Pollokshaws Road

190 Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow. G41 1PS. Demolished.

The Club Bar, 190 Pollokshaws Road corner of Elgin Street.

The Club Bar sat at the corner of Pollokshaws Road and Elgin Street later Turriff Street.

In the early part of the 1900s Pollokshaws Road and nearby Eglinton Street was a great thoroughfare for shopping and a nice place for dwelling housing. The street were also well stocked with public houses.

The history of the Club Bar can be traced back to 1861 when Spirit Merchant James Vance was granted a licence to sell wine and spirits. The tenement building on which the pub was situated was called the Rosebank buildings.

Mr Vance lived in the close next door to the pub above with his wife and children. James only had this pub for a short while and the pub was then owned by Donald Currie in 1865.

Donald Currie was a Wine & Spirit Merchant, residing at 161 Cumberland Street in the Gorbals, before moving to better accommodation five years later to 20 Salisbury Street, then to 48 McKinlay Street by 1880.

Donald continued to serve the locals until 1884.

In 1885 Thomas N Reid then took control of the pub, Thomas had the pub for a few years and sold up in 1890. Mr Reid was living at 5 Lilybank Street.

The pub lay empty for two years before Mrs Elizabeth Anderson took over the running of thew pub. She was also a Wine and Spirit Merchant living at 93 London Street before moving to 227 Hospital Street in the Gorbals. Elizabeth used to run a pub at 11 Back Wynd just off the Trongate before taking over the Club Bar.

Mrs Anderson again only had the pub for a few years and sold up in 1894.

The next licensee was a Wine and Spirit Merchant called James McCorry.

When Mr James McCorry took over the Club Bar he redecorated the pub inside and out. As you walked into the establishment to the right on entering, was a long semi-circular bar, running the full length of the interior, right facing you was the well stocked gantry with various blends of Scotch Whisky, Liquors, Sherries, Bass Ale, Guinness Stout and the “Club special” old Scotch Whisky.

The woodwork looked bright and well varnished, the roof and walls were covered with Japanese Wallpaper. Beautiful mirrors around the walls with such names as “Roderick Dhu”, the “Premier” and “Bass made the bar look larger that it was and gave a bright feel to the place as the light came through the large windows.

The sitting rooms were neatly finished and upholstered with stained glass windows with good ventilation. In the winter months each sitting room had a large glowing fireplace.

Underneath the pub there was ample room for cool cellarage with a beer raising machine at work to send the liquor up the the bar counter.

James McCorry gained his knowledge in the Wine and Spirit trade in Dunoon, where his mother carried on business for many years. He came to Glasgow and joined the staff and services of William Morton, 21-23 Dixon Ave, Crosshill, the Old Queen’s Park Bar.

James worked in the Queen’s Park Bar, for 6 years, where he gained both the goodwill of his employer and the patrons of that well-known establishment. On leaving the pub he received a handsome gold Albert and pendant bearing the following:- “Presented to James McCorry by the employees and customers of William Morton Esq., and friends, 1894”.

About a year after leaving he was charge hand of the Empire Vaults in West Nile Street, now the Iron Horse.

When the pub on Pollokshaws Road came onto the market, James was determined to embrace the opportunity to strike out for himself and got the licence. James had very few hobbies and found no time to attach himself to any of the incorporated bodies, he spent all his time in the pub.

After James McCorry, Thomas Foote was now the owner.

In 1898 Thomas Foote obtained the licence and lived at Laura Cottage, Cumbernauld Road and also ran a pub at 220 Castle Street. In 1899 Thomas paid an annual rent of £34. He continued to run the pub until 1928.

In the 1930s licensee’s John Shearer, Murdo Maciver and John Donovan ran the pub.

In the 1940s Alexander W Douglas was licensee, when he passed away his wife Eileen took over in the 1950s trading under the title of A W Douglas & Son Ltd. Eileen was still licensee in the 1970s. The pub was then known as the Glen Bar. It was demolished in the early 1980s.

Thanks to Bob Grisly, Flickr for the image of the Glen Bar.

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

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