Park Bar

421 Dumbarton Road, Dalmuir. G81 4DU.

In the News 1971…

Day they went fishing in the Park Bar cellar.

The day they found goldfish swimming about in the cellar was just one eventful day among many in the history of the Park Bar in dalmuir.

That was the day the road outside the bar was being dug up and a sewer flooding the cellar deposited 22 goldfish, source unknown, on the premises.

Then there was the day in the Clydebank blitz when a bomb flattened the original bar opened in the twenties, and the move was made to the present address at 421 Dumbarton Road. “It was supposed to be a temporary move,” chargehand Gordon Stewart explained, “but 30 years is scarcely temporary.”

Mr. Gordon Stewart is the Park Bar Chargeman, and Miss Madge Bayne joined as a temporory staff member 30 years ago! 1971.

Modern decor

Among the oldest and most popular free house in the area, the Park Bar is having another event, a complete change of image from traditional to ultra-modern. With the acquisition of the next door premises, a complete refurbishment and extension of the bar is being carried out. Gleaming white paint and Scandinavian type pine panelling have already transformed most of the interior. The lounge has doubled in size, and there’s now a new cocktail bar.

“The next step,” says licensee Mr. Samuel Weir, “is the alteration and redecoration of the public bar and off-sales shop to bring our bar up to high standard that Clydebank burgh likes to see on its licensed premises. “It will be a far cry from the days when the original licensee something of an outdoor man, had the wall behind the public bar covered with glass cases full of stuffed birds and fish.”

That was George McTurk, goalkeeper for Clyde and a famous footballer in his day. His niece, Miss Madge Bayne, carries on the family tradition as a staff member for 30 years. “I came here in 1941, just to let my cousin go on holiday.” Miss Bayne told me. “Ive been here ever since, and it’s a standard joke to say we don’t know if she’s back yet.”

Theatre bell

Miss Bayne showed me round, pointing out such changes as the new and extremely comfortable seating, the crisp decor of white, mustard, and olive green in the lounge, and rich patterned wallpaper of the small and cosy cocktail bar.

Another innovation is the internal bell set up for the convenience of patrons of the nearby Clydebank Repertory Theatre. “We’ve always had close associations with the Rep. Company,” explained Miss Bayne. “Both the audience and the actors are regulars so are the local football supporters.”

Whatever happened to those goldfish?

“Well,” said Mr Stewart, “I just went out and bought a fish tank, put it on top of the bar counter, poured the gwhich read “Fishing to-night.”