AFTER 37 years in the same family, an East End pub is being passed on to a new owner.

Gallowgate drinking spot the Hielan Jessie is being sold by owner Billy Gold, whose family has been serving the community since 1986.

It is one of the city’s traditional pubs that is much-loved by the generations who have been drinking in its virtually unchanged surroundings for decades, as well as the younger crowd who enjoy its friendly atmosphere.

Glasgow Times:

While it will continue to serve the people of Glasgow’s East End in years to come, the Hielan Jessie also has a history dating back centuries before Billy’s family developed it into the universally loved bar.

The pub was situated within a city tenement which was built in 1771, opposite the barracks of the 17th Highland Regiment. Because of this connection, it was called the Old Barrack Vaults.

By the mid-1800s the condition of the building had deteriorated significantly, so new barracks were built on Maryhill Road while the original site was later used as a railway goods yard.

Glasgow Times:

The name Hielan Jessie was inspired by a heroic woman, Jessie Brown. Her husband, Sergeant Brown, was in the 17th Highland Regiment. While fighting in India during the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, the regiment became trapped in their fort and Sergeant Brown was killed.

Over battle cries and noises of war, Jessie heard the sound of bagpipes, a signal that another Scottish regiment was close. She urged her husband’s men to carry on, and they were saved by the other regiment. Her bravery was toasted by the soldiers, and her name was immortalised in the pub.

In modern times, the pub has maintained its traditional features such as no television or loud music and reasonably priced beers, malts and more. The Hielan Jessie’s charm made an impact on The British Cookbook author and food historian Ben Mervis, who gave the Hielan a shoutout when discussing his favourite restaurants and bars to visit in the city.

Glasgow Times:

As well as praising Mother India, Star Bar, The Laurieston and Nice N Sleazy, he said: “The Hielan Jessie is a great pub, and it’s so cheap.”

German crime author Simone Buchholz also fondly remembers the Hielan Jessie during her visits to Glasgow, which inspired her thriller The River Clyde.

When seeking inspiration for the kind of haunts the book’s protagonist would visit, Simone’s local friends pointed her in the direction of a pub she would never forget.

She said: “I have friends in Glasgow and when I asked them 'where would she go? Where would she like?’ They told me 'let’s go there, that is her part of the city'.

“I was so lucky because my friends took me to the Hielan Jessie at the Gallowgate.

“The Hielan Jessie is the best place. I really hope it survived the pandemic.”

And survive it did. Despite one of the most difficult times for the hospitality industry, the Hielan made it through the pandemic. But the mounting pressures of the cost-of-living crisis led to concerns over the pub’s future.

Glasgow Times:

In our Spotlight series, in which we looked at the impact of rising costs on the city’s pubs, bars and restaurants, Billy told us: “My energy unit costs have more than doubled, but my standard charge has trebled.

“We’re just not sure what’s in front of us.”

It is the end of an era as the pub is soon to change hands to a new owner. It is understood they plan to keep the staff in roles and keep running the pub as normal.

For those who were used to being greeted by the Gold family every time they walked in the door for almost four decades, it will certainly feel like an emotional end of one chapter – and the beginning of a new one.