The Barras is 100 years old - send us your favourite market moments

The Glasgow Times is looking for your fond memories of the celebrated market, which marks its 100th birthday this year.

Former customers and relatives of stallholders recall it as a busy, vibrant place, full of characters.

Robert Brownlie, from Knightswood, said: “The patter was like a script oot Only Fools and Horses.”

Lorraine Ankers fondly recalled her grandparents being stallholders at The Barras where they sold second hand clothes and shoes.

The Barras, 1955. Pic: Harry Moulson Herald & Times

“Old Jeannie was famous for her foul language,” she laughed. “One time, my grandad placed down his lunch to serve a customer and when he returned somebody had taken a bite out of his sandwich and left the poor man with a half-eaten piece.”

There are moving stories amid the jokes and laughter. Fifteen years ago, aged 18, Alex Henderson was devastated when his twins were stillborn at 24 weeks.

The Cumbernauld teenager set out to do the unthinkable task of buying a headstone for his beloved boys and “came across a wee stall by accident” at the Barras.

“I will never forget the stallholders who were so nice and helpful,” he said.

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Patricia McKinlay remembers her grandparents, Martha and “big” John Foy, who lived on Moncur Street and had a second hand clothes stall. Her grandfather had a “big barra” that he kept in in his old washhouse.

Selling tablet at the Barras, 6d a bar, 1949. Pic: Herald and Times

She remembers helping the cake man to pack up his confectionery and having “the perk of getting all the damaged goods including caramel wafers and ginger cake free of charge.”

The East Kilbride woman recalled: “The stall holders were a community - like family. If someone wanted to go for lunch, the stall holders around them would keep an eye on their stall until they got back.”

The Barras were founded in 1921 by Bridgeton woman Maggie McIver - no mean feat in an era when business was dominated by men.

Social history expert Dr Fiona Skillen said: “Maggie was a real entrepreneur. She started the market back in the 20s when the city council were trying to stop street trading, she provided land where traders could set up their stalls and sell safely to the public.”

She added: “Maggie’s astute business sense along with her no-nonsense approach led to huge success and she died a multimillionaire in 1958. Her legacy is more far reaching than a successful business empire - she inspired generations of businesswomen.”

Alexandra Munro worked in Gordon’s shoe shop at the corner of the Barras when she was just 14.

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She admits: “My selling skills weren’t up to much and I accidentally sold a pair of odd sized shoes to a man who wore them for a week before he discovered one foot was a size seven and the other an eight. My boss wasn’t amused but kept me on anyway.”

Alexandra, who became a district nurse in Glasgow, added: “I’m 68 now but my memories are still crystal clear. I loved the atmosphere.”

Maggie McIver, founder of The Barras

Fashion marketing expert Dr Cara Connell agrees the atmosphere at the Barras is one “that you don’t get anywhere else”.

The senior lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University said: “It holds such a unique sense of history and atmosphere that there is this feeling of nostalgia and excitement that you get shopping there.”

In a miserable year for the retail sector Dr Connell believes events of late have “possibly made customers far more appreciative of shopping destinations like the Barras.”

She added: “Online shopping may be convenient but there’s no experience attached to it; it’s a functional, emotionless process. For most of us. taking a trip to The Barras in the future will really feel like a proper day out.”

Send us your memories of the Barras.