THIS Close was a place of some importance during the last century, from its proximity to the Cross and Court-House. It was not a thoroughfare, however, till after 1724, about which time Gibson's Wynd or Prince's Street, and the New Street or King Street, were formed out of what had previously been garden grounds, and a communication led into the former street from the Trongate through the Laigh-Kirk Close. When the Post-Office was situated in Prince's Street, after the middle of the last century, this close or lane formed a great thoroughfare to that important public establishment from all the northern parts of the city. The Laigh-Kirk Close, we should think, is identical with the locality termed "Armour's Wynd," by M'Ure, the old city historian. He says that in 1736 John Armour, tailor and late bailie, had three tenements of land in Gibson's Wynd (Prince's Street); and there is reason to believe that the opening from the south end of the Laigh-Kirk Close was made through these buildings. Hence the passage was named "Armour s Wynd," in honour of the bailie. The new title, however, was only a temporary one, for the original designation of the Laigh-Kirk Close soon asserted its prominence, by which name the spot is now universally known The most notable object in the picture is the ancient house on the east or left-hand side, having its stair open to the close, and bearing on its front an intimation that it affords "commercial lodgings" in a humble way The tenement above the basement is constructed of timber, and more than a hundred years ago the house and shop in the adjoining land, fronting Trongate, were occupied by Mrs. Margaret Tarbet for the sale of paints, perfumery, and drugs. This lady married one of her shopmen, Mr. Balmano; and for many years their establishment, for the sale of medicines and chemical preparations, was the only one in Glasgow or the neighbourhood which deserved the name of respectable. We may add that the designations of Margaret, Tarbet, and Balmano Streets are derived from this worthy couple. The golden Galen's head, which still adorns the entry to the Laigh-Kirk Close, was known over the whole West of Scotland; and before so much attention was paid to numbering houses and shops, this prominent object, along with the statue of King William on the north side of the street, formed a sort of landmark from which country people took their directions to find out such places of business as they sought in Trongate. After old Mr Balmano's death, his widow still retained the business, from which a respectable fortune was acquired. Their son, the late Dr. Balmano, kept up be establishment after his mother's death, and used, at certain hours of the day, to sit in a side room and give gratis advice to such of the working classes as came to purchase medicines. He was an amiable and popular man, and half a century ago his likeness was frequently seen in the shop windows of the city, having under it as an inscription the words, "The benevolent physician." The drug business is still carried on very respectably in these venerable premises; but of course the establishment has not the same prominence in the city that it had in bygone years. Messrs. Monteith & Couper set up an opposition shop at the north-east corner of Stockwell Street, and carried away much of the wholesale trade from Dr. Balmano, of which he had almost a monopoly. This was the most lucrative branch, particularly that part of it which consisted of supplying ships with medicine chests. The business of Monteith & Couper afterwards came to be blended in the Glasgow Apothecaries' Hall, of which these gentlemen were leading partners.

Within these last sixty years Dr. Balmano retained both the drug shop and the adjoining timber house, in which he lived; but prior to the close of the century he vacated the old mansion, which then became the domicile and place of business of Mr Pollock, peruke maker and barber. He was a spruce little old gentleman, the beau ideal of a Glasgow barber of a past age - a most important functionary when almost all classes above the rank of a working tradesman either sported ornamental wigs or had their own hair dressed to the top of the fashion. The late Rev. Dr. Porteous, who loved to appear with a three-storey wig, used to affirm that Deacon Pollock's digits used to excel those of all other artists in the manipulation of such head-gear.

Little remains to be said regarding the other houses in the Close. About a century ago they were occupied by decent people of the middle classes, and subsequently several of them were transformed into places of business, especially after the Close came to afford the main communication to the Post-Office. When Tait's first Glasgow Directory was published, in 1783, no fewer than four members of the legal profession found accommodation in the Laigh-Kirk Close. These tenements are again used as dwelling-houses, but tenanted by the humblest classes. The venerable gentleman who has written so many interesting papers under the signature of "Senex," says to us:- "The only house I remember occupied by a person of any note was a tavern near Prince's Street (on the east side), kept by a Mr. Henderson, the father of Mrs. Reid, the widow of William Reid, bookseller, of the firm of Brash & Reid. Mrs. Reid, then Miss Henderson, attended the bar, and it there that William Reid got acquainted with her. She is now (1850) about 73 or 74 years of age, and is still a good-looking woman and very clever."