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Old Glasgow Pubs by john gorevan

 

The Southern Bar, also known as the Cottage Bar.

60 Eglinton Street, corner of 2 Wallace Street, Glasgow. S.S.

 

Southern Bar

The Southern Bar was situated at the corner of Eglinton Street and Wallace Street.

When a new tenement building was erected in 1873 at the corner of 60-62 Eglinton Street and 4 Wallace Street, William Craig was granted a licence to sell wine and spirits.

Mr Craig was already an established liquor merchant in Glasgow having premises at 52-54 West Street, Tradeston at the corner of Nelson Street; he also operated a licensed grocer’s shop on Pollok Street formerly owned by Thomas Bennett.


In 1889 he took over the pub at 15-17 Norfolk Street (Garry Owen) near to Gorbals Cross, at that time there were twelve pubs trading on Norfolk Street. William Craig came to Glasgow from Inchinan, Renfrew where he was born.

In 1881 he was living at Craigmiller, Nithsdale Road with his wife Janet and had a large family of three sons and three daughters. Also living with them was his father-in-law Robert Miller a retired Mercantile Clerk, along with his wife’s aunt Susan.

image of William Craig, Glasgow Publican

Mr William Craig. 1930s.

Mr Craig was making enough money in the licensed trade and could afford two domestic servants. When the Mr and Mrs Craig took over a beautiful villa in Nithsdale Road they named it Craigmiller after their surnames.

When the family moved to St John's Road, Pollokshields they renamed this villa "Craigmiller".

Mr Craig was born in Kirkfield Burn, Lanark and came to Glasgow in 1881. His father William and family all worked as carpet weavers. When William came to Glasgow he worked for a short time in the railway, but gave this up to work with his uncle, Samuel Aitken, a wine & spirit merchant in both Duke Street and North Woodside Road.

Samuel also came from Kirkfield, Lanark, he lived in Greenock for a short spell before coming to Glasgow to set up a home in North Woodside Road, with his wife Elizabeth and a large family of five sons. In 1877 he acquired the licence for premises at 262 North Woodside Road near to he residence.

William Craig joined his uncle in the Duke Street premises and was soon managing the premises. On the death of his uncle, William became the new proprietor for Duke Street.

In 1898 William was the new landlord on the Arcade Bar, West Russell Street at the entrance of the Queen's Arcade. The Duke Street premises were lost as a result of Dennistoun Ward Voting Limitations in 1920. William concentrated his efforts into one licence. He was a member of both the St. Rollox and Uddingston Bowling Clubs, this took up most of his spare time when he wasn't serving his customers behind the bar.

William recalled the old days when children of tender years used to come for father's refreshments and the heavy duty on whisky was from 10/6 to 72/6 per proof gallon. Rrestrictions that were imposed after the war dealt a crippling blow to the trade. Even before that the writing appeared on the wall when opening hours were cut down from 8am to 11 pm to 10 to 10 each day, these changes were welcomed by some and deplored by others. At the same time they were privileged people when it was remembered how the permitted hours were restricted during the war and how they were curtailed to 8 per day by the 1921 Act.

At the end of the 1890s William Craig was elected President of the Scottish Wine and Spirit Merchants Benevolent Institution. The grocers business was demolished many years age, West Street was demolished in the 1960s, Norfolk Street followed in the 70s, then owned by Michael Joseph Heraghty the well-known Garry Owen Bar, the Southern Bar was the last to survive and was demolished shortly afterwards.

In 1899 William Craig was licensee of 15-17 Norfolk Street, many will remember this old pub as the Garry Owen, 52-54 West Street, 27 West Russell Street and off license at 36 Pollok Street. In later years he owned a pub at 217 Duke Street.

exterior view of the Cottage Bar 60 Eglinton Street

The Cottage at the corner of Eglinton Street and Wallace Street. 1970s.

exterior view of the Cottage Bar from Eglinton Street.

The Cottage. Thanks to Norrie McNamee for the images.

End.

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