Argyle Street Pubs

The Popes Eye Tavern

March 15, 2017 by John Gorevan 2 Comments

31 Argyle Street, Glasgow.

Mr Walter Coombs proprietor of the Popes Eye Tavern. 1895.

Walter Coombs took over the Pope Eye Tavern in 1895.

To read more on the history of the Pope Eye Tavern keep an eye out for our second book here.

In 1902 Mr Coombs took over the popular Borgie Rest, Main Street, Cambuslang.

The Borgie Rest on the right with the Swiss Rest and the Athletic Bar.

Walter had a special blend of old Scotch Whisky called “The Borgie” There is also an area called the Borgie in Cambuslang. Walter lived out here at Walter Bank house, Bushyhill. He was a keen Freemason and a member of the Order Oddfellow Manchester Unity, a steward in Lodge Commercial and a keen golfer.

Mr Walter Coombs. 1903.

Another view of the Borgie Rest which is on the left. Note the tram which is full of people.

The Borgie Rest on the right.

In the NEWS…

The Borgie Rest tenanted by Walter Coombs, proprietor of the Pope’s Eye has been entered by burglars. Admittance had been secured from the neighbouring close, by removing part of the brick partition, a most dangerous proceeding since there are 2 flats of dwellings above, and the shop is situated in the main street. About one hundred yards from the police station. A sum of 30/- was abstracted from the drawer, the rest of the cash having been removed to the safe, while a quantity of whisky and drinkables were stolen. The thieves out of revenge turned on every available tap, with the result that fully £1000 worth of stock was wantonly destroyed. The premises were unfortunately uninsured against burglary.

With thanks to L Fisher, Glasgow for sending us this photo of a whisky flagon that says ‘With Christmas Greetings from Walter Coombs. Pope’s Eye and Borgie Rest. Glasgow & Cambuslang’

Do you have any information about the Borgie Rest or the Athletic Vaults? If so please get in touch.

The Festival Bar & Lounge

January 16, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

358 Argyle Street, Glasgow. G2. Demolished.

The Festival Bar, 1991.

There has been a pub on this site since 1852.

Many names have adorned the doorway such as the Chiltern 100, Alpen Lodge, the Glen Bar, the Glen Leven, Sylvester’s the Edinburgh Bar and the Tyrol. For further reading on the full history of this pub click here.

The Tyrol Bar. 1971.

In the News 1971…

If a holiday on the Tyrol is beyond the budget this year you could do worse than pop into Scottish and Newcastle Breweries newest Glasgow pub to sample their typical Bavarian atmosphere.

The Tyrol is in Argyle Street, it used to be known as the Glen Bar, and just round the corner from the new bus station, so whether you’ve just stepped off a bus after a tiring journey or you’ve a few minutes to wait before you leave the Tyrol is a convenient rendezvous to know about.

Completely renovated, the old bar had been given a strong Alpine influence and now incorporates a lounge called Die Schussel (the food bowl) and a cellar bar known as Das Keller. The lounge bar, which is at ground level has attractive German design carpeting in shades of red and brown. The walls are of white texture and contrast pleasantly with the dark-stained wood which has been used to give the lounge the atmosphere of an Alpine lodge.

Decorative blue tiles have been used in the food service area. The main eye-catching feature in the lounge is a coloured leather mural behind the gantry. It was made by Andrew Barr, of Haddington, and depicts an Alpine folk scene.

Tyrol, thanks to photographer James Green for this wonderful image 1979.

Down in the cellar bar great use has been made of panels of colour against a white plaster wall. The floor is paved with ceramic tiling and there are shaped simulated pillars with white plaster beams. On the wall facing the bar typical Germanic “sayings” have been painted in Gothic style.

Possibly the greatest attraction of all, however, and especially when word gets around, will be the delicious food served both in the lounge and the cellar. In the lounge there are wine decanters on every table and you choose your own steaks or salads from the refrigerated showcase. There’s trout, gammon steaks, smoked ell salad, smoked salmon salad, coleslaw, salad, mouth watering yet? There’s a full grill menu as well as Danish and open sandwiches.

If you’re in a bit of a rush and don’t have time for a full-scale meal there’s a quicker service in the cellar. It’s more on help-your-self lines and there will be a dish of the day and a selection of salads, all priced around the 20-25p mark. Manager of the Tyrol is David Barsanti.

Other Glen Leven Bar’s, 40 Broomielaw and 149-151 Oxford Street.

The Duke of Wellington

January 8, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

316 Argyle Street, Glasgow. G2. Closed Down.

Duke of Wellington Argyle Street 1991 — Duke of Wellington, 1991.

There has been licensed premises on this site since 1844, the owner was then Thomas Glasgow trading as a spirit dealer, over the next few years it was trading as a Tavern keeper, spirit merchants, pastry bakers. When the old tavern was demolished a new licensed premises was built on the same site.

