Scottish Fact of the day: The Oldest Bar in Glasgow

Published on 17/07/2012 14:55

There is some dispute over which bar in Glasgow is historically the oldest, but most historians - and the Glasgow Tourist Board - opt for the Scotia Bar, in Stockwell Street, which dates back to 1792.

The Scotia, and its sister bar the Clutha Vaults, was the last stop of the Cluthas boats, or penny steamers, which ferried people to work down the River Clyde as far as Renfrew, Cluthas being the Gaelic for ‘Clyde.’ In their heyday, they carried up to 2.5 million passengers a year. Historians are unsure if all 2.5 million frequented the pubs, however. The bar later became host to the performers, and the customers, of the Scotia Theatre Music Hall, and, in post-war years, the Metropole Theatre (long since gone). A notice outside the Scotia Bar reads:

“Glesses a’ that, glesses a’ this,

come oan in, an’ gie yer taste buds a kiss.”