West End

The Doublet

January 8, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

74 Park Road, Glasgow. G4 9JF. Tel: 0141 334 1982.

Exterior view of the Doublet 1991 — The Doublet, 1991.

A Doublet is a man’s short close-fitting padded jacket, commonly worn from the 14th to the 17th century.

The Doublet was opened in 1962, by partners Ossie Prosser and Mr Alexander Don. Mr Alistair Don son of Alexander now owners this very popular west end bar. Alistair is now a prominent figure in the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.

Alistair Don has been in the licensed trade for more than 40 years. He took over the Doublet from his father Alexander Don in 1974. Alexander who was for many years a representative of Dunn and Moore.

Image of Alexander Don. — Alexander Don.

Alistair retired from the trade at the age of 69 and sold the pub in 2016.

This was one of the first bars in Glasgow to sell real ale.

In the News…December 2011…

The Doublet Bar in Glasgow celebrated its 50th anniversary at the end of November, and proprietor Alistair Don celebrated with a party. Susan Young reports.

The Doublet on Park Road was described in The List recently as “probably Glasgow’s finest pub,” and when licensee Alistair Don pointed out the quote to one of his regulars the response was you can take out the word ‘probably’. Says Alistair, “90% of my customers are regulars.”
That was probably why tickets to The Doublet’s 50th birthday party became the hottest ticket in town. Because quite simply it’s not that big a pub …and everybody wanted to go. So much so that Herald diarist Tom Shields was rumoured to have put his ticket on eBay which at the time of writing was sitting at a bid of £42!
I’ve known Alistair for 20 years… in fact since I’ve started writing about the trade. And for a decade I was a regular in The Lounge at The Doublet – because I lived just round the corner. Now as anyone who knows the Doublet will tell you – it has the public bar regulars and Lounge regulars and never the twain shall meet. Its The Doublet phenomena. But the Lounge wasn’t always there.

Exterior view of the Doublet Bar Park Road 2015 — The Doublet, 2015.

Alistair explains, “Before it was turned into a pub it was an upholsterers and there was a joiners yard at the back. My old man Alec and Ossie Prosser bought The Doublet from a Mr Cameron, and they initially wanted to buy the flat upstairs to expand it. Because in the 60s the pub was a real party venue. It was mobbed. Eventually they bought the joiner’s yard at the back in 1971 and that’s when The Lounge opened.” He continues, “By that time my old man and Ossie owned a few pubs – including the Picador in Renfield Street, The Doublet in Faifley and one in Drumchapel.
Prior to owning pubs Alec Don was MD of G&C Moore which eventually became Dunn and Moore, and his role there was sales director. But his move into the pub industry obviously had a huge impact on Alistair. He says, “I had been studying dentistry but failed the orals… and started working in the Picador. And when my old man died in 1974 I took over his partnership in the business, and in 1984, we split the partnership up and I took The Doublet with my sister, who I later bought out.”
That was 27 years ago. And today his father would probably not see any significant changes. Alistair explains, “My customers don’t want me to change it. Obviously it’s been redecorated, but everything goes back in roughly the same place. The Doublet is quirky and popular so why change something that is not broken. Nothing really changes here including the staff that are great. I don’t believe in sticking them in uniforms, they all know the ethos here which is ‘the customer is right on most occasions.’ I believe in giving my customers the products they want and providing them with excellent service.”
I asked him what was his most memorable occasion in the licensed trade? He said, “I really enjoyed being President of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) and getting involved with fighting the smoking ban. It was a real eye-opener. “
It was John Waterson that got Alistair involved in the SLTA. Says Alistair, “I was working in the Picador and John had The Burns Howff and he came along and invited me to a local association meeting. There were only two of us there… me and him, at which point he made me a director!”

Alistair Don behind the Bar of the Doublet — Alistair Don 2015.

