Edinburgh

The First Women Directors of the Edinburgh Licensed Trade Association.

Mrs C E Davidson. 1970.

The First Women Directors of the Edinburgh Licensed Trade Association.

The Edinburgh Licensed Trade Association had broken a long-standing tradition, for the first time lady members are eligible to be elected to the directorate.

Indeed the first two women directors have been appointed. They are Mrs C E Davidson, Bungalow Bar, Northumberland Street, and Mrs F A Marshall, Ormelie Bar, Joppa.

Mrs F A Marshall. 1970.

A few weeks late Mrs Marshall passed away. click here to read more.

The revolutionary step for the Edinburgh association was put before a special meeting by the president, Ian Allan, who hoped the change would encourage non-member women licensees to join the association. The proposal, passed unanimously, means any women director will be eligible for the presidency.

The Bungalow Bar, which comprised a public bar and two lounges, was started around 1880 by Mrs Davidson’s grandfather, Mr William John Young. On his death the licence passed to his wife and in 1932 to their son, John Young, Mrs Davidson’s father. Mr John Young was assisted by his wife, who continued running the business when her husband died in 1958.

When Mrs Young died in 1963, Mrs Davidson stepped into her mother’s shoes.

1972…

Ladies’ night out

Photographed at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Women’s Auxiliary Group dinner dance in the Marlborough, Glasgow, were left to right Mr. and Mrs. James Millen (assistant secretary); the president, Mrs. and Mr. O. G. Prosser; Mrs. John Young (vice-president); Mrs. J. Macaulay (secretary) and Mr. Macaulay. 1972.

Also at the dinner dance was Left to right Mr. and Mrs. T. Docherty; Mrs. J. Lindsay (Dick’s Bar, Gallowgate); and Mrs. and Mr. A. Gillies (The Clachan.) 1972.

Edinburgh Licensee.

Mr Donald (Dan) Campbell. 1970.

70 Years in the Trade.

Mr Donald “Dan” Campbell who had a total of 70 years’ experience in the licensed trade which must be a record, died in Edinburgh at the age of 95.

Mr Campbell, who was a popular and hard working personality, retired in 1959. He was a past president of the Leith Wine, Spirit and Beer Trade Association and a director of the Edinburgh, Leith and East of Scotland Benevolent Institution.

He was born in Abbeyhill, the son of a policeman in Edinburgh Constabulary. Apart from a brief spell in Canada, he worked most of his life in Leith, started as an apprentice in Portobello when he was 14.

His first job was with Rutherford’s of Drummond Street, where he received the princely salary of 7 shillings, a week, plus fifteen pence a week for his tea, which was consumed in the pub, a break of half-an-hour being allowed for this purpose.

Hours in those days were from 8am. to 11pm., with one half day. He was lucky if he got home by 1am. during the week and if he got home by 1pm. during his half day.

When he left Drummond Street, Mr Campbell went to St. Mary Street to work for Mr John Stenhouse, who weighed 20 stone and liked to dress in the kilt. It was he who first called Mr Campbell @Dan@ and it was as @Dan@ that he became affectionately known to his friends.

In October, 1914 he became a publican in his own right in Tolbooth Wynd, a public house tied to a brewery (G MacKay & Co.) wine merchants (Lawson and Smith) combination. The property was condemned in 1937 and a new site had to be found. This was made available the same years in Restalrig Road, where he remained the congenial host of the Lea Rig until he retired.

A close friend of his all these years was Mr William Whitson, who was with G MacKay & Co. from 1913 until he took over, in 1959, Whitson’s Bar in Henderson Street, Leith, which he was still running in 1970.

Many years ago Taverns were almost the only means provided for social enjoyment. Cooped up, as it were, in cities and towns, little else could be expected than the development and increase of the drinking system. It was such circumstances, that the professional and merchant classes became accustomed to meet regularly, in a social capacity, at convivial clubs held in the taverns, especially in the larger center’s of population, such as Edinburgh and Glasgow.

These old fashioned taverns were generally very uninviting places, both as regards accommodation and surroundings. In old Edinburgh the taverns were chiefly situated in the long narrow, steep closes leading off each side of the High Street. Many of them were dark and dingy; and, looking at from a modern standpoint, it appears strange that so many men of high literary attainments and professional eminence, both lay and clerical, could submit to spend so much of their leisure time year after year in such places.

One of these tavern’s was the “Clerihugh’s” known as the Star and Garter, and alluded to in “Guy Mannering.” It was the favourite haunt of the magistrates and town council, who in those days mixed much more of private enjoyments with public duties than would now be considered fitting.

The wags of that century used to tell of a certain city treasurer, who, on being applied to for a new rope to the Tron Kirk bell, summoned the Council to deliberate on the demand; an adjournment to Clerilhugh’s tavern, it was hoped, might facilitate the settlement of so weighty a matter; but one dinner proved insufficient, and it was not till they had finished their third banquet in Clerilhugh’s that the application was referred to a committee of councillor’s, who spliced the old bell rope and settled the bill!

Another old tavern was situated in the Anchor Close near the Cross. The landlord was known as “Daunie Douglas.” In the same close was Smellie’s famous printing office, where Burns was for some time engaged daily in correcting the proof sheets of his new volume of poems.

This celebrated tavern was the scene of daily and nightly convivial orgies, although in a dark and dingy alley. “Daunie Douglas” himself was a thin, weak, submissive man, who spoke in whispers. He had a habit of using the word “quietly” very frequently, without regard to its being remark that the castle had been firing to-day, quietly, which was not soon forgotten by his customers. Daunie was a perfect contrast to his wife.