Well-known wine & spirit merchants to hold the licence were Alex Stewart, James Erskine, John Strathern, Henry Kerr, and Francis Mooney.

In the beginning of the 1900s John Strathern owned this pub, he was also proprietor of pubs in St. Vincent Street and Caledonia Road in the Gorbals.

This old pub has been closed for years now.

In the News 1971…

Anyone got a spare pianola in his attic? If so Mr Harris Park, manager of the Duke of Wellington at 316 Argyle Street, Glasgow, would like to hear from him. Mr Harris has experimented with live entertainment in his lounge, but not with a great deal of success, probably because the place is unsuited to it.

He feels, however, that a pianola would fit in perfectly with the atmosphere at the Duke of Wellington. He promises to make sure the instrument is really well looked after and will be returned to the owner on request. Over and above that he is willing to pay up to £1 a week for the use of it.

Pianolas were a tremendous vogue at one time, so there must be plenty of them about gathering dust. If anyone wants to make some money out of his, now is the chance. But, please… don’t write to me about it. Get in touch with Mr. Park at any time during licensing hours. He will be more than delighted to hear from you.

Facts:

Licensees’

1844 Thomas Glasgow. Spirit Dealer.

1851 Alexander Rigg. Tavern Keeper.

1854 Archibald Torrance. Spirit Merchant.

1860 Mrs Torrance.

1865 William Coventry. Pastry Baker.

1869 John Wark. Pastry Baker & Spirit Merchant.

1893 Alex. Stewart.

1895 James Erskine. Spirit Merchant & Pastry Baker.

1899 John Strathern. Wine & Spirit Merchant.

1905 Henry Kerr. Wine Merchant.

1922 Francis Mooney. Wine & Spirit Merchant.

1929 William A Smith.

1931 Charles Walker. Wine Merchant.

1937 Gilbert Watson.

1950 Charles Aitchison Craig. Manager for Train & McIntyre Ltd.

1960 James Wharry.

1968 John C Carrick.

1971 Harris Park. Manager.

Do you remember this old pub, if so please leave a comment.

END.

The Driftwood. The Crescent.

January 8, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

1102-1106 Argyle Street, Glasgow. G3 8TD. Tel: 0141 339 9555.

Exterior image of the Driftwood Bar Argyle Street 1991 — Driftwood Bar, 1991.

This part of Argyle Street was formerly called Dumbarton Road.

From 1882 till just after the First World War, wine & spirit Merchant Archibald Cameron was landlord, Mr Cameron resided at 220 Dumbarton Road which was next door to his public houses. Archibald also owned pubs in Cheapside Street and Stobcross Street. In 1887 the pub had an overhaul just in time for the great Exhibition of 1888. Mr Cameron had a special blend of old well matured Scotch whisky called “Royal Charlie.”

Many will still remember Billy Maxwell one of the many publican’s to run the pub.

This well established pub is now called Maxwell’s. 2006.

To read the full history of this popular bar you will hgave to wait for Volume 2 of Glasgow Pubs and Publicans.

Exterior image of minus 54 bar Argyle Street 2007 — 54 Below, 2007.

The pub is now called 54 Below. 2007.

Exterior image of the sign for Minus 54 bar, Argyle Street 2007. — 54 Below sign, 2007.

Bar Grill sign outside 54 Below.

Update 2015…

The pub has had another name change, it had been called the Distill for some time now.

Distill 2015.

Update 2019…

The pub had yet another refurb and is now called The Crescent Bar an old name that the pub had in the 1960s.

Exterior view of The Crescent Bar Argyle Street 2018 — The Crescent, during refurb 2018.

Do you have anything to add to this pub? If so please leave a comment.

END.

Grant Arms

January 8, 2017 by John Gorevan 2 Comments

188-190 Argyle Street, Glasgow. G2 8HA. Tel: 0141 229 5831.

Image of Grant Arms Argyle Street, Glasgow 1991 — Grant Arms. 1991.

You haven’t read the full history of this pub until you read…. Click here.

There has been a public house on this site since 1864.

Over the years this old pubs has been known as Thomas Cansh & Co; R. W. Cairns; Chrystal Bell & Co; The Grant Arms; Gamps and Dickens Bar; Mister Macawber and back to the Grant Arms.

Image of Da Vincis Argyle Street 1980s — Da Vincis. 1980s.

Image of Grant Arms Argyle Street, Glasgow 2008 — Grant Arms. 2008.

In 1971 this popular bar was called Gamps.

In the News 1971…

Dickensian Flavour.

I am always baffled by people who say there is “nowhere to go for a drink and a good meal” in Glasgow. It seems to me that I write about at least 20 a year.