Through the SLTA Alistair made some good friends including the likes of Roy Grier, Raymond McCrudden, the late John McCann, Donald Clark, Michael McHugh, Paul Waterson or ‘PDW’ as Alistair calls him, Billy Gallagher and many more. He recalls, “These were the days when the SLTA conference was rowdy. There was always lots of debate, folk were passionate about their businesses and willing to stand up and fight for it. And at the annual dinner there were 300/400 folk. It’s changed days now!”
There have been a lot of changes in the trade over time, but one thing which Alistair does miss is the different reps that used to visit. He tells me, “We hardly see any reps now and I miss that. On a Friday we used to have a whole posse of them. Every whisky company had a rep, and we saw them all the time. Now the only person who visits weekly is our Belhaven rep David Adam.”
On the subject of Belhaven Alistair is effusive. “I’ve been dealing with Belhaven for 20 years now. They give a fantastic service and have a very courteous way of operating. My staff know their tele-sales staff by name and they have a great range of products.”
Although Alistair admits he is now semi-retired, in that he no longer serves behind the bar, but he still comes in every morning, and is happy to continue running the Pub Quiz, which he has been quizmaster at for 15 years. In fact the quiz is just as famous as the pub! Says Alistair, “I really enjoy it, it’s great fun.”
He also has been running a charity Breast Cancer 2000, which he set up with his late wife Doreen. The charity is well on its way to raising £1m which is a tremendous achievement. And earlier this year Alistair started dating the lovely Lynda who he met in The Doublet and with four of his own grandchildren and six belonging to Lynda, the Don has a very active life outside the pub too. He has also become an expert on where to eat with kids… his favourite place being Paperino’s. But he also enjoys dining a la deux at the Crabshakk and at the Italian Café.
I asked Alistair what the secret was behind The Doublet’s success and longevity and he said, “My customers and my staff… this pub is all about the people.”
Personally I think The Doublet’s success is down to Alistair and his unfailing good humour. His staff say he is fair and honest. He’s certainly got a great attitude, which is no doubt why he went as Sgt. Pepper to the 50th party… in skinny jeans! A sense of humour… definitely!

UPDATE…Nov 2015…

Alistair Don has sold the Doublet to Paul & Claire Butler. The duo currently run the Saramago Cafe Bar at the Centre for Contemporary Arts.

We at Old Glasgow Pubs wish Alistair all the best in the future.

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

END.

Dirty Dicks

January 8, 2017 by John Gorevan 2 Comments

175 Finnieston Street, Glasgow. G3 8HD. Demolished.

Image of Dirty Dicks bar 175 Finnieston Street dated 1938 — Dirty Dicks. 1938.

Dirty Dick’s was a favourite haunt with sailor’s. To read more on the history of this once popular bar you will need to wait until Glasgow Pubs and Publicans Volume 2 comes out.

There has been a public house on this site since 1853, Thomas Welch ran a small public house on this site until 1860.

There were no records for anyone trading after this until 1865 when well-known and respected wine and spirit merchant J & R McIntyre acquired a licence to sell wine and spirits from these premises which was a new tenement with a public house on the ground floor.

Brothers John and Ronald traded under the title of J & R McIntyre and was trading from 1863 from premises at 179 Main Street, 35 Kelvinhaugh Street, and 43 Richard Street before taking over the new premises at 175 Finnieston Street.

Image of Dirty Dicks Bar 175 Finnieston Street dated 1948 — Dirty Dicks. 1948.

The name of the pub then had J & R McIntyre above the door.

In 1870 John was living at 4 Gray Street just off Dumbarton Road while Ronald lived nearby at 9 Minerva Street. Ten years later the brothers had public houses at 50 Elderslie Street, 400 New City Road, 546 Dobbies Loan, 28 Burnside Street, 43 Richard Street, 49 Piccadilly Street, 35 Kelvinhaugh Street and stores at 16 Cranston Street.

In 1890 the brother were trading from 175 Finnieston Street, 179 Main Street, Cranstonhill, 50 Elderslie Street, 526 New City Road, 540 Dobbies Loan, 28 Burnside Street, 43 Richard Street, 49 Piccadilly Street and their offices still at 16 Cranston Street.

J & R McIntyre still traded after 1894 however the firm disposed on the Finnieston Street pub.

The next licensee was John H McLauchlin, John lived at 40 St Vincent Street and traded from Finnieston Street until the 1935.

