THOSE, indeed, were the days when upmarket hotels had uniformed doormen, some of whom bore the title of ‘carriage attendant’.
Jimmy Cawley, pictured here hailing a taxi for a guest in December 1957, was a familiar figure outside Glasgow’s Central Hotel - a hotel favoured by many celebrities of the era.
For winter, Jimmy was issued with a heavy coat, which served him well as he was not allowed to leave his post while on duty, according to the book on the hotel (nowadays the Principal Grand Central Hotel) by Bill Hicks and Jill Scott. If he needed assistance he would press he large brass doorbell on the door behind him.
The book also quotes Desmond Lynn, who was taken on as a page boy in the 1950s while a teenager. Jimmy, he recalled, would give him a nod when a rich and famous guest was about to arrive; Desmond, thus alerted, would be well placed to carry the guest’s suitcase up to his or her room, which would inevitably lead to a generous tip.
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