Four years ago I featured the University Café in Byres Road in this category. In December 2014 I spotted two more examples of the deco style in Glasgow cafés.

This is the frontage of the Central Café in Saltmarket. Absolutely typical thirties lettering:-

And this is the King’s Café in Elmbank Street. Again typical lettering but note here the two lines to the left of the K of King’s and the underlining of ing’s and afé. This underlining motif is repeated in red on the glass of the lower window. The blue and gold lettering further up – not shown to best advantage here due to the street furniture – not to mention the curved lines, is also delightful:-

Right next door to King’s Café on the corner of Elmbank and Sauchiehall Streets (and directly opposite the Beresford Hotel) is the Variety Bar. Not perhaps true deco lettering but close enough:-

None of these are signature buildings but they are pleasant to come across.

I found this one on Great Western Road. There seems to be a garden on its roof. Probably accidentally.

When it was The Botanic Gardens Garage – you can just about make out the wordage above the doorway on the left by the Arnold Clark sign – I once hired a car from this one (in nineteen hundred and long time ago.) It’s just off Byres Road, on Vinicombe Street, opposite the Salon Cinema as was.

These two are cheek by jowl on Byres Road itself, down past University Avenue. It’s mainly the lettering that’s deco. The chippie is excellent. I can’t remember ever going into the cafe. I suspect they have the same proprietor, though. They are well placed for trade from students. As is most of Byres Road to be fair.

During the summer we took a trip to Glasgow to roam around my old haunts in the West End. (I spent seven years at The University, Glasgow, doing my B. Sc. and Ph. D.)

Actually we frequently go across, the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery is always worth a visit; so was the Transport Museum till its recent closure preparatory to a move and Byres Road is always interesting.

The Botanic Gardens are just over Great Western Road from Byres Road.

I took some photos of the big glasshouse known as the Kibble Palace. It’s hard to get the whole thing in one shot. You can still see the BBC Scotland sign on the building over the road behind it. It’s a while now since they decamped down to Pacific Quay, over the Clyde from the SECC and Armadillo.

Below is the main dome from the side nearest the Kelvin river.

This one was taken through the railings separating the Gardens from Queen Margaret Drive.

There were loads of people about. There usually are. The Botanics is a well-loved Glasgow haunt.