Iconic Glasgow pub The Laurieston has been sold

The buyer of The Laurieston Bar at Bridge Street in the Gorbals is described by selling agent Christie & Co as a “private investor who has confirmed that the business will continue to operate as it has done for over 40 years”.

Christie & Co said it had been "inundated with interest from the outset" of the sale process.

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Asked about the identity of the private investor who has acquired the pub, a spokeswoman for Christie & Co replied that the “buyer wishes to remain private”.

Christie & Co said that a member of the Clancy family, which has owned the wet-led pub for more than 40 years, would “remain involved to carry on the longstanding traditions that have deservedly made the establishment one of Glasgow's favourites”.

It noted the Southside pub had come to the market “to allow the current owners, John and James Clancy, to devote more time to their families”.

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The pub's interior (Image: Christie & Co)

Tony Spence, the Christie & Co associate director who handled the sale, said: “I am delighted to have been involved in the sale of this iconic public house in Glasgow. This was a rare opportunity to purchase a proper ‘boozer’ with high turnover and profits. We were inundated with interest from the outset and were able to set a swift closing date and achieve a great result for our clients.”

In a statement, John and James Clancy said: “We wish the new owner the very best for the future and are delighted that their plan for The Laurieston Bar is to continue to be 'just a pub’. We would also like to thank Tony Spence for his professionalism throughout the whole sale process, and offering support and advice whenever needed.”

When the pub was put up for sale last autumn with a price tag of £750,000, Christie & Co noted The Laurieston Bar “is within one of the city’s most popular pub-crawl circuits, and benefits from local and tourist trade year-round”.

It added: “The Laurieston has maintained a traditional theme throughout, featuring panelled walls and ceilings, memorabilia and drawings from local artists which all add to the pub's charming character. The pub is also well-known for hosting regular events such as live music, comedy and club nights.”

John and James Clancy said then: “In any family business, family is the priority. After 40 years serving ‘The Laurieston Bar family’, we would now like to devote more time to serving the Clancy family. It goes without saying it will be business as usual until the right buyer is found.”

Mr Spence said then that The Laurieston Bar business “is well placed to succeed going forward and would suit…an owner-operator or could be added to an existing portfolio”.

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The pub hosts regular events such as live music and comedy and club nights and has been used for filming movies such as Young Adam and Wild Rose.

Filming also took place at the venue last year for gritty Sky thriller Dead Shot starring Mark Strong and Colin Morgan, while scenes from HBO's Succession were also filmed there.

After being run by local business tycoon Alexander Wiseman for 30 years, the Graham family took over the Bridge Street pub in 1865. They were a family of pub entrepreneurs and looked after the establishment until the Alexanders took over from them in the 1930s.

The Clancys were handed the baton in 1982, meaning the pub has been well taken care of by families since the Victorian era.

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More recently, the Laurieston was chosen to be the artwork of an album created by members of a record club who would regularly meet there to talk about their love for music over a pint.  

Michael John McCarthy who co-released the album, said of the Laurieston: “The hospitality is incredible. I've been going for 10 years now. They do the best pint of Guinness in Glasgow.

"It's a great community of people and it's probably the friendliest bar in the city."