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Old Glasgow Pubs

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City Centre Pubs

Donnelly’s Tavern

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88 Trongate, Glasgow. Demolished.

Drawing of Donnelly's Tavern 88 Trongate
Donnelly’s Tavern.

Thanks to the Mitchell Library.

Sir John Moore (1761-1809), son of the physician John Moore (1729-1802), was born in this three-storey tenement, Donald’s Land, opposite the Tron Steeple in Trongate. The family moved to Dunlop Street c 1771. Sir John became a national hero following his death fighting against the French at the Battle of Corunna during the Peninsular Wars in 1809.
The building was subsequently occupied by a shoe shop and Donnelly’s Tavern and Billiard Rooms. It is depicted in this engraving during its demolition in 1855. Thanks to the Mitchell Library.

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END.

Directors Box

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214 Hope Street, Glasgow. G2 3PS. Demolished.

Image of the Directors Box bar Hope Street, Glasgow 1980s
Directors Box. 1980s.

This old City Centre Bar stood at the corner of Hope Street and Renfrew Lane.

There has been licensed premises on this site since 1850. Over the years many publicans, wine and spirit merchants and restaurateurs have made lots of money from this once popular establishment including William Haddow, wholesale and retail wine & spirit merchant, and tea merchant. Mr Haddow lived at 212 Hope Street. Another well known proprietor was Thomas Galloway who took over in 1881. Mr Galloway also had premises at 156 Cowcaddens, 367 New City Road, 9-11 Sauchiehall Street. By 1919 he had no less than seven establishments in the city.

In 1921 Thomas Galloway sold up and the new license holder was John L Kelly. Mr Kelly help the license for ten years then publican John M Henderson took over. John held the license until the 1960s. Many will still remember William Crawley one of the last licensees’ for these premises.

Other names this old pub has been known as “The Savoy Bar” and “Galloway’s.”

email from Norrie Mcnamee…

Norrie Mcnamee has identified this pub, he went on to say ” the pub sat on Hope Street just around the corner of Renfrew Street Post Office, right across from the Savoy Cinema (later the Majestic Ballroom.) Right hand side off Hope Street between Renfrew Street and Sauchiehall Street.”

Do you remember this old pub? If so please leave a comment.

Denholms Bar

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17 Hope Street, Glasgow. G2 6AB. Tel: 0141 221 3016.

Image of Denholms Bar Hope Street Glasgow 1991
Denholms Bar. 1991.

Names after the Denholm family of publicans. To read more on the history of this pub watch out for Glasgow Pubs & Publicans volume 2.

Image of the inside of Denholms Bar Hope Street 2008
Denholms Bar interior. 2008.

Image of the lounge downstairs in Denholms Bar Hope Street 2008
The downstairs Lounge. 2008.

Image of Denholms Bar Hope Street 2008
Denholms Bar. 2008.

Image of Denholms Bar Hope Street 2011
Denholms Bar. 2011.

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

Crystal Palace

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36 Jamaica Street, Glasgow. G1 4QD. Tel: 0141 221 2624.

Image of Crystal Palace Jamaica Street Glasgow 2007
Crystal Palace. 2007.

Crystal Palace website.

The Crystal Palace opened in August 2000.

This pub is something of an architectural landmark. Designed by John Baird, its iron and glass construction was inspired by Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, a huge greenhouse-like building, the centrepiece of the Great Exhibition of 1851. It was built during 1855–1856 to the designs of John Baird, who had used an exposed iron frame as early as 1827 in the hammerbeam roof of the nearby Argyll Arcade.

Image of J D Wetherspoon's Crystal Palace 36 Jamaica Street Glasgow
Crystal Palace. 2007.

The iron and glass structure of the building now occupied by this J.D. Wetherspoon free house “The Crystal Palace” was inspired by Joseph Paxton’s famous Crystal Palace.
A pioneering departure from traditional building methods, the Crystal Palace was a huge greenhouse-like building, with over a quarter of a million paned of glass. The centre-piece of the Great Exhibition of 1851, it was 600 yards long and tall enough to enclose the mature trees of London’s Hyde Park.

Joseph Paxton was head gardener to the Duke of Devonshire at Chatsworth in Derbyshire. In the late 1830s, he designed a glasshouse at Chatsworth using ideas later incorporated in his Crystal Palace.

Iron framing had been used to construct fireproof factories since the late 1700s. Not long afterwards, English glassmakers adopted French technological innovation, and by the 1840s, large sheets of plate glass could be made. Paxton’s inspiration was to combine the two ideas into a structural whole.
The success of Paxton’s Crystal Palace earned him a knighthood, and £5,000 from the profits of the Exhibition. He later became MP for Coventry. Paxton also designed Glasgow’s West End Park – better known as Kelvingrove Park – and advised the layout of Queen’s Park.

Do you remember any of the old pubs on Jamaica Street? If so please leave a comment.

Do you have any memories of the Crystal Palace? If so please leave a comment.