WILLIE FREW AND HIS PUB

I thought I'd end this recent short, but cheery jaunt up Hawkhill, with how I started it - a visit to Frew's.

Here's the man himself emerging from behind the pillar.

The picture was taken by Moira Bird who, along with fellow Art College pal, Bob McGouldrick, would go there on Friday nights to sell tickets for the Students Union disco down Hawkhill Place.

Willie was known to slip them the odd free pint when they were broke!

The snapshot was taken around Christmas 1977.

Under it is an item from 5 years later - its final night when the pub was closing down.

This was 24 July 1982 to be precise.

Needless to say it was packed inside, and also outside as well.

Bring up the large version to read by giving it a click.

By the way, I missed out on this one because I was away on holiday in France.

Photo courtesy of Bob.

FREW'S - HAWKHILL - 1978

Here's an image I bet many of you have been longing to see - Frew's on the Hawkhill.
It's another of Neale Elder's photographs, this one though he took when he was only 14 years old, using his first camera, a good old Polaroid.
A few years later when he was doing his Higher Art at Craigie High School, he made a model of this very tenement scene!
I suppose the pub and the location has inspired a few folk like artists and musicians. I know Frew's gets a mention in a poem called "Step Row Nights" written by author/poet Scott Martin.
If you check out the comments on Retro about city pubs I posted on 12th January 2010, the Captain gives the lowdown on a few aspects of the pub as well as the variety of characters who frequented it - a diverse a range as it could possibly be in fact - from the "Carry On" team to Jocky Wilson!
Captains log...
And when Willie Frew wasn't in his pub at 157a Hawkhill, he'd be home at 22 Finavon Place.
Both rather humble abodes for someone who has achieved such legendary status in the history of Dundee pubs!