Matthew Reid.
82 Dundas Street, Glasgow.
Bar Eight Two 1980s.
To read the full history of Matthew Reid and his empire of Glasgow public houses click here.
The pub changed it's name at the end to Bar Eighty Two.
Matthew Reid's Bar.
A feature of Matt Reid's which grew over the years was one of the best-known collections in Glasgow. Many will still remember his collection of walking sticks. Matthew Reid was the third generation to run the bar for the trust of himself, brother James and sister Eleanor since his father's death in July 1967, and he is just as keen on holding onto the collection, despite cash offers for the objects, as his forerunners. Maybe because there is still a fourth Matthew Reid in the family.
When the first Matthew Reid started in the trade he was an ex-soldier who had a keen interest in horses, which probably explained why some riding crops and riding memorabilia was collected over the years. Then he began his stick gathering, including golf clubs, which were known in their old term "golf sticks", and a favourite of the present Matthew Reid, a keen golfer.
In the centre of the left-hand showcase, was the golf clubs, a crooked walking stick which belonged to a man who made that style famous "Sir Harry Lauder." This one dates from early in the Lauder career, although that was not necessarily the oldest stick in the collection. All the sticks had been varnished and had also been smoke-cured by the pub atmosphere; but the age of some became apparent recently when they were taken down to be cleaned, and sadly disintegrated completely.
Another feature of Matthew Reid's bar which was shattered a few years back was the "businessman's bar," where you were allowed in only if you were wearing a bowler or a formal hat; it was scrapped during some modernisation. One thing which was also modernised around that time was the cast-iron tables which got new tops, and Mr Reid had discovered shortly afterwards from a magazine article was that his old fashioned tables had now achieved an antique value.
Manager of Matthew Reid's Bar 82 was Mr Jimmy McGarvey who was 59 years of age in 1970.
End.
