The Barras market - Glasgow - 1986

Excerpts of interviews with traders and customers at the Barras market in the Calton, Glasgow in 1986. Footage was part of public access documentary 'The Barras- Is There Still A Market For It?', aired on the Clyde Cable Vision network in 1986.
Interviewees include 'Battling' Betty McAllister, legendary founding member of the Calton Residents Association, who succesfuly fought Glasgow City Council on their plans for substandard housing and 'regeneration' in the area.
She became famous for eviscerating local politicains with her motto: "If you shout loud enough, they'll listen". She made it her life's work to fight for the rights of her neighbours in the communities of Calton and the Barras, where she ran a fish shop in Bain Street.
Filmed and produced by John McNeill and David Henretty © 1986

[@chrismcnulty7826]

I remember walking around The Barra's as a wee boy in the 80's. Watching this is like a trip down memory lane. So nostalgic!

[@williamhutchison6400]

The 70's was much better

[@Delboy219]

@@williamhutchison6400 Swinging 60s was better, bro.

[@charlesmancat7666]

I can go back to the spot at the Barra's, where in 1956 my Dad and I, stopped and watched two pups rolling around playing in an old shoe box, in the middle of a large barrow, I was amazed at their antices, so much so every time my Dad tried to get me to head for the bus home, I would stand my ground, and ask for "just five more minutes, after a few more delays, my Dad asked the owner of the battling mongrels " how much are they?" The owner 'replayed "ten bob each" Dad looked down at a dumb struck me, " the brown and white one, brown and white" I strugeed to get the words out, before Dad could chance his mind. I travelled home to Uddingston by bus with my little mixed breed Laddie tucked down my jumper.

[@charlesmancat7666]

Sorry should read "before Dad could (change) his mind, I loved that dog.

[@mol588]

@@charlesmancat7666 Aww, what a beautiful post that really warmed my heart as I can imagine how amazed and thrilled you were at the same time .. That was a lovely thing your Dad did for you that day, eh, and wee Laddie too, landing on his feet, going to his Forever Home in Uddingston ❤

[@ItsRael108]

Great memory's

[@territaylor8082]

What an absolute treat of a video. Brought a wee tear to my eye seeing my aunty Betty @6:00 she was a very beloved member of the community.

[@gaffnaldo1]

Is that really ur auntie Betty mate?

[@territaylor8082]

@@gaffnaldo1 yup, my great aunty

[@gaffnaldo1]

@@territaylor8082 fantastic. Must be brilliant seeing her again and looking well

[@lindagallagher3711]

Loved the Barras we used to go on a Sunday! The patter of the stallholders was soo funny! Brilliant atmosphere and great stuff!

[@sofakingdrunk66]

Fantastic place back in the day. The Barras was full of Characters and wee hidden gems..

[@iandavidthomson6428]

This is brilliant I remember all of the stall holders use to love the patter when they selling great video

[@padraig4530]

The counterfeiting scum and drug dealers. ruined the Barras

[@grobbler1]

Used to be a brilliant place with a great vibe. For me, it started going downhill in the late 1990's when some of the secondhand prices were dearer than the new item. The car boot markets pretty much finished off what was left of a once great institution.

[@mohammadrazaq405]

Lived with my family across the barras from 1974. This film brought back many memories. Remember Benny’s fruit shop where it took 10 minutes to find tomatoes because fruit and veg.was lying everywhere.

[@FallenAngelEnemy]

I’m a 90s kid and I used to love when we went a trip to the barras, always got great bargains and always ended up with new clothes or toys, I went a couple of years ago when I had my first baby and it’s lost it’s spirit, it’s not the same now 😔

[@felina7849]

Nothings the same anymore. Not just the Barras. Whos to blame? Not the market traders thats for sure. Its the people who stopped going there who caused its downfall in pursuit of something a little bit cheaper than dirt cheap.

[@roundgreenthing]

Fell in love for the first time at the Barra's market. Oh man, those sugar donuts. :)

[@brnfrederick]

The sense of humour of some of the stall holders. “Get your stolen Marks and Spencer underwear here “ priceless.

[@CaropBec]

Who says they're joking? 😅

[@alzyerpal-TV]

Knickers down here ! 😊

[@dmcc757]

That was Arthur mcvickerys line, he sold the underwear, his other line was, "as advertised on crimewatch UK "

[@alexfraser296]

My parents always took us here when we were wee, I was born 1980 and I remember going down there since I was about 8 or 9:year old, we used to have a routine on a Sunday at home, big fry up breakfast, head off to blochairn fruit market for the car boot sale then head off to the Barras and maybe town after or home, also remember going down on Christmas Eve and it was always exciting.