She was a large, fat woman, in a towering head-dress and large flowering-silk gown, and as she sat in her sanctum as landlady bowed to every one passing into the tavern.

It was here the famous Crochallan Club met, with which Burns and many literary characters of that century were identified. In 1776, a stabler in the Pleasance, named Dun, the same whose house Captain Topham describes, removed to the flats of a house in Princess Street, which was then being formed, Dun “fitted up the house in a singularly element style, and, himself entitled to designate his establishment by a property splendid and singular name, called it, in gilt letters, on the wall “Dun’s Hotel.” This was the first time that the work Hotel had been heard of in Scotland, where the phrase Stabler was at the most popular term for expressing the calling of an innkeeper.

Many of the old Edinburgh tavern were swept away in the event of city improvements. One of these, known as Johnnie Downie’s, situated in Libberton’s Wynd, a steep lane leading to the Cowgate. It was demolished in 1834 for the erection of the George IV. Bridge. A great portion of this curious old tavern was literally without light, consisting of a series of windowless walls decreasing in size till the last was a mere box of irregular oblong jocularly called “The Coffin.” With very little light passing on the tavern as it was in a deep narrow alley, all one could see from a distance was the dim light of the name. Here many Parliamentary men came daily for their meridian, and here in the evenings where fashion assembled for convivial pleasures.

It was a favourite of Burns during the few months he spent in Edinburgh, many jovial parties met the poet there. Johnny Downie himself was quite a character and was immortilised in Kay’s celebrated Edinburgh Portraits and was greatly esteemed for his conscientiousness in business.

Wine Sale In Edinburgh 1891.

In 1892 the Windsor Hotel catered for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. A most sumptuous list of vianda and wine carte could not be desired. Also Mr A M Ross of the Cafe Royal, Edinburgh, who began his career as an exhibition caterer at the Edinburgh Exhibition of 1886 and followed that up at Manchester, Brussels, Edinburgh in 1890 and the Naval Exhibition at London in 1891, made a tender of £100,000 for the refreshment contract at the World’s Fair at Chicago in 1893. He had, however, been informed that the management have decided not to give a monopoly to any one caterer, but to divide the contract among those representing different nationalities.

In 1892 Mr William Pickett, of the Imperial Hotel, has been unanimously elected captain of the Edinburgh Heather Club.

Edinburgh Lady Director Dies. 1970.

Mrs F A Marshall. 1970.

Mrs F A Marshall, licensee of the Ormelie Bar, Joppa Road, Joppa, Edinburgh, had died suddenly in an Edinburgh hospital.

Only a few weeks prior, Mrs Marshall was one of the first two lady Licensees to be elected directors of the Edinburgh Licensed Trade Association when it was decided that the Association should break its tradition of men only on the directorate, which had ruled for generations.

Mrs Marshall took over the Ormelie when her husband went on active service during the war. When her husband returned home after the war years it was decided that Mrs Marshall should continue to reign at the Ormelie as she had been so successful.

Mr Ian Allan, president of the association, said: ‘The death of Mrs Marshall is a sad loss to her many friends in the trade. She was a keen worker for the association and had been eager to undertake her added duties as a director.’

Mr Marshall is a representative with MacKinlay-McPherson.

Abbotsford Arms, 2-4 Rose Street.

Auld Hoose, opened by Pat Stanton (Captain of Hibs F. C.) 1974

Busy Bee Roadhouse.

Clermiston Inn.

Crammond Inn.

Duddington Inn.

Edinburgh Licensees visit Harp Lager Brewery.

Edinburgh Licensed Trade dinner-dance 1974.

Empire Restaurant, Broughton Street & Picardy Place.

Lindsay Daish’s, 21 Rose Street.

Mack’s Bar.

Rutherford’s.

Star & Garter, Winchburgh, Edinburgh.

The Ship, East Register Street.

The Viceroy Bar, Lothian Road, Edinburgh.

Facts…

In 1892 Andrew Usher, of Messrs. Andrew Usher & Co., Distillers, Edinburgh, has spent £500 to the Institution for the Relief of Incurables at their own homes.

On the 18th April 1891, in Dowell’s Rooms, Edinburgh, amongst other lots, was sold some very old wine, which had been removed from Ethie Castle, the Forfarshire seat of the Earl of Northesk. The castle, for a long time a ruin, is now undergoing repairs, and the wines were discovered in the course of the operations. They evidently belong to the last century. Two dozen and six bottles of old port made 52 shillings, and eight bottles of old port 54 shillings, from the Ethie Castle cellar; while from other sources we noticed eight bottles hock (1868 vintage) two bottles hock (1862 vintage) and three bottles hock 82 shillings; six bottles hock (1862 vintage) and ten bottles hock (1865 vintage) 110 shillings; one dozen and three bottles hock (1862 vintage) 84 shillings; three dozen champagne (1880 vintage, Watcher & Co,) and five magnums champagne (1880 vintage, Koch Fils) 155 shillings; seven dozen and eight bottles champagne (Pommery & Greno, 1884 vintage) 96 shillings.

Lothian Road, Edinburgh.

The Viceroy Bar. 1970.

Mr & Mrs James Davidson. 1970.

The Viceroy Bar, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, replaced the former Lothian Bar. The new premises were managed by Mr & Mrs James Davidson for Tennent Caledonian Breweries. 1970.

Winchburgh, Edinburgh.

John Rutherford, Bell’s representative in West Lothian smashed open a gallon bottle at the Star & Garter, Winchburgh, Edinburgh, in the presence of the proprietor, Mr. W. Masterton, and his wife. Also present were nurses representing the Royal Sick Children’s Hospital, Edinburgh, for whom more than £100 was collected from the bottle and a raffle. 1979.