Caledonian Breweries, agents for the lager in Scotland. 1970.
Left to right Mr. J Flynn, president of the Glasgow Vintners; Mrs. Flynn; Mr. George Ramster, secretary of the Glasgow Association; Mrs. J Waterson; Mr. W Martin, Calypso Bar; Mrs. Ramster and John Waterson. 1974.
Left to right, Bailie McGrath; John Waterson; Mrs. A Stewart; Mrs. J McCabe; Mrs. J Waterson; Mr. J McCabe; Mrs. McGrath; and A Stewart of Buchanan Booth’s. 1973.
Burns Howff finally closed in 1984.
Farewell to a true trade man.
Mr John Waterson.
February 21, 2013
JOHN Waterson was one of the great characters of the Scottish trade. Well-known and highly-respected, he had a successful career spanning more than 70 years.
Not only did he own some of Glasgow’s most famous pubs, but successful hotels, nightclubs and off-sales too.
A former president of both the Strathclyde and Scottish Licensed Trade Associations, John was also very active in trade politics. He was a past director of The Scottish Licensed Trade Benevolent Society, a member of The Incorporation of Maltmen in Glasgow, a past chair of Strathclyde Youth and formerly a member of the Children’s Panel in Glasgow.
John Waterson was born in Great Hamilton Street in the Calton district of Glasgow in 1925. Not too much is known of his early years, although growing up in the Calton in the mid 1920s and ‘30s must have been interesting to say the least. He went to St Alphonse Primary School, but to suggest he had a good attendance record would be stretching the truth – he always said he was far too busy for lessons.
In 1938, aged 13, he popped into The Central Hotel in Glasgow on a whim to ask if there were any jobs. He was told that if the bellboy uniform fitted he could start the next day. It did, and so started a career that would last a lifetime.
His next step was as a waiter, and he learned his trade in various Glasgow hotels and restaurants. After the war he joined MacLauchlan’s the brewer, which employed him as a waiter in the famous Whitehall Restaurant on Renfield Street. Later he took charge of the cocktail bar and became an active member of The United Kingdom Bartenders’ Guild.
In 1957 MacLauchlan’s leased him The Moss-Side Inn in Paisley. This was very successful and in 1962 he bought his first pub – the run down Burns Bar in Govan.
On the face of it, it was perhaps not a great career move at the time – a Catholic buying a run-down Rangers pub in Govan, frequented by hardened dockers. On his first day the regulars came in only to tell him they had all barred themselves. By closing time he had sold two pints of heavy – one to a Catholic docker who wanted to meet the bravest publican in Glasgow, the other to the Jewish shopkeeper next door who wanted to meet the most stupid.
However, slowly but surely he worked his magic. Regular customers came back, the Rangers bus ran from the pub again, and within a year he had revamped the décor, filled it with Burns memorabilia and changed its name to Burns Cottage. It became one of only two pubs in Glasgow licensed for live music, and musicians flocked there in their droves.
John was one of the first to turn Scottish pubs into more than places to drink. He was involved in the Scottish music scene and between the ‘60s and early ‘80s gave a platform to many aspiring musicians.
He installed closed circuit television so patrons in the bar could watch the live bands in the lounge, which was revolutionary at the time. STV even broadcast a live talent show from the lounge on a Saturday night – a 1960s Scottish X-Factor from surely Britain’s first themed pub. He was always ahead of the game.
He opened his most famous pub, The Burns Howff in Glasgow, in 1967. Both the Cottage and The Howff played host to most of Scotland’s best musicians, including Maggie Bell, Frankie Miller, James Dewar, Alex Harvey, Simple Minds, Midge Ure, and The Average White Band. All played for John, although his relationship with musicians could be fraught. When one was interviewed he said he would never forget John for giving him his big break, but bemoaned the fact that he and his band were only paid £20 a night. John retorted that this was slander – he never paid any band more than £15!
