436-38 Gallowgate, corner of Lambert Street, Glasgow.
There has been licensed premises on this site since at least 1847. Mr & Mrs Stenhouse ran a Tea, Wine & Spirit business from here in the late 1840s and continued to do so for many years.
When the old premises were demolished a new tenement of flats and a pub on the ground floor was erected in 1876 a new landlord Mr Mattew Riddell took over. The Riddell family were well established on the Gallowgate from as early as the 1820s as spirit merchants and grain merchants. Their grain store was only 2 door away from their pub at 446 Gallowgate, many well remember this old shop in the 1970s as J R Dalziel (Castings) Ltd, sausage skin merchants.
The Old Canteen Bar on the left along Lambert Street.
The Riddell family traded first traded as Victuallers and Hay Dealers and traded as John Riddell & Sons from as early as the 1850s. In 1897 John Riddell & Sons traded at 10 Lambert Street as Hay, Staw, Grain, Seed and Manure Merchants. The sons Matthew lived at 7 Westercraigs in Dennistoun, apart from running the pub he was a partner in the family business with Robert and Daniel. Generations of the same family continued to run the family business well after the 1930s, by that time Alexander and James were the main partners.
Matthew Riddell died in 1896, the licence was then transferred to his sons Matthew and John as partners.
In 1918 Matthew Riddell and his shopman William Murray were each fined £2.00 at the Sheriff Court, for having on 20th May at 2pm allowed treating on the premises. Mr Riddell was not present when the offence was committed. The Barman went down to the cellar to screw off beer and the shopman took the money from the customer.
In 1927 Alexander Riddell, the licensee sold the business to Daniel McVeigh, Alexander gave up the licence to devote more time to the grain business on the Gallowgate.
Another well known publican to own the Old Canteen Bar was John Wintergill, he started out with his mother in premises on Garscube Road. To read more on John Wintergill keep an eye out for our second book here.
For the sixth time running, the Old Canteen Bar have won the local Guinness Darts League. Des McFarlane right, area representative for Guinness, presenting the Shield to team captain Jimmy Miller. 1969. In the centre is Davie Lamont, his daughter May now works in the Hielan Jessie. Do you know anyone in this image. If so please get in touch.
to read more on darts click here.
Customers of the Old Canteen Bar, Gallowgate, setting out on a bus run to Dunbar, this was a regular event during the summer months with many Glasgow pubs, the bus always left from outside the premises on a Sunday morning as pubs in the city didn’t open on the Sabbath. Mr & Mrs McBride in the center of the photo kneeling down. 1951.
To read more on the pubs on the Gallowgate read up & Doon the Gallowgate by John Gorevan. A copy can be bought for a few pounds at the Hielan Jessie on the Gallowgate or contact me at [email protected]
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