From 1935 until the 1940s Patrick W McNulty was licensee, he also had a pub at 129 Oxford Street and resided at 87 Barnton Street, Carntyne, in Glasgow’s east end.

During the 1950s and 60s many will still remember James McLaughlan who owned the pub, he was the last licensee before the pub was demolished.

Image of Dirty Dicks bar 175 Finnieston Street dated 1955 — Dirty Dicks. 1955.

Thanks to Glasgow Museums for this great image of Dirty Dicks which was taken by Partick Camera Club.

Facts…

Licensees…

1960-50 James McLaughlan.

1940 Patrick W McNulty.

1930-1894 John H McLauchlin.

1894-65 J & R McIntyre.

1960-53 Thomas Welch.

Also see Ship Inn Bar, Kelvinhaugh Street.

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

Cottiers

January 2, 2017 by John Gorevan 1 Comment

93 Hyndland Street, Glasgow. G11. Tel: 0141 357 5827.

Image of Cottiers Hyndland Street — Cottiers. 2015

Cottier’s is located in the hall of the former Dowanhill United Presbyterian Church.

A Genius of a Place in the West End of Glasgow

Once a church, now a concert venue established 25 years ago in architect William Leiper’s acoustically refined 1865 hammer beam interior.

Cottiers is a friendly place, community loved and community owned with internationally important stained glass and decoration by Daniel Cottier.

Cottiers contains a theatre and bar with outside stone flagged beer garden and exclusive Leiper’s Attic restaurant upstairs. It makes an enchanting and romantic wedding venue, a famous landmark in Glasgow’s West End.

To read the history of Cottiers click here.

Do you have any memories of Cottiers? If so please leave a comment.

The Clyde Shipping Bar

January 2, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

85-87 Finnieston Street, Glasgow. G3 8HB. Demolished.

Image of the Clyde Shipping Bar, *5-87 Finnieston Street, Glasgow — The Clyde Shipping Bar. 1950

There has been a public house on this site since 1850. The first licensee to acquire a licence for these premises was spirit dealer James Higgins. Mr Higgins continued serving the locals here until 1867.

William Richardson was the next spirit merchant to own this old pub. William lived with his wife and family at 1 Kent Road. By 1875 Mr Richardson also owned a public house in Cranston Street many will remember this old pub as the Prince of Wales Tavern. William continued to hold the licence until 1892.

In 1881 William Richardson was 56 years of age and living at 111 Finnieston Street with his daughter Mary.

The next gentleman to hold the licence was John Bathgate. John was also a restaurateur in Linthouse Hall, Govan. John only lasted a few years here and gave it up in 1895.

In 1895 John Fraser acquired the licence. John paid an annual rent of £90 for the premises. He lived at 30 Derby Street before moving to better accommodation at Comleypark, Dunfermline. Mr John Fraser continued in this pub until 1923.

Alexander S Donald then took over the licence in 1924. Alexander also owned the Clyde Vaults, 150 Gallowgate and a public house at 13 Green Street, Clydebank. Mr Alexander S Donald was the last person to hold the licence and the pub was demolished in the early 1950s.

In the News 1950…

The Clyde Shipping Bar at World’s End.

Iv’e been to the World’s End – not somewhere over the rainbow, but along the dreary congested Street of Glasgow’s Dumbarton Road to the once rural village of Finnieston where now giant cranes and multicoloured ship funnels tower up from the docks like giant ungainly flowers stretching to reach the sun.

It is doubtful if one in a hundred of the dockyard workers who daily stream up the Finnieston Main Street realises that they constantly pass World’s End, or if many of the customers who sip their beer in the Clyde Shipping Bar know that the pub looks into man-made “eternity.”

Pity that the Shipping Bar did not think to perpetuate this old Finnieston name and allow some artist’s imagination full scope to design a sign as unique as the name “World’s End Bar.”

There is certainly no doubt that the Clyde Shipping Bar, in spite of it’s modern front is entitled to associate itself with the oldest memories of Finnieston. It is housed in an old building built one believes in the early 1800s. At one time the building was an inn and between the grocer’s shop at one end and the pub at the other one can just discern the faint printing on the walls, “Finnieston Inn and Tavern.”