Over the years till the mid-’90s, surely the golden age for the pub business, he also opened The Burns Howff in Renfrew and The Wee Howff in Paisley. Other acquisitions were McCalls Bar in Hope Street, which became The Pot Still. Much to his enjoyment he also bought The Whitehall, which became The Maltman, in 1982. The 39 Steps followed in 1986. That was the last pub John Waterson owned. He moved into hotels, first at the Gleniffer in Paisley then The Stuart and Bruce Hotels in East Kilbride and lastly The Golden Lion hotel in Stirling, which the family still owns.
Underpinning everything he was a licensed trade man, a publican through and through. Professional, disciplined and totally dedicated, he expected the same from everyone else. He instinctively knew what his customers wanted and always saw change coming – who else would have taken the chance and opened a no smoking bar, the successful Maltman, in 1982? He said he would never retire and never did, in fact he was still doing deals well into his 80s.
John is survived by his wife of 65 years Josephine, children Paul, Josephine, Jonathan and Mark, 11 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. His eldest daughter Kathleen was tragically killed in a car accident in the USA in 1979.He was always thankful that the bellboy’s uniform at The Central Hotel fitted him on that fateful day in 1938 – so was the licensed trade of Scotland and its customers.
John Waterson’s son Paul who was, until recently, the chief executive of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), a post he held for 16 years.
In the NEWS…1970.
Pubs Where You Queue To Get In
If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it. Even having seen it, I could hardly credit it.
I had heard of queues at bingo halls, dance halls and cinemas, but until last Saturday I had never seen a queue of over 200 people waiting for an hour to get into a pub. Yes, queueing for an hour on Saturday mornings.
The place? The Burns Howff., in the centre of Glasgow. I knew the beer there was good – but this was ridiculous! The bar opened at 11a.m. sharp, and by two minutes past every seat in the 200 – odd capacity lounge was occupied. John Waterson – who owns the Howff and a couple of other places, was smiling broadly, which is hardly surprising. “It’s been like this for weeks. I could fill the lounge five times over. Last week I turned away about a hundred good customers by half-past eleven – then I stopped counting.” he said.
The reason. John admits, that the place has become so popular is not the good grog but the group who are on the stage – Beggar’s Opera, a poperatic group with a fantastic musical range. They mix pop with high opera and do all their own intricate arrangements. John, one of the men who first started music in pubs, say – “They are the most brilliant musicians I have heard in all my years in this business. They must go to the very top. It is inevitable.
“The audience sit almost hypnotised and hardly a soal leaves the lounge until we close at 2.30 p.m.” Beggars’ Opera, incidentally, will not be on the stage in the Howff to-morrow, just in case you are thinking of joining the queue. John has only one disappointment – he cannot afford to have them in every night in the week. The reason – the boys are making such good money. Says John – “I feel that the magistrates should unbend just a little and allow us to charge an admission fee at the door. This, as far as I can see, is the only way that publicans are going to be able to raise standards of entertainment.”
Do you remember Burn Howff? If so please leave a comment and we will post your views.
END.
151 West George Street, Glasgow. G2 2JJ. Tel: 0141 229 0707.
Blue Dog opened it’s doors in December 2003 by Alan Tomkins.
To read more on Alan Tomkins premises click here.
Blue Dog 2012.
Since its conception in 2003, Blue Dog has firmly established itself as THEE place to go for cocktails in Glasgow.
Step inside the doors of 151 West George Street and you’ll find a New York Style piano bar renowned for its live entertainment programme and excellent drink selection.
Choose from a vast menu of classic and contemporary cocktails or simple select your preferred tipple from an astoundingly varied and well stocked gantry.
Enjoy the ambience, the live music & let our expert bartenders cater to your every drinking whim.
Interior view of the main bar.
Blue Dog sign.
Do you have anything to say about Blue Dog? If so please leave a comment.
END.
17 Waterloo Street, Glasgow. G2 6AY. Tel: 0141 248 8878.
Bar Sporto was short lived and closed after a few years.
Update… 2008.
Now called Drop Bar & Diner.
Drop sign. 2014.
Drop. 2014.
Do you have any memories or photographs of this pub? If so, please leave a comment.
END.