Samuel Dow's

Wintersgills. ( Andros Bar.)

March 22, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

226 Great Western Road, Glasgow, G4 9EJ. Tel: 0141 332 3532.

Wintersgills. 1991.

This was originally Samuel Dow’s establishment. To read the full history, check back soon for our second book.

Many will still remember this old pub as the Andros Bar, during the 1970s.

Samuel Dow’s old pub, 1939.

Samuel Dow, Great Western Road, 1936.

Samuel Dow, Great Western Road 1936.

Celtic fame Jim Brogan owned this pub, he now owned the Victoria Bar, Kilmarnock Road in the south side of the city.

In the News 1974…

Over goes this massive pile of coins collected by the customers of the Andros Bar, 266 Great Western Road, Glasgow.

Pushing them over is Ronnie Glavin, captain of Patrick Thistle F.C., ; second from the left. The picture also includes Mr. Andrew Ross, licensee of the Andros (right of pillar), and next to him Mr. P. McAllister, manager.

The amount of money in the pile, £333.18, goes to boost the Sick Children’s Outing organised by Glasgow taxi drivers. 1974.

In the NEWS 1976…

Andros Bar, Great Western Road, breaks a world record.

Pile of Pennies breaks a world record.

The pile of coins represents more than £1,181 and standing delightedly on the counter (which had to be specially shored up to take the weight of money) is the Andros Bar, manager Pat McAllister.

A Glasgow public house has broken into the Guinness Book of Records with a massive 8ft. high pile of coins weighing 8cw. and amounting to £1,181 68p, a world record. Previous record in the Guinness Book of Records was for £1,100 22p, in 1973.

The pile was built up over a period of 50 weeks in the Andros Bar of Mr. Andrew Ross, 226 Great Western Road, by manager Pat McAllister. The bulk of the money was donated in 2p coins by patrons, with Mr. McAllister’s wife doing most of the collecting. The staff of 16 also helped by donating their tips.

The money has gone to the Glasgow Taxi Men’s Sick Children’s Outing Fund, by whom the Andros Bar has been presented with a silver cup, with a personal trophy for the owner and the manager.

The toppling over ceremony was performed by TV personality Bill Tennent. After the ceremony a group of 60 invited guests, including many customers, were entertained to a meal and refreshments by Mr. Ross. Included among the guests were Mr. Jack Baillie, area sales manager, Guinness; Mr. George Brown, area representative, Guinness; Mr. Andrew Bell, Glasgow manager, John Walker and sons; and Mr. Malcolm Fraser, area manager, Tennent Caledonian Breweries.

In beating the record, Andros Bar did so within a stipulated period, one calendar year. There had been no stipulated period for the previous record, in 1976.

Facts…

Also see Dow’s other establishments,

Dundas Street, Nithsdale Road, Kilmarnock Road, Mitchell Street.

Also see Old Canteen Bar, Gallowgate.

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

END.

Samuel Dow’s.

January 8, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

Mitchell Street, Glasgow. Closed Down.

Exterior view of Samuel Dow's Mitchell Street 1990 — Samuel Dow, Mitchell Street, 1990.

Samuel Dow’s. 1990.

To read the full history of Samuel Dow and his empire of public houses, check the website store for my second book.

Exterior view of a great fire in Mitchell Street with Samuel Dow's premises 1892 — Great Fire, 1892.

Samuel Dow’s premises after the great fire.

In the News 1970…

New Drive On Hotel And Restaurant Fronts By Dow’s.

All set and rarin’ to go. That’s the attitude of the staff of Samuel Dow, Ltd., 242 Clyde Street, Glasgow, as they prepared to move into the hotel and restaurant businesses in an even bigger way.

The company had appointed three bright salesmen, Jim Snowie, Bill Macrae, and Duncan McFarlane, who will call exclusively on the hotel and restaurant trade from now on.

Mt Snowie, from his home in Aberdeen, will operate in Inverness, Cromarty, Sutherland, Caithness, Banff, Moray and Nairn, Perthshire, Angus, Aberdeen, Kincardineshire, Orkney, and Shetland.

Mr Macrae, an Edinburgh man, will be calling on establishments in the Capital, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian, Fife, Clackmannanshire, Kinross, Peeblesshire, Selkirkshire, Roxburghshire and Berwickshire.

Mr McFarlane’s sphere of activity, from Glasgow, will include the northern, southern and central parts of the city, Ayrshire, Wigtownshire, Dumfrieshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Stirlingshire, Dumbartonshire and Argyll.

Left to right Mr W R Macrae, Mr D McFarlane and Mr J Snowie, salesmen with Samuel Dow, Ltd., Glasgow, and Mr Innes Ingram, director and general manager of the company, grouped round the statuette of Samuel McCalman or Dow, a West Highlander from Lochaber, who founded the business of Samuel Dow in the Bridgegate in 1807.

All three are particularly well qualified to deal with the specialised requirements of the hotel and restaurant trade and each of them has qualifications and is well experienced on the subject of table wine and the formulation of wine lists.

They will be working under the direction of Innes Ingram, previously sales director and now director and general manager of the company, who had personal experience of the hotel and restaurant trade.

