David Hamilton

41 Brandon Street, Glasgow.

The Brandon Bar. 1960s.

Note the name above the door “Elena” she was the licensee, Elena Breen.

The Brandon Bar was situated at the corner of Brandon Street and Annfield Street in the east end of the city.

In 1868 David Hamilton purchased a piece of ground on Annfield Street and erected buildings expressly for the licensed trade. The frontage of the business was in Annfield Street where the buildings were of two storeys, exclusive of a sunk flat. On going through the main entrance there was a spacious rectangular court yard surrounded on three sides by business premises and on the other by a high wall, which separated it from a range of four storey buildings in Brandon Street also the property of Mr Hamilton.

Mr David Hamilton. 1887.

Shortly after this drawing was done Mr David Hamilton passed away.

The cellarage was massive in size, extending under the court yard and the entire premises. There were no obstructions except the buttresses which support the superstructure and the numerous recesses which these necessitate were all occupied with gantries on which were stored hogs-heads of beer and porter, from the leading brewers of Burton on Trent and Scotland as well as London and Dublin stout.

The cellars were huge with ten feet tall walls, the bottling of ale and beer was accomplished by one man who filled the bottles, another corked them, a third supplied the empties and removed the filled bottles and the fourth attached the labels. By this method two dozen bottles per minute were ready to be stored.

The aerated water department was very spacious, with a large output of lemonade and soda-water, sarsaparilla, seltzer and potash. In this department the driving power was obtained by an engine of eight horse power. The counting house another large room had large advertising show cards and calendars on the walls, next to the office was the wine store, where brandies wines and spirits were kept in bulk ready for dispatch. This pub started life as a wholesale wine, spirit and malt liquor trade. Mr Hamilton lived at Annfield Lodge, Birkinshaw, near Uddingston.

In 1885 the Brandon Street building was transformed into a full licensed premises, occupied by David Baxter, he also had premises at 262 Rutherglen Road and 220 Pollokshaws Road,south side. His wife took control of the business in 1887 and sold the business In 1914 Archibald Ferguson, she continued as licensee for the Rutherglen pub. Archibald struggled in this old pub during the war years.

George F Todd another well known licensee for the premises also had licence’s for pubs on London Road the old Railway Bar, Albion Street and West Campbell Street. George was secretary of the Trading as Improved Public Houses Scotland Ltd.

On 11 March 1953 Television Sets were allowed in Glasgow Pubs for the first time.

Glasgow Public House owners can, if they wish, install television sets in their premises, it was announced yesterday by the Glasgow Licensing Courts. But they must adhere to three conditions, that the sets be installed in rooms approved by the Chief Constable and not in Public Bars, that normal lighting be retained in the rooms, and that the sets be under the control of the licensee or his staff.
Two former Scottish Footballers, Torrance Gillick and Douglas Gray, were granted Public House licences by the court- Gillick for premises at 41 Brandon Street, and Gray for premises at 464 Paisley Road.
Glasgow has now one public house and two licensed grocer shops fewer than last year. The number of licensed premises in the city is 1350- 1068 Public Houses, 246 Licensed Grocers, two wholesale dealers in Spirits, Wines and Beers.

Torrance Gillick “Torry” born in 1915 died Dec 1971.

Torrance played on the wing for Rangers, Everton and Partick Thistle Football Clubs. Born in Airdrie, Gillick signed in 1933 at the age of 18, for Rangers, by manager Bill Struth. After playing for prominent Glasgow junior club Petershill F.C., he won Scottish cup winners medal in 1935, and that summer was sold to Everton for, then a record fee for the Club £8000, he stayed on at Merseyside until the Second World War. After the war he went back to Rangers, during that time earned 5 Scottish Caps, league Championship medals in 1939.

Gillick left Rangers for Partick Thistle in Aug 1951, he played one season with the Jag’s before retiring to oversee his business interest a Lanarkshire Scrap Metal Firm, and Public House at Brandon Street. Torrance passed away 12th Dec 1971, on the same day as fellow Rangers player Alan Morton.

In 1960 Elena McFadyen Breen was licensee in the Brandon Bar, the last holder of the certificate was James Gallagher, the pub was demolished in the 1970s.

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