DRAM 359

1071 Shettleston Road, Glasgow THE DRUM

DESIGN FOCUS

The Drum at 1071 Shettleston Road in Glasgow has been on the east end pub map since 1868 and it’s just been put back on the map thanks to a £210,000 makeover by Heineken-owned Star Pubs and Bars, with lessee John O’Malley now at the helm. t was delayed by four months because of the coronavirus pandemic and the pub now boasts a ‘rustic urban style with wood floors and paneling, leather seating and café-style windows.’ Traditional features like the coach lights remain, and the original snug has been restored for group bookings. Plus there are high tables with their own mini TVs and big screens for sports enthusiasts. The designer on the project was Grant Rough. He told DRAM, “We wanted to make a warm and welcoming environment and retain the character and heritage of the building by enhancing some of the original features, like the back bar and its original mouldings and aged brass, plus we also added gold leaf and distressed mirrors and eco-crackle-glazed tiles. Then there are the ceiling roses, which we highlighted using specialist painting techniques and these look so good.” He continued, “We used arts and crafts wallpapers and on some of the screen-separators. There are a few contemporary touches too, like the metalwork which is a modern, industrialBY JASON CADDY

style in contrast to all the traditional enhancements, and the bright electrical wiring too of course. We also remodelled the raised area opposite the bar to make it more inviting and moved the front door to turn it to the left slightly so that customers weren’t confronted directly with the bar as soon as they came in. They are now more eased into the space.” Said lessee John O’Malley said, “People are desperate for good news at the moment. All the feedback we have had has been extremely positive with both old regulars and all the new faces that have been coming in. I was a little trepidatious about opening in the middle of a pandemic but we have a strong enough product to make it work – and it has. The Drum a new direction that meets the needs of everyone in the community and puts it back on the map. The design is very warm and welcoming and this has been reflected in the majority of the feedback and it’s put life back into a very old property. Each area has its own feel to it, the raised area for food, the brick in the snug and so on. It’s got a little bit of chaos but not because there’s an order to the chaos and I think that you can come in several times and notice something different, and think, ‘Oh I didn’t notice that’ before.” Here’s our design verdict. There are many highlights to it, but let’s start with the exterior. It’s been painted in a bluey-green