Curlers Tavern

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The Curlers is the oldest drinking establishment on Byres Road, Glasgow, Scotland.

A tavern is said to have been situated at this site since the 17th century, when this part of the city was still countryside. The rural connection is today only remembered in the name Byres Road, from the lands known as the Byres of Partick. The present pub is housed in an 18th-century two-story cottage-type building and derives its name from the large pond, which could be found nearby.

Every winter curlers came to play on the ice. Furthermore, the Partick Curling Club (established in 1842) had its pond here in 1848. There is also a legend associated with the pub which claims that King Charles II came riding one cold winter’s day towards Glasgow on what was then a lonely highway and “spotting the inviting hostelry called a halt for refreshments. Finding it shuttered and barred, the landlord was quickly rousted out and told to open up in the name of the King which he did with the satisfaction that “the Merry Monarch bestowed upon the inn the right, by Royal Charter, to be open day and night, Sundays included, in perpetuity”. The Charter is rumoured to survive today in Register House in Edinburgh.

As you look at the building from the front, there are 3 doors. In the past there were 3 bars here, the door on the left leading through the lounge bar, the door on the right to the small snug, and the door in the middle leading upstairs to the hall space/banqueting area above.

These days, Curlers has been taken over by the Scream chain of pubs, and has had its blonde sandstone painted over in a lemon yellow. The two bars on the lower level have been knocked through to create one large bar with a pool table and a big screen with MTV etc.

Curlers is a popular stop on the Glasgow subcrawl, being located next to Hillhead Underground station.