[@markfairfield1552]

loved the barras, mum used to take us every Christmas Eve and it was bargain central, used to see some scraps over the latest toys

[@Megan-zz2co]

Amazing to see it in its prime, my dad dragged me when I was young in the late 90’s, a lot of memories, tobacco man yelling, doughnut lady inside selling fresh doughnuts with sugar in top great times, it’s changed so much now, and slowly but surely the Barras will be no more. Very sad 😔

[@wdunn06]

Same story for me. Dragged along too, brutal going to it now. Its stone dead.

[@user-lw8lf6nw2wjr]

Naw! The Barras urney deid! The Barras urr pritty much alive!

[@user-lw8lf6nw2wjr]

​@@wdunn06 yer wrang. The Barras is still gawn on a Seturday and Sundae

[@celtictony]

Loved kicking about the barras as s teenager in the 80's ...brilliant

[@graememckay9972]

Had many trips here as well as Wishaw and Ingliston growing up. The rise of car boot sales was the final nail after the open air markets were filled with pirate dvds and computer knock offs and constantly raided by trading standards. Went from a family trip to being intimidated by conmen selling fakes.

[@The13thDukeofWybourne]

Muscles and Whelks at the Loch Fyne in yhe 70s as kid! Happy Days!❤

[@mol588]

A love the Barras 💗

[@jamesrock5398]

Ah luv the BARRAS, tae

[@spangles3654]

I was born near Edinburgh and moved through to Glasgow 1975 when i married, i was a regular at the barras nearly every weekend, i loved it.

[@catherinearciniegas9481]

Living abroad now for past 16 years this was so nostalgic i was brought up in the east end of Glasgow and went to the barras as a child and into my adult life and remember all these faces of the sellers the underwear lady and the jewler and the crockery guy this was fantastic

[@dennycraig8483]

That knicker selection was something to behold.. God bless the lass wearing those.

[@iandavidthomson6428]

Brilliant great memories

[@thepatnabull3722]

I'm 19 but from a young age have always loved the 80s the music the daily life ect watching videos like these is so cool for me I honestly was born in the wrong era I really was

[@jdh6752]

I was in high school from 1984-89, and I don't rate the 80s much. I loved the 90s though.

[@annother3350]

@@jdh6752 88 and 89 were the summers of love!! Where were ya?!

[@jdh6752]

@@annother3350 In rural Scotland plotting my escape!

[@thehound9638]

There's just an 80s nostalgia at the moment and you've picked up on it. Probably watching stranger things eh? Well trust me you never missed much, all that really happened was Thatcher smashed the unions and everything started being imported from abroad. That's why these markets don't exist Primark exists instead.

[@annother3350]

@@thehound9638 Never missed much?! It was a fabulous decade

[@janetmackinnon3411]

I remember in the eightie a sign "Hauf-died plants hauf-price". Great days

[@ianstewartorr8455]

The Barras is part of our culture

[@CaropBec]

Was... not much left, sadly

[@Cypher791]

I found a stall here that had a lot of army surplus type things… I’d have bought every thing he had if I could have carried it all home I loved all that stuff 😁

[@stilravin]

I used to know the guys ur talking about they opened a shop called war &peace in candleriggs when the barras shut 😀

[@jackbrown2325]

I took my love to the barras , and bought her a Golden ring , but a ring that you buy at the barrs is the first thing that turns green in the spring .

[@chriswardlaw5733]

Cheap goods from overseas killed the Barras. We used to get all our back to school clothes in the Barras every year. Nowadays, shops like premark have made those clothes traders redundant.

[@felina7849]

And rightly so. People want as much value for money as possible.

[@mybeautifulmatilda500]

In the late 50’s, I remember my father going into Glasgow to visit the Barras. The journey took him about an hour to get there by bus. He was looking for a gift for my mothers birthday. In the end he spotted some beautiful highly decorated china cups and saucers. He bought a set of six and was really excited with his purchase. When he handed the gift to my mother she was horrified to find that instead of china crockery , she was now the proud owner of a set chipped British Rail cups that were stained and cracked. I remember going to stay with my grannie for quite a while until the noise died down. My mother never forgave him for that.

[@jimcool8658]

Thats a good 1 total ripped right off laugh at it now no doubt

[@HaggisMuncher-69-420]

Your mother sounds awful and ungrateful. I'm sorry you had to deal with a parent like that

[@causethatshow]

@@HaggisMuncher-69-420 hahaha

[@robertdoyle687]

Used to work on a stall in Kent St - learned a lot of life skills there 😂

[@anthonywoods6045]

Was here in the 90s lots of people had the Glasgow smile.

