Even without ever having set foot in The Laurieston Bar in Glasgow, many will be familiar with its distinctive layout and interiors which hark back to decades gone by.

The décor, seemingly untouched since the 1960s, is all part of the appeal and something which has earned the Bridge Street boozer a starring role in many a TV and film production over the years, as well as off-duty visits from A-list actors.

Read more: Famous Scottish pub, The Laurieston Bar in Glasgow, sold

The Herald:

In 2022, camera crews descended on the pub to shoot a number of scenes for the gritty cat-and-mouse thriller Deadshot.

The retro-looking space served as the perfect backdrop for the 1970s drama and during the trailer, eagle-eyed viewers can catch a glimpse of a group of actors including Mark Strong gathered around a small table cluttered with half-empty pints and ashtrays.

Succession fans are also sure to recognise the location from the second season of the hit HBO series.

Dundee may have been the centre of the action for the dysfunctional Roy family as patriarch Logan explored his Scottish roots, but a scene in which middle child Roman pulled up a stool in the Glasgow bar before a mixing-up an acquisition of Hearts Football Club and Hibernian FC proved an episode highlight.

The Laurieston also featured in the Bafta-nominated Wild Rose starring Jessie Buckley and almost two decades before then in the 2003 film Young Adam, featuring Scottish talent including Ewan McGregor, Tilda Swinton and Peter Mullan.

Three-part mini-series In Plain Sight, which followed the story of Detective Peter Muncie on his mission to capture serial killer Peter Manual, lists the bar as just one of its Glasgow filming locations.

Even without film TV crews present, the bar's unique charm has attracted some famous clientele, evident in 2019 when staff shared a photo of Mary Queen of Scots stars Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden cosied up in an instantly recognisable red leather booth.

A member of the team later said it was ‘great to have them in’.

In the world of music, the pub has been used for videos from The Fratellis and Franz Ferdinand.

An exterior photo of the bar was used as cover art for a record from The Album Club, a group of music enthusiasts turned artists who had become loyal regulars.

Summing up the feelings of many, Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin took to Twitter in July of this year to describe the place simply as an 'absolute belter' with 'more characters than a computer keyboard'.

 

READ MORE: Scotland's Insider Guide: Laurieston

Last October it was announced that the Laurieston, which has been owned by the Clancy Family for more than four decades, was listed on the market for £750,000.

Owners John and James Clancy said: “In any family business, family is the priority.

"After 40 years serving ‘The Laurieston Bar family’, we would now like to devote more time to serving the Clancy family.

"It goes without saying it will be business as usual until the right buyer is found.”

Today The Herald revealed that the bar had been sold.

The buyer of The Laurieston Bar, at Bridge Street in the Gorbals, is described by selling agent Christie & Co as a “private investor who has confirmed that the business will continue to operate as it has done for over 40 years”.

Christie & Co said it had been "inundated with interest from the outset" of the sale process.

Asked about the identity of the private investor who has acquired the pub, a spokeswoman for Christie & Co replied that the “buyer wishes to remain private”.