The Curlers Rest, formerly the Curlers Tavern, is the oldest drinking establishment on

Byres Road Byres Road is a street in Hillhead, Glasgow, Scotland. It is the central artery of the city's West End. Location and history Byres Road is a mixed commercial, shopping and upmarket residential area consisting largely of traditional sandstone ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, 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 Partick ( sco, Pairtick, Scottish Gaelic: ''Partaig'') is an area of Glasgow on the north bank of the River Clyde, just across from Govan. To the west lies Whiteinch, to the east Yorkhill and Kelvingrove Park (across the River Kelvin), and ...

. 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 Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...

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". At the front of the building there are three doors. In the past there were three 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. From 1999 till June 2010 the pub was a Scream pub geared firmly towards students. It was then refurbished and rebranded as the Curler's Rest.

References

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External links

Curler's Rest website
Pubs in Glasgow 17th-century establishments in Scotland