4 Peel Street, Partick, Glasgow.
Today Partick in the west end of the city offers some of the finest public houses in Glasgow, on a visit to the district you will be spoiled for choice in the numerous pubs Partick has to offer.
In the early 1900s you still had that choice, you could pick anyone of the wards forty four pubs, this was due to the help of the Partick Wine, Spirit & Beer Trade Defence Association, which fought to keep the pubs open during the temperance movement which saw many pubs close in Glasgow. Members of the Defence Association were William McColl, James and William Ward, James L Bennett, David Muirhead, Hugh Tennent, William Kirkwood and President John Mossman.
John Mossman spent all his life in the licensed trade, he was born in 1871 in the old established hostelry the Bay Horse in Hamilton, his parents being the proprietors, when his father died at an early age his mother took control of the business helped by young John and his two sisters Lily and Agnes. After leaving school John served for a few years in a lawyers office, however he decided this was not for him as he missed the excitement and the patter in the licensed trade, he then started work in the wholesale licensed trade and joined the staff of Messrs. Bennett & Company, York Street, as a junior clerk, working his way up to assistant manager, Bennett & Co. was producing some of the finest whisky in the city, one of there early blends of Scotch was the Royal Glenartney, other favourites were Niblick Machrihanish and Gothic blends.
After three years experience as a manager he left the firm and went into the retail trade in partnership with Mrs Ann Anderson, 4 peel Street, Partick, and traded under the name of Anderson & Mossman. Mr Mossman injected some youthful ideas into the business, he first made major alterations and had the pub redecorated. In 1897 he enlarged the business by securing a licence for the old Bunnhouse Tavern in Main Street, Anderston, one of the oldest premises in the district, he completely transformed the old place into one of the more modern howff’s in the area, he was granted a piece of old derelict ground at the rear of the building to install new lavatory accommodation for the customers.
Mossman’s pub in Peel Street became known as the Western bar, in the 1930s the pub was owned by Daniel Grant, he also ran the well- known State Bar in Holland Street, the Western Bar was demolished in the 1960s.
Mr John Mossman. 1897.
The Western Bar may have ceased to exist – but the premises were not ‘demolished in the 1960s’, they are still standing. The building was most likely given a makeover of some sort at the time, but more recently someone else has decided to do it up again and has uncovered the old signage and advertising that appears in your photo of the pub.