The Priory Bar

The Priory Bar – Glasgow Road at Priory Place

The priory bar was a fairly large bar compared to the other pubs in Blantyre, and it was central so it was very well patronized by the miners, and they did sell a very good McEwan’s pint.

The pub had a main bar room with a large nearly round type bar with tables around to sit down on, which was fairly unique in Blantyre, in most pubs you stood at the bar as close as the crowd would let you and drank your pint.

The floor like the butcher’s shop was covered in sawdust to catch all the dribblings and spittle’s of beer, there was a lot of smoking going on so the place was always reeking of smoke and fag-ends everywhere with the occasional spittoon scattered around, hence the use of the sawdust, they just sweep up every night and in doing so collected all of this garbage.

They also had a private room which was held in reserve for large family parties or business gents with deals to discuss.

Another smaller room was for the ladies, where all the old local grannies and others could go in and have a wee dram. This room was very private and had a sliding window which opened directly on to the bar, allowing only the bartender to see who was ordering the drink. Everything was hush-hush about this room and about the people who used it.

There was also another Sliding door where you could go and order out a few bottles of beer (The original carrie-oot) and have your tin pail filled up with draft beer. This was sold by the pint and was a little cheaper than buying it at the bar. The miner liked that drop of beer to sup as he was washing himself in the big tin tub in front of the fire. On a Friday, you would see a lot of kids making for the carry-out with a jug or container in their hands, no one ever questioned a child’s age or why they were in the pub. It was always taken for granted that he was there for his dad’s beer.

Another view of The Priory Bar showing the side entrance to the Lounge in Logan Street.

Often frequented my Free Masons because of the adjacent Masonic Hall.

The wee white building to the right was a bookies office. The punters must have thought they were in heaven, Masonic Lodge, pub and bookies in one block.

Davie Tallis, Mary Meechan and Caroline Baird’s mum worked behind the bar and Caroline’s dad was on the door, that’s where they got together.

Just to give you your bearings, this is looking East from Logan Street on the right. Where it says Wines is the Priory Pub and the pointed roof beyond is the Masonic Building. The pointed roof opposite is the Castle Pub at the corner of John Street. The boy on the right is standing outside the Ironmongers, J.C.Sweet’s cut price shop on the corner of the Turner’s Building on the right which had a park next to it, where the brass and silver bands would practice, then there was the new Drill Hall.

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Caroline Baird: My mum worked behind the bar and my dad was on the door, always hear them talking about it, thats where they got together.

Eleanor Duncan Nailon: I remember going to the Priory with my mum on a Saturday afternoon, the good old days. I think I was 11.

Maggie Tallis: My dad Davie Tallis worked there, so did my aunt Mary Meechan, brings back good memories.

John Cornfield: I was in this pub once or twice when I was a boy, my dad frequented it as a young man as it was my grandad’s local being of good Logan Street stock.

Bim Mcskimming: It had best pool team ever.

Kathleen McDermott: Good memories of that pub. They had great sing songs in there.

Liz Daley: Lots of memories of that pub all good

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