He had nine years catering management experience before entering the wine trade in 1961. He was a first-prize graduate of the Scottish Hotel School and was awarded the Younger travelling scholarship. This took him to Bordeaux and really marked the start of his interest in wine. Since then he had travelled extensively in France and Portugal, and he had been since 1965 a Champagne Academician. He was also a past president of the Forty Nine Wine and Spirit Club of Scotland.

Dow’s were fully geared for their enterprise and circulated their new interim price-list to hotels and restaurants.

The company maintained extensive and well stocked cellars in Glasgow and this, in conjunction with their new group resources, is reflected in the new list in its comprehensive range of table wines, spirits and liqueurs.

Dow’s will operate their new distribution from Glasgow and promises a first-class service, coupled with expert advice to the trade.

In the NEWS 1978…

Interior view of Samuel Dow's premises with footballer Danny McGrain, 1978 — Danny McGrain pushing over coins, 1978.

Danny McGrain pushing over coins at Sammy Dows 1978.

It’s a Pushover for Danny McGrain…

No one ever called Danny McGrain a pushover before, but that’s exactly what the best full back in the world was today, writes Chick Young.

The Celtic idol was in action in Sammy Dow’s pub in the city’s Mitchell Street, pushing over a pile of 2p pieces that the regulars have been saving.

The money mountain will be going to help pay for a holiday for the kids from Milton children’s home in Bishopriggs. There was around £200 in the pile and the children wanted Danny to give it the big heave because he was such a smash-hit when he visited the home on Christmas Eve.

Said Danny, “All these coins remind me of the bloke who swallowed 2p. The doctor told him there was no change…

Update 2019…

Interior image of Samuel Dow's, Mitchell Street 1980s — Sammy Dow’s, Mitchell Street, 1980s

Exterior view of Samuel Dow's Mitchell Street 1960s — Samuel Dows, Mitchell Street, 1960s.

Also see Samuel Dow’s other premises…

Dundas Street, Great Western Road, Kilmarnock Road, Nithsdale Street.

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

END.

The Coronation Bar

January 2, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

570 Rutherglen Road, Gorbals, Glasgow. G5 0EW. Demolished.

Image of the Coronation Bar — Coronation Bar. 1960s.

There had been a public house on this sit since 1880. The first licensee was W Whyte & Co., wine and spirit merchants. Mr Whyte lived nearby at Louden Villa, Caledonia Road.

The business was taken over by Andrew McWilliam in 1885. Wine and Spirit Merchant Mr McWilliam ran a very successful business having five licensed premises including 4 Clyde Place, 16-18 Maxwell Street, 12 Bridge Street and 64 East Howard Street now just Howard Street.

Andrew McWilliam was part of a family of Wine and Spirit Merchants. The founder of the business was John & James McWilliam who had premises at 3a – 5 Stirling Street (now Blackfriar Street), many will know this popular bar as the Strathduie Bar. John and James traded under the title of J. & J. McWilliam.

James McWilliam was a prominent figure in the Scottish Licensed Trade he also owned another pub in West Street at the corner of 64 Clyde Place, and a licensed grocers business in Queen Street. Mr McWilliam was a member of the Parliamentary and Managing Committee of the Scottish Licensed Trade Defence Committee.

In 1899 the McWilliam family which included Alexander, Andrew, and James between them were in charge of 10 public houses., Alexander McWilliam was in charge of Samuel Dow’s public houses at 54-58 Mitchell Street, 1157-59 Pollokshaws Road at Kilmarnock Road and 226 Great Western Road.

Andrew McWilliam was licensee at 570 Rutherglen Road, 4 Clyde Place, 12 Bridge Street, 16-18 Maxwell Street and 64 East Howard Street.

James and John McWilliam had pubs at 1 West Street 64 Clyde Place and 3a-5 Stirling Street. James and John traded under the title of J & J McWilliam.

Andrew McWilliam owned some of the busiest pubs in the city including premises at 12 Bridge Street, 4 Clyde Place, 16-18 Maxwell Street, 18-22 Canon Street, 46 South Coburg Street, 382 Argyle Street and 64 East Howard Street.

The pub was taken over by Henry Reid in 1904. Henry Reid had a son William who became a partner in the business and traded as Henry Reid & Son, Henry also owned a pub at 16 Bridgeton Cross. William became one of the trustees and licensee of these premises when Henry passed away in 1911. William was also licensee for premises at 16 Bridgeton Cross. William continued in the these Gorbals premises until 1934.

Image close-up of Reid's Bar Rutherglen Road — Reid’s Bar.

Reid’s Bar, corner of 477 Caledonia Road and 570 Rutherglen Road. c 1912.

The licence was then taken over by Andrew Ross. Mr Ross was also trustee of Samuel Dow’s premises at 226 Great Western Road, 242 Clyde Street and his own pub at 160 Woodlands Road. Andrew Ross was living at Edenbank, 698 Clarkston Road, Netherlee. Andrew Ross gave up this pub just before the Second World War.

Matthew A McClure then took over. Matthew traded he until the 40s, followed by Alexander A McArthur.

One of the most well-known publicans from the 1960s was Donald A MacLean, he was licensee until the pub was pulled down by the City Council Redevelopment Scheme. Donald secured another pub 500 yards from the Coronation Bar and called it the Phoenix.

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

END.