[@zigosaleh555]

Woooow that was the year I moved to Glasgow came from Iraq I was 11 at the time moved with my parents my dad moved to UK to study PHD at Glasgow University the Barras Market my parents use to shop from it every weekend they Loved it too many quality item to purchase at very cheap prices I still visit The Barras every time I visit Glasgow the last time I visited this place 3 years ago it’s still the same but unfortunately is not as busy as it use to be and many stoles have been shut down now. The faces do look familiar to me back in the day in late 80s I think I do recognise some of them surely they all passed away now

[@JohnLindsay-zc5fe]

Good place when I was younger ❤

[@234cheech]

i saw the best and last of this market late 80s early 90s then it it started to go

[@kanifuker721]

Had a great rummage and walk round The Barras when i was up a couple of years ago. Definitely recommend, lovely friendly stall holders.

[@Danny-jv7lg]

I worked in the Barras on my grandas stall and hung about there as a young Mod, still a Mod today, 40 years later.

[@craigross341]

The guy selling the Belgian rolling tobacco would stand with just three packets and his mate with the rucksack full would stand a discrete distance away. I saw the polis chasing him: exactly playground "chasy": "C'mere you". VAT dodger laughs and wriggles free!

[@cherrypeaches1868]

Absolutely Brilliant really enjoyed watching this wee film. i remember my mum taking me to glasgow to get the latest style of girls clothing she took me to Rita's and id get spoilt for my christmas dance at high school. Aye the good auld days. Miss thum.

[@scotiajinker8392]

I remember going to the barras with my mum, she would go in every week to buy net curtains. I was wee but at school & bored out of my mind sitting on the floor listening to the guy saying .. not £2 , not £1.50 not £1 .. to you ladies 50p . Not a hand went up , ok then he said ten Bob , every hand went up . I was sitting there thinking that’s the same thing . The money had just changed over.

[@ohidontknow1061]

I remember the guy selling net curtain getting down to 10p and, when one hand went up, he told her to keep the 10p and put it in the meter to gas herself! Bill's Tool Store was another favourite, my Dad took me there many years ago.

[@carolburke9153]

You made me smile. ☺

[@faithh1889]

That's just how I remember it about a set of Delft, I was amazed nobody was taking up the 1st, 2nd & 3rd price drops then the stallholder went into that speil. I loved it, but only visited once as we were living abroad. That was late 70's.

[@IanBroon1]

Used to love the Barras, I also remember Charlie Diamond car dealer.👍🏻

[@margarettownsley9500]

Love this video thank you for sharing brings great memories when I was a child around the early 70s with mother and father god rest them she loved the Barras and wanted to buy everything and I can hear my dad for god sake woman are you ready to go home now 😂

[@TheStefmcd]

Great wee video. Remember Kurt the jeweler well. A trip to the Barras was a day's entertainment in itself.

[@paullacey2999]

I went there as a nipper.Remember a stall that sold sectarian material,one side for Celtic,and the other side Rangers,IRA and UVF side by side.Dannys DoNuts made tasty donuts and candyfloss too.Guys selling cutains and meat chops,the banter was electric.You could by some knocked off conterfeit stuff as well.It was a doorway into another world,amazing at Christmas time too.I went there recently and it has all but vanished.We also had Paddys Market too,but thats another story...

[@Druidy0]

Sad to hear it's gone now

[@Delboy219]

@@Druidy0 It's still there. It's just cleaner and less mobbed.

[@stilravin]

I've still got towels I bought in 1981🤣maybe time to throw them out🤣🤣

[@kev000000000000000]

Brilliant!!

[@zamiadams4343]

Brilliant wee documentary on "Ra barras" i was up there every Saturday, you could get a hold of anything .

[@jeffmurray6219]

Used to go with my parents in the 60s. I still have an African wooden mask that I bought there as a wee boy.

[@johnmcaulay5938]

That was when the Barras was the Barras. A real market.

[@titteryenot4524]

Always thought it dealt in fakes.

[@alexisorr1594]

It’s about time we brought it back to what it was, stop going to all these branded shitty shops, I’d love the chance to go to the barras and get EVERYTHING the way I used to, I stayed in the flat above the sarry heed in the mid 90s I loved it, the barras of fruit and socks getting set up from like 4.30 am, getting woke up with the boys shouting “get yer socks” 10 pairs £2, getting a bag of oranges bags of apples peaches bananas the lot and still go change back from a fiver, the butcher guy was tremendous ❤

[@nelzmcmillan9237]

Miss the barras,the butchers was amazin.

