PUBLIC HOUSES

Bridgeton and Dalmarnock have always been well provided for in terms of drinking places, Some would say too well! Superintendent John Ord in his history of the Calton police describes Bridgeton village of the 1830s in a very poor light, with drunkenness and fighting quite common. Unless circumstances were exceptionally bad, the Calton police could only look on from their side of the boundary since they had no jurisdiction beyond their Burgh. William Guthrie also describes many public houses of the period, such as the Swan Tavern and Gardens in Main St which had the first Zoo around Glasgow. Its garden walks were also very popular.

The opponents of the "Demon Rum" were not complacent; they had their own Temperance Institute which was located in Landressy St, but licensed premises continued to abound. Whatever one's views, there can be no doubt that the "pub" has played - and continues to play - a central role in social activity.

Most contemporary public houses are located at the ground floor of tenements, some being the only vestige of the tenement left standing in fact! This book concludes with some illustrations of earlier, free-standing public houses some of which started life as dwellings. One of these is the Hayfield, a name which harkens back to the memory of Morgan's Farm which existed in the vicinity at Old Dalmarnock Rd. Much has changed since there were real hay fields in the area. Only the reader can decide whether it has been for the better or otherwise.