13 Old Wynd, off the Trongate, Glasgow.

Mr Alexander Allan. 1893.

In the Old Wynd, off the Trongate, round which centre’s many historical associations and grim stories of a bygone age, there was one of the oldest taverns in Glasgow. At the end of the 1800s it was known as the Waverley Bar, owned by Mr D F Sunter. The date when the Waverley became a licensed house is obscure and uncertain, but there was no doubt whatever that early in the morning of the century it was a popular rendezvous for Glasgow’s old cronies. In the stormy period of the year 1819 and 1820, when the people, groaning under political tyranny, the Waverley was well known and a favourite meeting place of the Rads. It has changed many time since and in 1887 Mr Sunter purchased the property.

The old tavern was full of antiquarian objects, so full that a recess in the wall was crowded with all sorts of interesting and unusual items. There was several old guns, skeletons and skins of extinct animals, one valuable engraving of one of the Lords of Eglinton in his costume of the Ayrshire Yeomanry, so rare that it was the only one known in Glasgow. There was also an interesting relic of Sir Colin Campbell with the memorable speech of the old veteran on bidding a final farewell to the Highland Brigade, the noble brigade that climbed the heights of Alma and won for itself a deathless fame in the military annals of the world.

Mr Sunter was a Paisley man and bred to the trade. Early in his career, he was employed for three years in the Civil Service Stores, London, and there received a training which few men engaged in the trade can claim. Mr Sunter was a wine and spirit Merchant and blended his own whisky, he made the Waverley a prosperous concern. The Old Wynd had a bad reputation, it was a very dark smelly place, it was full of thieves, pick-pockets, prostitutes, gangs of men women and children hung about waiting for an opportunity to commit a crime.

Mr Sunter was a talented artist, and had a very interesting image hanging in his tavern, it represents a policeman thrusting his head in at the door just on the Chap of eleven. His bull’s-eyes flashes on those standing at the bar, and then comes: “It’s eleven o’clock, gentlemen.” Before Mr Sunter took over the tavern, he worked for wine and spirit merchant William Faulds who ran an old howff at the corner of Trongate and Brunswick Street.

It was always disputed what was the oldest pub in Glasgow was, the Institution in King Street or the Waverley in the Old Wynd. The evidence of local antiquarians on the subject was conflicting, but there was no doubt that the tavern in the Old Wynd existed in 1745, the year of dark Culloden, when the vanquished hero of the Stuart race was a fugitive among the northern hills. Mr Alexander Allan the proprietor of the Waverley had title deeds which proved it.

The Waverley tavern still retained many traces of it’s original appearance, despite the necessity of adapting and modernising much of it to the wants of the time. Mr Allan paid a lot of money for this old pub at the end of the 1800s and did not keep it for long as the City Improvement had the Old Wynd swept away around 1901. Alexander Allan was a true Scotsman and formerly owned the Auld Hoose, an old licensed house in Alloa, from there he went to the Ferry Inn, South Alloa and after a few months purchased the Waverley, Old Wynd.

Facts…

License Holders.

1875 James Walter.

1892 D F Sunter.

1899 Alexander Allan.

In the 1840s the New Wynd, Old Wynd and the Back Wynd all had tavern’s in them. The Ayrshire tavern was at no66 New Wynd also Hillcoat’s extensive Bar. At no6 Back Wynd the Crown and Anchor was a popular old Tavern.

145 George Street, Glasgow.

Interior view of the Dunrobin. 1947.

To read the full history of the Dunrobin Click here.

Thanks to Gavin L Cutler for the following email…

Hi John, I just found your site and was browsing old haunts from when I was a post grad student in Glasgow.

I was at Strathclyde (Physics Dept) and one of our favourite haunts was the Dunrobin on George Street. My enduring memory is that the draught Tennent’s lager was fantastic, way better than anywhere else (at least to the taste buds of an English bitter drinker who usually stuck to Guinness in Glasgow- sorry if that’s sacrilege.)

Anyway I think the Dunny was demolished in about 1986, but we rescued the 20ft name board from the site and stuck it up in the John Anderson Building of Strathclyde Uni, on Rottenrow (Top Floor Common Room). I have no idea if it’s still there as I left Glasgow in 1989 (sadly.) The Dunny was a great wee bar with snug seating and frequent sing-songs. A proper pub. We got temporarily banned for singing The Wild Rover, which must have upset somebody’s sensibilities! Happy memories. You haven’t enjoyed a Glasgow pub until you’ve been barred from it… Cheers….

247 Duke Street, Glasgow.

Duke Street with the Dunchattan Arms on the left hand side.

There has been a public house on this site since the 1860s. Spirit merchant Thomas Stewart was proprietor then. In 1875 well known wine and spirit merchant James Dewar was licensee, he also had pubs at 48 Commerce Street, 227 Cowcaddens, 225 New City Road, 1 Port Dundas Road and 27 West Russell Street.

During the early part of the 1890s Donald Cameron wine merchant ran this successful pub. He lived nearby at 233 Duke Street.

On 13th April 1899 Alfred Ernest Howard took over the licence paying an annul rent of £75.00.

The pub closed down for a while during the First World War after Daniel Stewart ran the pub. However the premises were opened up again and was successfully operated by publican Donald MacDonald, he also owned a great pub at 39-41 Scotia Street. Donald ran the two pubs until the 1950s.

Many will still remember Michael Scanlan who ran the pub in the 1960s when the photograph above was taken.

In 1972 Edward John Barnes was running the pub for the brewers, he was also licencee of 115b-115c West Nile Street (Iron Horse) and a pub at 26-30 Cottar Street. Mr Barnes was one of the last licensee’s to run the pub before it was demolished inh the 70s.

Some of the principal office-bearers of the Glasgow Licensed Trade Defence Association photographed on the occasion of their annual outing to St Andrews. Included in the group are Mr James Denholm, president, and Mrs Denholm; Mr P B Jackson, vice-president, and Mrs Jackson; Mr Archibald McNiven, vice-president, and Mrs McNiven; Mr Peter Pirie, Mr John Holmes, Mr Kenneth McLean and Mrs McLean, Mr Michael Scanlan, secretary of the Glasgow Vintners Association, and Mrs Scanlan; Mr P at McKay, Mrs McGinlay, Mrs J Young, Mrs Gray, Mrs D Menzies. July 1935.

82 Gorbals Street, Gorbals, Glasgow.

Doyle’s Bar 1960s.

This well known public house was situated on a prominent site at Gorbals Cross. Doyle’s Bar was established before the First World War in 1911 by wine and spirit merchant Joseph Doyle. However there has been a pub on this site since 1891 when John Crawford was Landlord. He occupied the premises until the early 1900s.

In 1910 Joseph J Duffy was trading from the pub and only had a licence to sell porter and ale, no spirits were allowed on the premises. The following year Mr Doyle took over the pub and he held a full public house licence. Joseph Doyle was very successful in the business and opened another pub two years later at 401 Govan Street now Ballater Street at the corner od Street.

The Doyle family held this licence until the pub finally closed down in the 1960s when the tenement building was then demolished. After Joseph the licence was held by Constance D Doyle, she held the certificate during the 1930s. After the Second World War Miss Josephine Doyle was licensee until the pub was demolished. She lived at 108 Albert Road in the south side of the city.

Gorbals Cross with Doyle’s Bar in the centre of the photo.