147 Main Street, Bridgeton, Glasgow.

This old pub was also known as the Internation Bar.

Main Street in Bridgeton was once a great shopping area in the East End of the City. Pub too were plentiful, and at one time there was 27 Public Houses on Main Street alone.

There has been a pub on this site since 1866. The licensee was a gentleman called Thomas McGibbon. The owners of the pub was a very old business called “The Bridgeton Old Victualling and Baking Society Ltd. Thomas wasn’t new to this kind of work as he moved from 98 Main Street where the Old Victualling & Baking Society had their premises before moving to 147 Main Street.

Thomas McGibbon was manager and licence holder for two premises on Main Street 98 and 102, Thomas lived at 51 Franklin Street with his family before moving to better accommodation at 117 Greenhead Street.

When Mr Thomas McGibbon passed away his friend Robert Muirhead took over as licensee and manager of the O.V & B. S. Mr Muirhead ran the pub from 1875 to around 1880

Over the years many licensees ran this old pub including after Robert Muirhead, Robert Dawson, he only held the licence for a few years, then John M Derby took over from 1884 to the early 1900. John paid an annual rent of £69 10/- (shillings).

John Aitken from 1910 until 1919. John Aitken was treasurer for the Bridgeton Old Victualling & Baking Society Ltd. John Proctor was next on line to hold the certificate. John held this position until 1935.

Terence McGowan 1937 to the 1950s. And one of the last licensees was popular publican Hugh Bonner. Working for Mr Bonner was Pat O’Donnell and Ben McGreevy.

Mr Hugh Bonner.

More on the history of the Bridgeton Old Victualling & Baking Society Ltd, the Society was established in 1816 in Main Street Bridgeton and was known as the New Victualling Society. In 1825 Robert Issac was manager of the Victualling Society and purchaser.

The Baking Society was also in Main Street and 8 Well Street, Calton. The Bridgeton Union Victualling Society, the Friendly Victualling Society, the Operative Victualling Society, the Bridgeton Victualling Society.

By the 1840s, Alexander Campbell was manager of the Bridgeton Victualling Society, John Frame was the purchaser for the Bridgeton Victualling Society at Peebles Land, Main Street Bridgeton, The Friendly Victualling Society was run by Robert Morrison and the Operative Victualling Society was run by David Alexander. As time when on all the Societies merged together.

In the Recollections of Bridgeton by William Guthrie, mentioned three the the licence holders of the pub at 147 Main Street. Mr Guthrie stated that…

“There was a grocer’s shop opposite Rumford Street, owned by Mr McGregor. When he gave it up it was occupied by a company of printers. McDonald, McGibbon and Muirhead. The first named Hugh McDonald, the Rambler, who was appointed shopkeeper. These were all intimate friends of the writer.

This venture was unsuccessful and the partners came to grief. I believe if McGibbon has been appointed manager it would have been a success, as he afterwards became manager of the Bridgeton Old Victualling & Baking Society, and made it a prosperous concern.

When he died, Mr Muirhead followed in the same management, and this concern is still flourishing under the direction of working men and Mr Dawson, an expert salesman, with assistants.”

Hugh McDonald the Glasgow Rambler (1817-1860) was a popular author of publication as “Ramblers round Glasgow” and “Days at the coast.”