Some of them I admit, have just been given a wash and brush up or extension, or extensions, but many are new, and all of them offer a pretty extensive range of surroundings, atmospheres, and cuisine to the Glasgow diner. This evening yet another rendezvous opens its doors to a discerning public, Gamp’s Chophouse in Argyle Street, just within the shadows of the Heilan’man’s Umbrella. It is a Clydesdale Commonwealth, Hotels Ltd, enterprise, and has been opened at a total cost of around £70,000.

Image of Gamps Argyle Street Glasgow — Gamps. 1971.

Gamp’s formerly Grant’s Bar. 1971.

Clydesdale Commonwealth are taking their first steps into the bar/ restaurant business, having been extremely successful in the Hotel line. They have 18 hotels in Scotland and two in Bermuda. Among those in Glasgow are the Royal Stuart, the Ivanhoe and the Bath, and their others are in Edinburgh, Dundee, Falkirk, Grangemouth, Inverness, Loch Lomond, Oban, Gatehouse-of-fleet, North Berwick, Nairn and Argyll.

The new combination, Gamp’s, takes its name from a character in Dickens’s “Martin Chuzzlewit,” and there is a Dickensian flavour throughout. The Bars, a Dickens bar on the ground floor and the Parlour on the first floor, are similar in design and decor. The restaurant is on the top floor and seats about 50. Head chef is Edward McIntosh, who comes to Gamp’s from the company’s Nairn hotel. It is he who will have the delightful task of supervising the operation of two of the very latest pieces of kitchen equipment, micro convectors.

Advert from 1971 for Gamps Argyle Street, Glasgow — Advert 1971.

Speciality from the menu is a trifle lamb chop roasted with crushed pepper corns and served with onion sauce, chips, new or roast potatoes, and salad garnish. Price is 95p. Manager of the Gamp’s is John Whincup, who hails from Yorkshire, but who has been manager of the company’s Nairn hotel for some time.

In the News 1972…

Image of an advert from 1972 for Gamps Argyle Street, Glasgow — Advert 1972.

In the NEWS 1978…

Mister Micawber’s, the Glasgow brewery-owned pub slammed at yesterday’s licensing board, today banned the public from its lounge bar.

The Argyle Street bar was one of only a handful of pubs refused an all-day licence by the board because it had fallen foul of the Public Health Act on 13 counts.

Health officials complained about faults in the toilets of both the public and lounge bar such as a door lying off its hinges, a leaking cistern, and broken tiles behind the urinals.

But any changes of the public judging for themselves the state of the lounge bar toilets at the Tennent Caledonian pub were thwarted today when management decided not to open the lounge.

Reason given for the sudden closure was “staff shortage.”

Cleaners

Meanwhile downstairs in the public bar cleaners were busy as the first customers of the day came in to ensure the place was spick and span.

However the effect was spoiled by gang names paint sprayed on the wall outside the gents’ toilet, tiles missing from behind the urinals, and toilet paper holders and towel holders missing.

Despite the 15 counts against Micawber’s, customers pointed out that the toilets were a lot cleaner than many pubs in the city and a least soap and toilet paper were available. Staff said today they had not yet heard from Tennent Caledonian why the pub had been refused an all-day licence.

Delay

Said Mr Aitken, the firm’s commercial manager, “The people who deal with the press and that kind of thing are on holiday.” The start of today’s licensing board meeting was delayed for nearly two hours because the board did not have sufficient members to form a quorum.

After a series of telephone calls to councillors, some of whom were on holiday, a sufficient member was found.

Board chairman Councillor Philip O’;Rourke said, “We deeply regret this delay but it is understandable because of the pressure the board is under. The board are hearing the latest batch of applications for afternoon extensions in city pubs and hotels.

Facts…

Gamps is an old nickname for an umbrella.

Gamps was a character in Martin Chuzzlewit, who never went anywhere without her brolly.

Do you have any memories of this old Pub? If so please leave a comment.

END.

College Corner Bar & Radisson

January 2, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

301 Argyle Street, Glasgow. G1 4PL. Tel: 0141 204 3333.

Image of the Collage Bar & Radisson 2008 — Collage Bar. 2008.

The Collage Corner Bar & Radisson is part of the Radisson Blu Hotel at the corner of Argyle Street and Oswald Street.

Enjoy a tasty bite or delicious drink at Collage Corner Bar. There’s plenty to grab your attention – from the rattle of a cocktail shaker, to great music and live sports on the screen.
OPENING HOURS

17:00 – Late (Thu – Sat)

Image of the Collage Corner Bar Argyle Street & Radisson 2008 — Collage Corner Bar. 2008.

You can get to their facebook page here.

Do you have any memories of the Collage Corner Bar? If so please leave a comment.