[@davidneary5772]

Whelks&Mussels fae the Barrasford was a treat.

[@ItsRael108]

1986 a blast from the good ol days when i was 21yo

[@starofdavid9919]

Thanks to Glasgow city council this is now a shadow of its former self along with Paddy,s market these were fantastic places for all sorts of people, just absolute snobbery on behalf of Glasgow district council.

[@ItsRael108]

Over the years ive spoke with some great peeps up the barra's their the salt of the earth

[@sofakingdrunk170]

Sunday afternoons with ma maw an da, back in the early 90s those where the dayz 😁😁😁

[@seanmaher7733]

A piece of cultural history. I can compare this to mid eighties Manchester, particularly Moss Side, Rusholme and Dickenson Road Market.

[@Tokiofritz]

Way i see it, Glasgow died when the Barras died. This new, superficial and shallow city has lost its soul.

[@Srikchik]

@Jambo M You have no clue about the economic benefit of foreign students I guess. Other things you mentioned is of concern though.

[@felina7849]

Like literally every other city in the UK? @Jambo M Glasgow didnt "die" when a very small market lost some of its trade. And it certainly didn't "die"😆 You know its still there, right? Lost a lot of footfall thats for sure but dead? No.

[@Silverwing4137]

Well said , so true Tokiofritz

[@roddymcniven8734]

Bollox

[@williamburke738]

Glasgow will NEVER lose its soul!

[@violetanndoherty6872]

Miss all the people and sellers from those days. Sadly its empty now. All the patter is gone

[@Silverwing4137]

2023 , watching this planing on going there tomorrow to speak to a guy about coins

[@geokidd0]

brilliant!

[@sylviabrown9790]

From Aberdeen but love Glasgow .

[@TrolleyDodger.]

I was stationed at Holy Loch (USS Hunley) and the wife and I would go to the market once in a while... there were a lot of good buys at the market. We bought a lot of baby cloths.

[@QE2Glasgow]

Is that you at 1:38? He has USS Huntley hat on.

[@TrolleyDodger.]

@@QE2Glasgow I did wear one while on duty but no, that's not me. I couldn't understand a lot of the Scots let alone speak like one. My wife understood them pretty good.

[@QE2Glasgow]

Blueberry That guy is wearing a cap that says USS "something" though isn't he. It looks like Hunley to me. Did somebody steal your cap when you visited the Barras?

[@QE2Glasgow]

I've been to the USA 3 times. It's a far better country, better weather, friendlier people. I like the fact you cheer and clap when the planes land in the USA.👍

[@TrolleyDodger.]

@@QE2Glasgow Looks like mine , but that’s not. I never wore mine off duty and before I transferred out I bought two extra and forgot about them until we moved. Both are still like the day I bought them and that indeed does say USS Hunley.

[@anthonysmith2714]

It's sad to see the barras reduced to a wee square compared to the bustling metropolis it used to be. The internet has robbed us of human contact & took the fun out of getting a bargain.

[@sometimesalive3681]

Still remember motor bike shop garage across fae bills tools

[@Stu-SB]

Barras were great when we were wee, it was a day out..magic

[@jamiefoyers2800]

Best bootlegs in the Barras. When there was a band on at the venue the night before...guaranteed by the end of the week it would be on sale!. Used to have a good wander around there in the 90's. Wasn't just about the music...you got good stuff on the stalls. There was a documentary on at the weekend on BBC ALBA that was a good watch about the market and the venue.

[@flemtone]

The Barras is going through a re-awakening with new stalls and food areas opening up.

[@TheExStig]

@@Cassimba Don't, the surrounding area is 'dodgy' with some right bampots wandering about, the place is a mess, a disgrace to Glasgow sadly. Needs bulldozed.

[@ianay]

Shame there was no mention of the guys selling rip off music, games and movies that used to frequent the Barras

[@foxgutdaata]

Not many games to ripoff in ‘86 tbf!

