Old Glasgow Pubs

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The Braehead Bar.

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572 Rutherglen Road, Gorbals, Glasgow.

The Braehead Bar was situated at the corner of Rutherglen Road and Braehead Street. Hutchesontown Bowling Club was facing the pub with the Coronation Bar across the Road.

In 1896 Robert Young owned this popular Gorbals hostelry, the Young family continued serving the locals here for over 50 years. Oatlands Sub-post office was a few doors away from the pub, this meant this was once a thriving community with a newsagents, fruit shop, dairy, drapers, grocers and all the shops you needed within a stones throw away. Once you did all the shopping all you had to do was go into one of the numerous public houses that surrounded this community for a wee refreshment.

After the Second World War John Chapman was running the pub, other well known publicans were Peter McKechnie, Kenneth Beaton and Mr Gerald Hurrel. Mr Hurrel formerly ran a pub on Adelphi Street, other members of the family had pubs on the Gallowgate, Lancefield Quay, Bridgegate, Crown Street, and Green Street.

G Hurrel wine and spirit merchants 1970s. (Formerly the Braehead Bar.)

G Hurrel, wine and spirit merchant. 1970s.

Braehead Bar, Rutherglen Road at Braehead Street.

Facts…
In 1887 Mrs Park landlady of the Braehead Bar had her own blend of Scotch Whisky called “Roderick Dhu” and “Shaughraun.”

Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.

ENS.

The Bowlers Rest.

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51-67 Tollcross Road, Glasgow. G31 4UG.  Closed.

Bowlers Rest. 1991.

In the early 1800s a lane known as Montgomery’s opening led to Parkhead Bowling Green and Montgomery’s Tavern now the Bowlers Rest. In the middle of the 1800s a group of players left this club an formed the Belvidere Bowling Club in Elba Lane, part of Barr’s Iron Bru now occupies the site.

Hugh Montgomery the landlord occupied the premises until his death in the 1850s, his wife then took control of the business which also had a grocers licence. In 1883 Mrs Margaret Glen was licensee, she sold the old tavern to Samuel Hay Gardiner in 1892. The magistrates ordered Mrs Glen to keep the back door closed, which led out the old bowling green. For years the punter’s from the tavern could play bowls while they were drinking, the bowling green belonged to the tavern.

Samuel Hay Gardiner.

Mr Gardiner ran a small licensed grocers shop in Eglinton Street. When Samuel died in 1929 the licence was transferred to his wife Elizabeth. The pub stayed in the family right up until the 1950s the locals then called the pub “ Hay Gardiners.”

William Pender then took over the licence in 1958, he was also licensee for the Kimberley and the Waverley in Tollcross and the Red Lion on New City Road.

Whitelaw’s. 2005.

The pub is known as Whitelaw’s, the last time I passed this ancient hostelry it had a TO LET sign above the door. The same proprietor also had Whitelaw’s at Bridgeton Cross. This pub too had a To Let sign above the doorway. Whitelaw’s was a very short lived name for the pub.

Whitelaw’s is now closed down, it has been lying empty for some time now.

I’m sure these two pubs will again open shortly as they have been very popular in the past and most of all the history behind them should keep them open in the future.

I noticed the other day that the Bowlers rest is still closed down March 2007, I also heard the other day that the pub may be under threat of demolition as new houses are planned for the plot…. WATCH THIS SPACE….

Update… Thank goodness the pub has not been demolished.

The Bowlers Rest. 2008.

After a long while closed the Bowlers Rest was reopened and had a new paint job and the name above the door was changed back to the Bowlers Rest.

The Bowlers Rest. Date unknown.

The sign above the door is now Paradise Bar, for all the Celtic fans to drink on match days.

The Paradise Bar. 2012.

This pub has been closed since around 2010 and only opens when Celtic is playing at Parkhead.

Paradise Bar. 2017.

Update… 2019.

This pub is still closed, it doesn’t even open during the Celtic games.

Facts…
Tollcross Road.
This part of Tollcross Road was formerly known as Great Eastern Road.
Do you have any memories of the Bowlers Rest? If so please leave a comment.
END.

The Bowlers.

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100 Tullis Street,Bridgeton, Glasgow. G40 1HW. Tel: 0141 556 4783.

The Bowlers 1991.

There has been a pub on this site since at least 1875, occupied then by John Scott.

In 1881 well known east end publican Andrew Wauchope took over the pub and renamed it “The Green Rest.”  Mr Wauchope was brought up in the hand loom weaving business in the east end of the city for twenty years. He was well known in the Glasgow licensed trade and the Benevolent Institution. His famous blend of old Scotch whisky was called “Old Kirk.” Wauchope also owned the Green Rest at 13 Main Street, Bridgeton.

