Old Houses, Byres Road

Footnote (8)

    The Bridgegate was our Lombard Street. All our early banks settled there. The Arms Bank opened in 1750 in the Bridgegate (second floor, Smith's Land, north-east corner of Bridgegate), moved in 1756 to King Street (east side, just above Princes Street ; house lately taken down by Improvement Trust), and moved in 1778 to Miller Street (east side, near the bottom). The Ship opened in 1750 in the Bridgegate (old house still standing at the south-east corner of Bridgegate, across the street from The Arms), and moved in 1776 to the south-west corner of Glassford Street (old building, now replaced by the warehouse long occupied by Thomas Muirhead & Co., and lately annexed by Mann, Byars & Co.). The Thistle Bank also opened in 1761 in the Bridgegate. The failure of the Arms Bank was a bad business for the shareholders; but the creditors, though their claims came to no less than £113,000, got their 20s. : this is the fixed etiquette of failed Glasgow banks.