Did You Know?
- Oldest Bar in Glasgow
There is some dispute about which bar in Glasgow is currently the oldest but the Glasgow Tourist Board opts for the Scotia Bar in Stockwell Street, built in 1792.
The Scotia (and its sister bar the Clutha Vaults) was the last stop of the Cluthas boats or penny steamers which took people to work down the river Clyde as far as Renfrew. "Cluthas" was the Gaelic word for the Clyde and in their heyday they carried 2.5 million passengers a year - some of whom popped into the Scotia bar, of course!
The bar later became host to the players and customers of the Scotia Theatre Music Hall (and, in post-war years, the Metropole Theatre, now long gone). A notice outside the bar says:
"Glesses a' that, glesses a' this,
Come oan in an' gie yer taste buds a kiss."
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
