University Bar.
6-8 College Street, Glasgow.
University Bar. circa 1930.
College Street off High Street gets it's name from the fact that the Glasgow University used to sit across from this street before moving to the west end of the city and dates back to 1794.
The Old University Bar was it was once called opened in 1875 by wine and spirit merchant Robert Anderson, however the premises were licensed before hand as an off licence. Mr Anderson lived in Abbotsford Place in the south side of the city, he continued to trade from these premises until 1890 by which time a Mr J B Anderson was licensee.
In 1894 George Crawford Boyd took over the pub, Mr Boyd was very successful and opened other premises at 148 Oxford Street, Gorbals on the south side of the city. George lived with his wife Esther in Moir Street before moving to better accommodation in Abbotsford Place. When Mr Boyd died around 1902 his wife Esther took over the license in College Street and the other business was sold on. Esther continued in the licensed trade until 1928, when she sold the pub to Publican Donald McNab.
Over the years the pub had a name change probably in the 1930s and was known as the Exchange Bar. One of the last licensee was Mr P McGlynn, the pub was destroyed by the great fire that broke out in College Street in 1977 when the old bonding stores when up in blazes.
End.
