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The Variety Bar

March 26, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

10 Cowcaddens, Glasgow.

The Variety Bar was named after John Mullen and Scots comedian who performed under the name of Jock Mills.

To read the full history of the Variety Bar and Jock Mills click here.

Another view of the Variety Bar.

Interior view of the main bar.

Interior view of the lounge.

The committee of the Royalty Burns Club. 1933. The photograph was taken at an annul outing at Portsonachan, Loch Awe. Left to right standing Jock Mills, Archibald Wilson, John Macrae, Murdoch Macrae, William Jamieson and James C Gray (Secretary.) front row George McCartney, vice-president, James Denholm, president, John Aitken, immediate past president.

Elroy, the well known armless music hall star, who uses his feet as hands, is seen here in the Variety Bar, Cowcaddens, with manager George and Jock Mills. 1949.

John Mullen (Jock Mills). 1950.

The Vale

March 26, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

7 Dundas Street, Glasgow, G1 2AH.

The Vale. 1991.

The Vale, photograph taken 1991.

To read the full history of this popular city bar click here.

Interior View of the Vale, October 2005.

Interior view of the original bar before alterations in 1954.

Upstairs bar, refurblished in 2005.

The Vale of Leven. 1891.

Mr William Campbell. 1891.

Manager Mr Hector V McKenzie. 1892.

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Tennent Caledonian Breweries were hosts at a tasting and buffet in the Radnor Hotel, Clydebank. Included are Mr. J. G. Angus, Tennent Caledonian, regional sales manager west; Mrs. and Mr. R. Kinloch, The Vale; Mrs. and Mr. E. Giannini, Ben Lomond, Balloch; Mr. J. R. D. Swan, marketing director, Tennent Caledonian; Miss E. Moores and Mr. L. Paleja, the Albany Hotel, Glasgow. 1975.

The Vale, October 2005.

This memorial stone was laid by councillor Angus Campbell writer in Glasgow 15th January 1892.

Ventura

March 26, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

50-60 King Street, Glasgow. G1 5QT. Tel: 0141 553 1638.

Ventura. 1991.

Today 2007 the pub is called the 13th Note.

13th Note. 2005.

13th Note Tel: as above.

The Village Bar

March 15, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

961 Tollcross Road. Tollcross, Glasgow. G32.

The Village. 1991.

In 1904 Robert Paterson was licensee for this pub, he ran this popular bar until the end of the First World War. The rent for the premises then was £49.00 per annum.

James Bradley occupied the premises for many years, serving the locals here until the late 1960s, he lived out in Onslow Drive, Dennistoun.

Over the years the pub has struggled to survive and has closed down on numerous occasions, the last time I passed the pub had a To Let sign above the door.

Over the years the pub has had a few name changes, the title of the Park Bar now adorns the doorway.

The Park Bar, August 2005.

The pub has now closed down and is a grocers shop. 2009.

Licence Holders.

1991 David Calender.

1973-1967 Denis McEnemy.

1960-1940s James Bradley.

1919-1904 Robert Paterson.

The Virginian

March 15, 2017 by John Gorevan 4 Comments

53-59 Miller Street, Glasgow. G1.

The Virginian Tavern was opened in the summer of 1974 by Tony Queen and Pat Harkins.

A touch of the New Orleans had been introduced to Glasgow with the opening of the Virginian in Miller Street. The joint enterprise was the brains of Tony Queen, who had sold most of his bookmaking interests and Pat Harkins a master chef and publican who had travelled the world.

It was from the restaurants of New Orleans that the Virginian took its inspiration. Pat Harkins collected a range of recipes from that city so that Glasgow could have a taste of Creole cuisine. Creole cuisine is a combination of the best French/Spanish/Italian cooking traditions and there is also a fair mixture of the native American Indian influence.

The Virginian had two lounges a restaurant and a dance floor.

In the 1990s this once famous pub diner was called Pacers.

Included in this photograph are Tony Queen, Pat Harkins, A McAuley, Pig & Whistle, C Sweeney, Arlington Bar, J Murray, Dunn & Moore, W Martin, Calypso Bar, J Bailie manager of the Virginian, Mr Smyth, the Anvil and T Doherty, Dunn & Moore. 1974.

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Virginian advert 1979.

The Variety Bar

March 14, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

401 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow. G2 3LG. Tel: 01413324449.

Variety Bar. 1991.

Variety Bar, photograph taken 1991.

Opened in 1970 by Patrick Clancy and known as the Norsk Inn.

In the News 1971…

Kings Arms brings back a good old style.

Over the years the traditional Scottish pub has been slowly disappearing from the Glasgow scene, to be replaced by a variety of bars ranging from palaces of glass and chrome to Bavarian style beer cellars.

And along with the new wall to wall carpets have come various forms of entertainment, so that there’s hardly a place left without its guitarist, beat group, or even sometimes full scale cabaret, – Or if live music is lacking, there’s taped music, and very often you can have anything from a snack to a full scale meal in your local too.

All this is fine, and generally welcome, but it does mean that there are getting to be fewer and fewer “pure” pubs left for the man who just wants to go for a quiet drink minus the trimmings.

Wide Range

But all is not lost. A new pub in the old style opened in Glasgow last week. A plain and simple pub, no snacks, no meals, no musack, just a warm and cosy place to go for a drop of the cratur or just about anything else you fancy from a pint of draught to a mellow single malt.

Called the King’s Arms, it’s on the corner of Elmbank Street and Sauchiehall Street, where the old Carswell’s used to be. Presiding over it is manager Mr Calum MacKenzie, who’s been in the trade for some years since he retired from the police force.

“You might say we’re deliberately reversing current trends in favour of going back to traditional Scottish drinking habits,” he told me. “Mind you, this doesn’t mean you’ll find sawdust on the floor.” What it does mean is that the King’s Arms will cater especially for the discerning drinker. “We’re a free house,” said Mr MacKenzie, “and in keeping with our policy we have a very wide range of drinks available.”

In fact the amenities are quite sophisticated, and it’s pleasant to find bowls of nuts and crisps as well as cocktail onions set out on the bar counter of the lounge. This is called the snug, and is in the basement of the premises, with the public bar on the ground floor.

There’s a good long bar counter in the public bar, handy for setting your elbows firmly planted on. Draught beer and lager are served in both bars, though restricted to half-pints only in the snug. Altogether it’s really quite a small pub, but with a well designed layout and two entrances to each bar.

Variety Bar. 2005.

Variety Bar. 2008.

2008.