Henderson, Robert

Wine & Spirit Merchant, 288 Duke Street, Glasgow.

Mr Robert Henderson. 1891.

Mr Henderson’s public house stood at the corner of 288 Duke Street and 110 Bellgrove Street.

Robert Henderson was born in Kilmarnock, as soon as he left school at an early age he worked deep down in the mines in the area. Robert continued to work in the pits until he was married. Mr & Mrs Henderson moved to Ayr with their life savings and opened a small grocers shop. Business prospered and they moved to Jamestown in Dumbarton, near the foot of Ben Lomond, where they conducted both a public house and a general store for 8 years before coming to Glasgow. In 1871 Robert took over the Exhibition Vaults at the corner of Bellgrove and Duke Street. He was also an inventor and patented a beer raising machine which he used in this massive pub.

Elijah Trueman public house on the right hand side of the image.

When Buffalo Bill and his Wild West show came to the East End of Glasgow they attracted thousands of new customers to the pub. The show created more business for all the pubs in the area. This meant more staff had to be employed and double the usual stock had to be ordered. Roberts’s blend of Scotch whisky called “Dobbies” was very popular not only to the customers in the East End but by Buffalo Bill and his Indians who frequently asked for a half. Robert had another pub in Bernard Street, Bridgeton called the Queen Mary Wine & Spirit Vaults which he acquired in 1883, in 1891 his son William ran this pub. This old pub was later known as Tony’s Bar. Mr Henderson opened a small photographic studio in Bellgrove Street in partnership with Gavin Ellis, publican of the Auld Hoose, Gallowgate.

In 1889 John P McLellan bar tender joined the staff at the Exhibition Bar, Mr Henderson spoke very highly of Johnnie who had twenty years experience in the trade.

Bar Tender Mr John P McLellan. 1891.

In 1896 Elijah Trueman took over the pub which stayed in the family until the 1920s. Isabella Trueman took over the licence in 1918 and was the last to hold the certificate, the pub closed down a few years later.

Elijah Trueman.