Beechings, Cathcart, Glasgow

Occupying a disused section of the still functioning Cathcart railway station, this is presumably named for Dr. Richard Beeching, the former Chairman of British Railways under whose stewardship many lines and stations were closed in the 1960s. That apart, there are no other railway connections in terms of the décor or layout. It consists of one long, narrow bar room with the counter stretching along most of the back wall. It’s a bit more down to earth than its competitors in what was once a “dry” area of the city and still has relatively few pubs. There are four TV screens showing football and horse racing and a juke box which wasn’t on. Karaoke is advertised on Saturday nights. A pint of Tennent’s lager cost me £3.20 and Carling lager, Stella Artois, Guinness, Belhaven Best, Belhaven Export and Blackthorn cider are also on draught. So, for the first time in my experience, was the new Guinness Dublin Porter, which I’d only seen in bottles before.