Remembering Glasgow’s iconic Grand Hotel at Charing Cross

Charing Cross, as it stands now, is almost unrecognisable from what it used to be. The construction of the M8 meant that many buildings, like the iconic Grand Hotel, had to be knocked down.

Glasgow’s Grand Hotel, not to be confused with the Grand Central Hotel still standing above Glasgow Central, was demolished in 1969 to facilitate the construction of the M8 which began construction in 1965 and finished in 1980.

When it closed down in October of 198, the Grand Hotel in Glasgow was owned by the Glasgow Corporation (now Glasgow City Council) and was rented out to its former owners, the United Co-operative Banking Society (UCBS).

The Grand Hotel was opened by John Duncanson in 1878 and stood as a Glasgow institution and landmark for just 90 years.

Former staff say that right up until the last day regulars would come into the hotel for an afternoon tea or a drink at the bar.

Mr Howden was the hotel manager right up until the year of closure in 1968. In the final year, the Grand Hotel was managed by deputy manager, Mr Konsten who went on to manage the Dunblane Hydro Hotel.

The Grand had 105 rooms, a ballroom, a cocktail bar and nine function rooms.

In an article for Glasgowhistory.com - Neil McPhee, a former porter for the hotel in its final days, wrote: ”Working as a page boy was the hardest job I ever had - it was my first job since leaving school and it opened my eyes to every side of life.

“Even after the hotel had closed and I was helping pack up and sell all the furniture etc. - some past guests would still come in for one last nostalgic look round.

“Mr Howden was the hotel manager until the year before it closed in 1968 and for that final year it was managed by his deputy manager, Mr Konsten, who subsequently went on to manage the Dunblane Hydro Hotel.

“George Kennedy was the Head Porter and he could take a tip from a guest and pocket it faster than the eye could see.

“The hotel was the site of many Glasgow weddings and up-market events in the Ballroom suite - with french chalk dusted over the floor to allow patrons to dance to their heart’s content.”

Hosting many international visitors to the city it was known to welcome tour buses full of Americans, Canadians and even Russians to Glasgow.

When Buffalo Bill brought his travelling show to Glasgow in 1892 both himself and Annie Oakley stayed at the Grand Hotel.

A piece of the Grand Hotel still lies in Glasgow however, with the revolving door of today’s Cafe Gandolfi in the Merchant City salvaged from the Grand Hotel.