Andrew Wauchope. 1881.

The Bowlers Bar was closed down for many years and has now been recently reopened.

The Bowlers. August 2005.

Update… 2019

The Bowlers is still going strong and has kept its doors open. Keep up the good work Guys.

Facts…
Before 1928 Tullis Street was called John Street.
Tullis Street is named after John Tullis & Son leather hide merchants who gifted the hammer beam roof to Greenhead and Barrowfield Parish Church in London Rd in 1850.
Licence Holders.
1991 Graham Miller.
1973 John McKendrick.
1960 Lawrence McKenna.
1937 James McConnel.

Do you have any memories of this old pub? If so please leave a comment.

END.

The Bower Bar

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209 Main Street, Rutherglen, Glasgow. G73 2HH. Closed.

The Bower Bar. 1991.

Bower Bar. 2005.

This is an image from the back of the premises.

Mr J Motion, Bower Bar, Rutherglen. 1963.

The above image was taken at the Benevolent function at Sloan’s restaurant in 1963. from left to right J Motion, R Purdie of Archibald Campbell Hope and King Ltd; H Campbell, Grosvenor Restaurant and C Russell.

Update 2008…

The Bower Bar with a for sale sign. 2008.

The Bower Bar has been closed for some time now.

Update November 2009…

The Bower Bar is now a restaurant called Bombay. Thanks to Norrie McNamee.

In the NEWS 1977…

Angry bar boss had the police in a panic.

Bar manager Joseph Docherty was furious when one of his customers hit him on the mouth with a glass full of beer at closing time. He went to the police station and pleaded to be allowed into the same cell as the man.

Doherty (31) even volunteered to spend a penny worth on the floor so that police could charge him and lock him up beside his assailant.

When that didn’t work he stole a policeman’s pocket radio and for the next three hours put the force in a panic. For Glasgow Sheriff Court was told today Doherty went back to the Bower Bar in Main Street, Rutherglen, and began broadcasting bogus messages.

His calls included two emergency “Code 21” messages which meant a policeman needed help urgently. And for three hours he had the staff in three control rooms working furiously trying to trace where the calls were coming from.

PLEAS

Doherty of 529 Springburn Road, Glasgow, admitted stealing a police radio from the CID room at Rutherglen police office on April 17. He also admitted wasting the time of the police by broadcasting and repeating false messages from the pub in Rutherglen.

Doherty, who had five previous convictions, was fined £60.

Mr Ian Angus, prosecuting, said the police told Doherty to go home after his pleas to be allowed into the cell to fight the man who had attacked him.

About midnight police received a “Code 21” message saying that a policeman needed assistance in East Kilbride Road, Rutherglen.

BOTHER

Seven policemen rushed to the scene from various places to find nothing there at all. Another “Code 21” message also proved to be false, and from then on there was a stream of messages some of them garbled, which put the police to a whole lot of bother.

Eventually the radio was traced to Doherty when police returned to the bar. Doherty told the Sheriff the pub was the roughest in Rutherglen and he couldn’t let his assailant get away with it because “everyone else would be trying it on.”

He had now left the pub business and was a self-employed taxi driver.

Update… 2018.

Another name change, it’s now called Padano, restaurant selling pizza, pasta.

Do you remember the Bower Bar? If so please leave a comment.

END.

The Boundary Bar.

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771 Springburn Road, Glasgow. G21 Closed.

Boundary Bar. 1937.

This image was used for the front cover of Glasgow Pubs and Publicans.

Boundary Bar. 1937.

The Boundary Bar was situated at the corner of Springburn Road and Eastfield Street now Hawthorn Street. It was positioned near to where the Police Station is today. When it was demolished a new pub was opened on the opposite corner of Springburn Road which was a former licensed grocer’s. To read the full history of this popular Springburn pub and it’s owner Click here.

The New Boundary Bar. 1939.

The Boundary Bar. c 1960s.

Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.

END.

The Boundary Bar.

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787 Dalmarnock Road, Glasgow.

The Boundary Bar. 1937.

An application for a certificate to sell wines spirits and beers was applied for in 1912 by Alexander MacKintosh.

The Boundary Bar sat at the corner of Dalmarnock Road and Birkwood Street.

Facts…
Licence Holders.
1937 William Doherty.
1945 William Doherty. for the late William Doherty.
1960 D Reid.

Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.

END.