Glasgow’s West End may be a place of change and immersive dining experiences these days but there are plenty of spaces where you can embrace the authentic Glaswegian West End atmosphere. There are proper local pubs that only exist in this part of the city.
Now, the West End is full of stylish gastropubs, hipster hangouts and fancy restaurants, but that’s not to say there’s still not plenty of proper old-school Glasgow pubs, if you know where to look.
Some Landmark pubs have a history that goes back to the 17th century. They are joined by classic time capsules of different eras, the kind of bar you can’t build, it has to evolve over time. Pubs that hark back to Glasgow in the 1960s or 70s, bars from the Victorian era or public houses with a storied past that stretches back to when the West End was a patchwork of villages.
Join us as we take a trip down memory lane with 16 of the last-standing proper old-school pubs of Glasgow’s West End.
Some Landmark pubs have a history that goes back to the 17th century. They are joined by classic time capsules of different eras, the kind of bar you can’t build, it has to evolve over time. Pubs that hark back to Glasgow in the 1960s or 70s, bars from the Victorian era or public houses with a storied past that stretches back to when the West End was a patchwork of villages.
5. The Rosevale Tavern
A wine merchant in the late 1800s, it became a pub under William Baird Taylor in 19003. In 1923 The Rosevale was opened by John Grant, already known for owning Rogano in Royal Exchange Place. In the 1990s, the pub was partly-owned by former Rangers manager Walter Smith. | The Rosevale Tavern
6. Tennent’s
Bought from Hugh Tennent in 1884 - the pub is so old-school in fact, that until the early seventies, women were not allowed in the bar….. that was until Shelley Russell, an American studying at Glasgow University, organised a ‘sit-in’ and there was a demonstration out on Byres Road. | Contributed
7. The Sparkle Horse
The Sparkle Horse may not look like it from the outside, but the interior screams old school, and has existed on Dowanhill Street since at least the 1890s, formerly known as The Dowanhill Bar. Photo: Google Maps
8. The Grove
The Grove in Finnieston is one of the few pubs to survive the gentrification of the area largely untouched, it remains in the same site it always has, with a traditional interior that’s reminiscent of old-school Finnieston | Google Maps