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Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:25 pm
by The Pioneer
This was a premises on Glassford Street around the1880's/1890's.

Is there any way i could find out what number it stood on and if the building it occupied still exists ?

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:57 pm
by Ronnie
Hi Pioneer
Go to the Mitchell Library and look at the Post Office Glasgow Directory for that year. It has listings for every street, with details of each business or occupant against each number. There is also an A-Z directory of businesses. This will give you a street number, and you could then visit the street and see what is there now.

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 1:10 pm
by The Pioneer
Ronnie wrote:Hi Pioneer
Go to the Mitchell Library and look at the Post Office Glasgow Directory for that year. It has listings for every street, with details of each business or occupant against each number. There is also an A-Z directory of businesses. This will give you a street number, and you could then visit the street and see what is there now.


Thanks for your reply.

I thought that's what i would have to do, i was hoping i get something quicker via the internet.

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 2:06 pm
by Ronnie
Well, I suppose you could join (i.e. pay for) one of the commercial family history sites that offer access to scanned-in trade directories and so on. Or you could pay for access to the digital The Scotsman, and see if there are any references to Ancell's there. Not everything is free on the interwebs, I'm afraid!

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:25 pm
by HollowHorn
Joseph Ancell (Resturant) 89 Glassford St. & 88 Virginia St. (front & rear doors?)
Glasgow Post Office Direcories 1893/94

Possibly part of the Trades Hall:
The Trades Hall was built in Glassford Street in 1794, by Robert Adam. It consisted of shops on the ground floor, with the main Hall in the floor above. It was used for meetings and social functions by the Trades Guilds.

Scran

An aside:
McGonagall in Glasgow
The gifted McGonagall has been in Glasgow, and has been received with becoming honour. A Glasgow contemporary devotes half a column to his performance, from which we quote the following: At a select smoking concert in Ancell's restaurant on Tuesday night, McGonagall, the laureate - or rather doggerel laureate - of Dundee made his first public appearance in Glasgow. His reception was of the most flattering description, although the audience refrained from any enthusiatic ovation such as the gifted bard has drawn forth during the past few months in his native town by the Tay. He was only one of the items on the programme, but he was the piece de resistance, and he seemed to realise it. McGonagall wore a fearful and wonderful highland costume. Future generations may contend for the custody of his sword, which is decidedly McGonagallian, having been made by the gifted bard's son. A Glasgow litterateur, who was in the chair, introduced McGonagall in a very complimentary speech in which he compared the works of McGonagall to those of Shakespeare, very much to the disparagement of the latter. Then the poet took some lemonade, tightened his belt, sought the centre of the room, and recited his famous epic lay, "The Battle of Bannockburn." This poem, he admits himself, excited the patriotism of his countrymen more than any other thing he has written. When he recited it in a Dundee hall the place had to be fumigated afterwards. He generally prefers to recite at Easter, for eggs at that time are dear, and even bad ones are not to be obtained cheaply. "Tel-el-Kebir," which he also read, is, however, considered to be one of the finest creations of the poet. Its construction is somewhat peculiar. It presents the appearance of having been written without a foot-rule, for the lines are very irregular. In this respect the style is somewhat Walt Whitmanesque. To see McGonagall recite this poem is a liberal education in dramatic action. It is a performance necessitating a considerable vacant area, and precautionary measures for the safety of the furniture. Mcgonagall's best known work, however, is "The Tay Bridge." According to the Chairman, the bridge would never have fallen if this poem had not been written. The poet's works were sold to a large number of his admirers present, and his famed autograph was in great demand.
Dundee Courier, 4th April 1888

http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/life/glasgow.htm

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:58 pm
by Ronnie
The Trades Hall is currently at 85-91 Glassford Street, which would include the address HH has.

HH - why no sources?

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 9:55 pm
by HollowHorn
Quite right too, Ronnie, laziness on my part. Above post edited to include sources.

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:10 pm
by Ronnie
Thanks, HH. Did you just happen to have that Post Office Directory to hand? Maybe under one of the short legs of the piano ...

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 8:08 am
by hazy
The Pioneer wrote:This was a premises on Glassford Street around the1880's/1890's.

Is there any way i could find out what number it stood on and if the building it occupied still exists ?


HH was at the opening night I heard. ::): ::):

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:36 pm
by The Pioneer
I can't thank you people enough.

That's saved me a lot of work.

:)

I will publish what's behind all of this over the next few weeks.

Thanks again.

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:49 pm
by The Pioneer
While i'm on ,and i am aware i'm now pushing my luck :D

Another premises in my jigsaw that i'm trying to piece is the Atholle ( may be wrong spelling) Arms in Dundas Street around 1883.

Is this still with us today ?

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:46 pm
by Ronnie
There is a pub called the Atholl (formerly the Atholl Arms) on the corner of Renfrew Street and Renfield Street. It has operated under this name since 1931 (the premises were previously the Criterion). The standard reference for pubs and publicans in Glasgow doesn't mention any pubs of that name earlier than 1931, on that site or elsewhere. Source: http://www.oldglasgowpubs.co.uk/athollarms.html

But HH may have a better answer.

Both your questions have been about pubs beginning with "A". Are we at the beginning of a very long search for information in alphabetical order? :)

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:58 pm
by The Pioneer
Yeah, i am aware of that Pub my friend.

I'm researching the lives of a specific group of people who have logged in minit books meeting (not a Lodge) in Ancell's, Ferguson and Forresters ( now Karen Millen's on Buchanan Street ) and the Atholl Arms in Dundas Street (1883).

Another premises was The Metropolitan at 40 Hutchison Street in 1898, i'm having bother tracing Hutchison St, though i am aware that streets have changed since then,

I hope HH can help.

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:22 pm
by Ronnie
You could try Hutcheson Street (with an E, not an I), which runs between Ingram Street and Trongate.

You could also drop a note to the chap who runs the pub history website I mentioned.

By the way, it would be helpful if you could say what you know already, which saves an awful lot of time looking up stuff unneccessarily. :cry:

Re: Ancell's Restuarant.

PostPosted: Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:32 pm
by The Pioneer
I appreciate that.

The only premises i have a definite location on is Ferguson and Forresters.

The result of this research is going to be a book that a Journalist friend is putting the finishing touches to.