Below the grocer’s shop are the old inn cellars and above, where once the Finnieston Inn provided its humble hospitality, are dwelling houses out of one of which the day I passed that way trundled a little old man with a slice of bread for a cart-horse. It is a bitterly cold day and frankly, I was wearing two pullovers, my heavy coat and a scarf. “You’ll catch a cold,” I suggested. He looked at me who I am sure must be over ninety, “Cold!” he exclaimed. “It’s nae cold!” They breed them tough in Finnieston.

The Blind Man’s

At one time the pub was known as the Blind Man’s because, I’m told, the landlord was blind. The present licence-holder is Mr A Donald who has been keeping a merry weather eye on this convivial port for almost 30 years.

Probably the tavern building was built about the time the Townhead weavers in Glasgow gathered up their looms and flocked to the new village laid out by Matthew Orr, of Barrowfield in 1768 and named Finnieston in honour of the Rev. John Finnie who had been tutor to Orr and to Anderson, founder of the Anderston and Finnieston villages.

World’s End, now known as Greenhill Place, down which the port-hole windows of the Clyde Shipping Bar face, was more than an affectionate local name, for it appeared in the Glasgow Post Office Directory in the middle of last century. There are various suggestions as to how the name World’s End came into being. The one generally accepted is regarding the weavers who, it is said, took a very gloomy view of the state of the country and thought it was finished. They said they would go “to the end of the world” rather than live in such a country. They disappeared and then turned up in the little village of Finnieston!

Another Suggestion

An old Finnieston worthy in The Shipping Bar had another suggestion. He pointed out of the port window to the vacant ground at the corner of Greenhill Place. “There he said,” used to be the road there a man McGreath’s farm which stood on the Stobcross estate. A farm were nothing but green fields. I waited for the further explanation and the worthy looked slightly exasperated. “So that was the end of the world,” he added as though unnecessarily.

A third suggested explanation was that the weavers, who were dead religious had waited at some time at the corner, or at least a selection of the population of Finnieston had waited there, for the end of the world. The tenements at the World’s End are old and decrepit and in Greenhill Place only two “closes” remain in their turnpike stairways. Greenhill Street now lacks such grace. Finnieston Main Street is busy and spacious and the fresh breeze from the Clyde blows its cobwebs and litter up to Dumbarton Road. The old village has lost almost all its glamour, but so lang as a few Glaswegians remember how it was once the World’s End a little romance and a little sentimental attraction will always linger round the Clyde Shipping Bar at the end of the world.

Do you remember the old Clyde Shipping Bar or any of the old pubs in Finnieston Street? If so please leave a comment.

The Cartwheel

January 2, 2017 by John Gorevan 2 Comments

5-7 Byres Road, Glasgow. G11 5RD.

Douglas fell for the Scots and fed them.

Douglas Spencer is an Englishman who likes the Scots. He likes them so much in fact that he gave up what had been a lifetime’s work in the clothing industry and went into the catering trade, in Glasgow.

A native of Teddington, Middlesex, Douglas didn’t quite know what to expect when his firm sent him to this part of the world five years ago. But he came, saw, and fell hook line and sinker for the friendly Scots.

Olde worlde charm in the new Cartwheel Reasaurant in Byres Road, Glasgow 1971.

“I have so many friends in Scotland, I love people and the Glasgow people are wonderful. I had always wanted to go into the catering business and so I decided one day that I’d take the plunges, ” he explained. “It is a big step to change your whole life like that, but I really felt there was something lacking in the catering trade, cafes and restaurants have lost the personal touch which I think is vitally important. I go around and seak to all my customers and if I’m not here one afternoon I get it next time they come in, “Where were you?”

The venue that so many people are making a beeline for is in Byres Road, numbers 5-9 to be exact. That’s where Douglas and his wife Vicky, son Gordon and his young wife all work in one way or another to keep the public smiling.

Only the best.

