The Kick Off.
255 Rutherglen Road, Gorbals, Glasgow.
The Kick Off.
The Kick Off was situated at the corner of Rutherglen Road and South Wellington Street which was later called Lawmoor Street. There has always been a pub here since the tenement building was erected around the late 1700s.
John Meikle jun a well known and respected spirit merchant owned the pub from 1891, he took over from his father, John Meikle who started out in the licensed trade in 1878 in a small public house on Portugal Street the family went on to owns other well known pubs in the city including J Meikle, Paisley Road West and Eglinton Street.
J Meikle's premises 138-40 Paisley Road West at the corner of Eaglesham Street. 1935.
John Meikle senior was born in 1826 in Muiravonside Parish, Stirling. Mr Meikle met his wife Jane in Bothwell where they started a family, they soon moved to Glasgow and settled in South Apsley Place, Gorbals. The happy couple had three other children there, the eldest was Agnes, John, Jane and Robert. John jun learned the trade as a commercial traveller with a silk firm while Robert was a commercial clerk for a grain business. The family then moved on to better accomodation in Abbotsford Place. After the First World War John jun was running three pubs in the city which included Rutherglen Road, Paisley Road West and Eglinton Street all having the title J Meikle above the doorway. The family continued to run the Rutherglen establishment until the early 1950s.
Another well known publican to own these premises was Joseph McCabe, the pub closed it's door for the last time in 1959. The City Council demolished the pub shortly afterwards along with other landmarks in the area. Joseph McCabe then went on to own the Forum, Kelso Street.
End.
