New Glasgow cocktail bar opens in historic former church

Secession, situated in the former Lansdowne Church on Great Western Road, is the latest addition to the landmark site, which is already home to Websters Theatre, a playhouse, meeting rooms and a beer garden.

It is named after the Vienna Secession, an art movement formed in 1897 by a group of Austrian painters, graphic artists, sculptors and architects, including Gustav Klimt.

Secession cocktail bar (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

Operated by Four Acres Charity Trust, which also runs Cottiers Theatre, Restaurant and Bar just up the road, Secession is a stylish cocktail bar which will also serve small plates such as charcuterie and cheese.

The Glasgow Times was given a sneak peek ahead of its official opening on Friday, May 12.

Director David Robertson explains: “We opened the theatre in 2013, and it has been used by a range of organisations, not just theatre groups, but educational projects, community work, it has gone well.

“The theatre bar opened in 2016, but the plan was always to open a second, because the place gets so busy on performance evenings. We wanted a place everyone in the West End can come in to, whether or not they are going to see something in the theatre.”

Inside the new Secession bar (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

History is etched into every corner of this building, built in 1863, and stories fill each nook and cranny, from the tragic tale of its stained glass artist to the dramatic rescue of an important local artefact thought lost for good.

The original cosmetics counter from Boots on Great Western Road, which was salvaged when the store was revamped, now has pride of place as a drinks gantry behind the bar.

“It was a local activist Ralph Green, who realised a lot of the original interiors were getting ripped out and thrown away, who told us about it,” says David. “It dates back to around 1900 to 1920, we’re not entirely sure, but there is a Co-op stamp on it too – so maybe it is even older and was used elsewhere before it made it to Boots.”

David in front of the old Boots cosmetics counter, which is now the drinks gantry (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

Alf Webster, after whom the theatre gets its name, is the artist responsible for the church’s most spectacular stained glass windows.

One set – the McCowan window - remains carefully stored out of harm’s way (it was removed because vibration and dust from passing traffic on Great Western Road was starting to damage it) but the other, the Templeton window, is still in situ, although access to it is restricted for the moment. It is breathtaking in its size and detail.

Alf Webster's stained glass windows (Image: Newsquest)

“Alf was a genius, and generally considered one of Scotland’s greatest artists, but unless you know stained glass, you probably won’t have heard of him,” explains David.

The former Lansdowne Church is now a theatre and bar (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

“These windows are considered Scottish greats and it’s a tragedy Alf died so young.”

Sadly, Alf died, aged 31, from injuries sustained in the First World War in August 1915. He left behind his wife Maude and three sons Martyn, George and Alfred.

“Our long-term plan is to restore the McCowan window and open up the space to allow visitors to see the windows properly,” adds David. “That’s the dream.”

In the playhouse, a multi-purpose space on the upper level, another piece of stained glass – featuring a flamboyant artist with a magnificent moustache – is the star of another interesting tale.

David explains: “When we were submitting a Heritage Lottery funding application back in 2008, we grabbed some images online to include in our architectural models. One was from a stained glass window that was for sale at Christie’s at the time, so we used it and thought no more of it.

“We didn’t get the funding, and then two years later, completely out of the blue, we got a phone call from a woman who had no idea of any of this, and who had bought the stained glass in the auction.”

The stained glass window was 'meant to be' in the building (Image: Gordon Terris/Newsquest)

David adds, smiling: “She was moving house, and had no room for it, so asked us if we wanted it for the church – and it was the one we had used in the application.

“We were delighted, it was such a coincidence. It feels like this window was meant to be here.”

Billy McAneney, who is a consultant on the project, says Secession represents a “reinvention” of the old building.

“We’re trying to give new life to the church, in a range of different ways,” he says. “Secession will be a cocktail bar, serving cheeses, meats, small plates and eventually Austrian tortes and cakes.

“It’s exciting, a new place for the West End, and something a bit different.”

The eye-catching Secession entrance sign is a work by local artist Marion McIntosh, who is also David’s wife.

“That’s what gave me the idea for the theme,” he explains.

“Secession, as a theme, is great. Of course, it allows us to use lots of fancy detail – gold paint and swirly fabrics – but there is a Glasgow connection too. Charles Rennie Mackintosh, who lived just up the road, exhibited at the Vienna Secession. And Mackintosh’s employer, John Honeyman, designed the Lansdowne Church.

“There are all sorts of happy connections. It is always a huge challenge taking on a building like this, but now that things are coming to fruition, it’s a good feeling.”

Secession opens to the public on May 12.