[@Bluesea1690]

Would have been videos just starting to be copied. Dvds and cds were late 90s as thats when the burners to copy them were more avaliable

[@hooverboy2331]

There was loads of stalls doing copied c64 and spectrum games in '86

[@johnmcneill6755]

Those type of stalls wouldn't give us permission to film them, for obvious reasons! (John McNeill - Kling Films)

[@CaropBec]

Used to be some great stalls inside with bootleg cassettes, loved browsing there and can remember purchasing a dodgy copy of Neil Young's "On the Beach" before it had been reissued. Felt like some kind of holy grail 😄

[@AlexanderSmith21]

My dad knew old charles diamond castle st motors charles passed away and sadly missed

[@frankmcnally01]

Loved the Barras, mostly full of crap but great to see how the people react to the sales

[@cherrypeaches1868]

Got a bit carried away there .. i loved going to the barras for the wee cake stall their chocolate mint slice's they were the damage.. good wee fortune teller there too!

[@lindamcharie1264]

I remember going here with my late husband about 20 years ago..l was standing waiting to buy a coffee from a drinks van when l heard a scuffle right next to me... turned turned round to see what what it was.... couldn't believe my eyes..a lad was hit over the head by someone with a hammer...and he just got up and walked off..😂

[@seanrobertson9589]

Is that Scotland manager Steve Clarke at 1min 40 ?

[@stevielyon585]

Remember getting my pic taken with a monkey in the barras for 50 p still have that pic 🤣

[@alexisorr1594]

It’s about time we brought it back to what it was, stop going to all these branded shitty shops, I’d love the chance to go to the barras and get EVERYTHING the way I used to, I stayed in the flat above the sarry heed in the mid 90s I loved it, the barras of fruit and socks getting set up from like 4.30 am, getting woke up with the boys shouting “get yer socks” 10 pairs £2, getting a bag of oran 10:08 ges bags of apples peaches bananas the lot and still go change back from a fiver, the butcher guy was tremendous ❤

[@buffaloalbertz1690]

Used to love going round The Barras wi ma Granda at the weekend. Hadn't been down for years and took a walk doon about 4 or 5 year ago..........fuck me its a shambles now Very sad

[@TheShayster7]

My mates Dad used to have a stall showing his Artex work around this time

[@Karen-ck3im]

I remember the top flat cafe😊

[@stilravin]

Who remembers the black balloons u got at the barras I loved them😅

[@stilravin]

Hi

[@stilravin]

@rumba rumba I'm 62🤣I love my dance music I've lots on my channel GBX being at the top🤣 I presume ur into dancing with ur cool username 😀

[@sha.37]

Just gid auld days!

[@stewartfullerton1965]

The Barrowlands Neon Sign was new at the time.

[@carolinenorman6141]

About 20 years ago I took my home made earrings for one day it was rainy and windy and I was near the door the woman at the wall had bricca brac and a heater and a kettle she said come over here for a heat and a coffee. Just then a man came in he looked like an academic a professor he was American she told him to come back later. She said he has antique shops in New England a posh part of America she said " I cut out old prints from old books and put them in old frames and he buys them for his antique shops "

[@ghostnation6950]

Happy day's when the barras was good.

[@craigross341]

A couple of years before this - maybe 82 - my mate found a sawn off shotgun in a tray of stuff!

[@davidsinclair2110]

The real Glasgow

[@titteryenot4524]

As opposed to … ?

[@johnwatt2999]

Aaahhhh they were the days auld Scotland

[@robertgemmell1485]

Christ I hope my wife doesn’t bring home those knickers to restart our marriage…………they won’t fit me.

[@biggdogg99848]

A bought a watch for my burd aff that guy was good quality lasted a few months lol

[@AlexanderSmith21]

Charles diamond is an old friend of my dads and my dad was a source for cars which my father sold cars to Charles diamond as Charles is no longer with us 😢

[@thapthoptheep2076]

Grew up in Brigton so spent a lot a time doon ra barras watchin ma mate rattle his maws change on the puggies.

[@jgilmac6765]

In those days you could buy the lid off your Grannies coffin even after they buried her 😂😂

[@agc4556]

Was that Bill Bryson at 7:50 ?

[@crawfordpollock1996]

The jeweller Mr Cook from Bishopbriggs

[@ianmac3648]

Absolute fucking tip

[@Dss322]

Big guy..... this is going to save my wife endless work haha

[@craigross341]

7:51 I thought that was Bill Bryson.

[@DesmoDreams]

I think you might be right!

[@John-vw3lr]

I remember in the 60s in the Barras with my Dad and seeing a man drinking a purple liquid from a milk bottle and I asked my dad what it was…… Methylated Spirts my Dad replied.

[@JohnLindsay-zc5fe]

I'm a paisley boy

[@AFV85]

Good old days honest to a degree but never a scumbag bumper like some today! Always able to get something resolved no bother same we Dundee back in the day now you wouldn't even go into town unless absolutely necessary!

[@tommyhoops1888]

I've never been 😮