“I didn’t worry about money,” Douglas told me. “I buy the best I can find, both in equipment and food, and I buy locally. If you buy quality you don’t get complaints and if no one’s complaining you can take it every-one’s happy, and that’s what I want, satisfied customers. And as long as there are satisfied customers there will be money going into the till… Too many people in this trade are only interested in chasing the money in the first place.”

The Spencer family opened their S & S Snack-bar only last September but already that family attitude, of “be friendly to the customer” is paying off handsomely. It’s not a take-it-or-leave-it quick cafe but more of a warm get-together of people you’d imagine had known one another all their lives. “We pride ourselves on having a snack bar with a difference.” Douglas told me. “We have waitress service and nothing is pre-cooked and we find customers don’t mind waiting those few extra moments if they know the food is going to be good once they get it.”

Going well

Examples of snack-bar prices: bacon roll 7p; egg burger, 15p; scrambled egg on toast, 16p; soup and roll, 7p; scampi salad, 48p; gammon steak 44p; bacon, egg, hamburger, tomato, mushrooms and chips, 32p.

Things were going so well in the snack-bar that Mr. Spencer decided the time was ripe for expansion, and when the shop next door became vacant, he took it over, set the workmen the task of turning it into a restaurant and patiently waited for the day he could set the opening date. A party officially launched the Cartwheel Restaurant on Sunday, but it wasn’t until yesterday that the doors were opened to an eager public.

Manager in charge of the new restaurant is young Alex Nicol while Gordon Spencer keeps an eye on the snack-bar, and overall manageress is attractive Linda Scott. Examples of the restaurant menu : Lobster soup, 30p; turtle soup, 20p; corn on the cob, 30p; melon 20p; salad, 50p; chicken Maryland, 80p; grilled kidneys with bacon, 60p.

The three heads of the world of cuisine are miss Joan Butlor, Harry Dempster and Brian Fulton.

Cartwheel Advert. 1971.

The Cartwheel advert 1977.

The Cartwheel advert 1979.

Over the years this well-known restaurant / lounge bar has had a few name changes over the years, including…

Image of Cabbages and Kings 5 Byres Road — Cabbages & Kings. 2008.

Image of the Two Figs 5 Byres Road 2015 — The Two Figs. 2015.

Image of Banana Leaf 5 Byres Road — Banana Leaf. 2018.

Do you have any memories of this well-known West End Restaurant? If so please leave a comment.

Do you remember any of the names this restaurant has had? If so please leave a comment.

The Curlers Tavern

January 2, 2017 by John Gorevan Leave a Comment

256-260 Byres Road, Glasgow. G12 8SH. Tel: 0141 341 0737. Curlers Tavern website.

Curlers Tavern. 1991.

Believe it or not this very old public house has quite a few name changes over the years, including; “The Curlers”, “The Curlers Tavern”, “Curlers”, “The Curlers Rest” and “Sinclair’s Tavern.”

This is one of around ten pubs in Glasgow that claim to be the oldest in the city. I have never seen any evidence of this as being the oldest however it is one of the oldest in the west end of the city.

In 1858 the owner of the tavern was Mr James Sinclair he was also a coach hirer and manufacturer, when James died his wife took over the business. James Kay took over the licence soon afterwards, Mr Kay was born in Maryhill in 1838, he was married to Margaret and had a large family of seven daughters all living in Ruthven Street.

When John Green took over the pub in 1910 the rent for the premises was £55.00 per year. It stayed in the Green family for 60 years and was sold in 1970 for £160,000. Eric Green was the last of the Green family to own the pub.

Curlers. 1980s.

Curlers was bought by Tennents Caledonian Breweries in the summer of 1970, the interior was refurbished in 1972. The manager Vincent Paterson controlled staff of around 40.

According to local folklore, the Curlers Tavern was opened in the seventeenth century as a coffee house. Later a licensed bar was started. It is said that Charles II called in for a refreshment and, discovered that the licence did not permit Sunday opening, granted a special Royal Charter exempting it from the Scottish licensing laws. However there is no record of this charter or any other evidence of this story.

The public house took it’s name from the fact that a local curling pond which was in use until the end of the 19th century.

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