Tag Archives: Glasgow Royal Infirmary

Ordinary, Scones

Mabel Mackinlay Tearoom

You can probably tell that the above picture is not the outside of a tearoom. It is, however, a picture of Glasgow Royal Infirmary and inside is a tearoom which is close to our hearts. Pat used to work there on a voluntary basis. In order to explain that a little bit of background is required.

Dorcas Society

In 1862, Beatrice Clugston visited Glasgow Royal Infirmary and found some distressing scenes. It was before Florence Nightingale. Nurses had no training and little understanding of comfort, hygiene or infection. So she set up the Dorcas Society, named after Dorcas, in the Book of Acts who made clothes and did good deeds among the poor and sick. The Dorcas Society would organise three weeks holiday in Dunoon for convalescing patients and their families … those were the days! Photo of Mabel MacKinleyMabel Mackinlay joined the Society at the end of WW1 and soon saw the need for a cup of tea for the outpatients waiting to be seen at clinics.

The tearoom she set up is still going today and generates hundreds of thousands of pounds dedicated to patient welfare. Mabel ran the tearoom on a very strict basis until she retired aged 91. Every day they were on duty each volunteer, usually a doctor’s wife, had to supply a pan loaf made up into sandwiches, 20 cakes and 20 scones. And a clean pinny (apron).

Nowadays, because of the regulations around food handling, it has to be run by paid staff but it wasn’t that long ago that Pat was the Convenor of the Society and ran the clothing room. It provided clean clothing to patients being discharged. We had to be in the Infirmary anyway so we took a wee nostalgia trip to the tearoom. It was late in the day however, just as they were closing, so we were not sure if we would get anything never mind a scone. View of the Mabel MacKinley tearoom of Glasgow Royal Infirmary

Luck was with us however and we just managed to squeeze one in at closing time. To be honest, the scones were not too bad but not too great either. We would urge you though, if you ever find ya scone in the Mabel MacKinley tearoom of Glasgow Royal Infirmaryourself in Glasgow Royal to come here just to buy a scone if nothing else to support the good work of the Dorcas Society. It would make Mabel very proud.

Women of principle

With the general election only about a week away the squabbling and vitriol is not particularly edifying. The Prime Minister’s refusal to debate with other leaders, even though it would not have achieved much, is particularly cowardly. Not the sort of thing that either Beatrice or Mabel would have stood for. They were women of real principle and courage!

G31 2ES     Mabel’s

Scones, Top

The Butterfly & The Pig

4 Comments

tearooms3In what now seems like another life, we actually used to work for a living. Much of it in Glasgow Royal Infirmary. In 1896 the Infirmary was the first in the world to have an operational X-Ray department and that was down to a chap called John Macintyre. He leapt on Röntgen’s invention, just a few days after it was announced, and put it to practical use for the benefit of the people of Glasgow. He even produced the world’s first X-Ray movie of a moving frog’s leg.B&P 03

We mention this simply because he lived almost next door to where we are today at The Butterfly & The Pig Tearoom in Bath Street. As well as being a bit of a clever clogs Macintyre was a well known bon-viveur. Famously throwing soirées for the likes of Dame Nellie Melba, Paderewski, Thomas Edison, Joseph Conrad to name but a few. When you walk into The Butterfly & The Pig, you get the feeling that, if he were here today, he would feel instantly at home in it’s quiet, comfortable atmosphere.

Down to business

Recently we have been avoiding Glasgow because of the disruption caused by the electrification of the Edinburgh/Glasgow railway line. However, unable to throw off some of the doctors we used to do work for, we were in town for a little business. A scone seemed like an obvious optional extra. We loved this place! It has a large restaurant/bar downstairs, a drawing room upstairs. For our scone we were here in the tearoom on the ground floor. B&P 07

We were made to feel very welcome by two girls who genuinely seemed to be happy at their work .. wonderful! There was a choice of, plain, fruit, apple and cinnamon, or berry scones. Pat opted for fruit and I for berry. While we waited, an afternoon tea was delivered to the next table and it looked fabulous.

They certainly don’t hang about with their portions here. It was very much on the generous side. B&P 05Our tea and scones came nicely presented and the scones … also of generous proportions, were fab. Even the berry one was beautifully light and fresh.  B&P 08Little touches like the red currant berries with the cream, the mixed and matched china, the embroidered tablecloth, make all the difference. They combine to create a really nice experience. Great selection of home made cakes as well. Anyway it was good to be back in Glasgow and doubly good to find this place. May even come back for dinner sometime.

Brexit

We cannot quite make up our minds but watching the contortions both sides are going through in the run up to the EU referendum … is it sad or comical? We are sure most folk are completely befuddled. Scotland is well used to it, hence there is not nearly so much excitement up here as there is down south. We have seen all the antics and heard all the lies before … quite recently in fact. Of course, we had Macintyre to help us see through it all .. get it? B&P 04Like most of Scotland we are probably ‘remainers’ though it is a knife edge decision. The very fact that Cameron, who just a few months ago, was threatening to take us out of the dastardly EU, is now telling us how calamitous that course of action would be, almost makes you want to vote ‘leave’.

According to the brexiteers, of course, we are supposed to vote ‘leave’ so that we can have our democracy back. Never mind all the Scottish Lib Dem MPs who were seen as unfit to be MPs by the voting public at the last general election and voted out of office. Now they sitting in the House of Lords, still ruling over us. If that is UK democracy then we may as well just have the crappy EU version. We think that David Cameron would like it here. By all accounts he has a fondness for pigs and judging by his flighty stance on the EU he may like butterflies as well. Whatever happens it won’t make a whole lot of difference. There is always this oasis of calm to retreat to for a topscone.

G2 4SQ      tel: 0141 243 2459       The Butterfly & The Pig Tearooms

Scones, self-service

St Mungo Museum

1 Comment

This place, St Mungoi Museum of Religious Life, is very familiar. We both used to work in the adjacent Glasgow Royal Infirmary which you can see in the background on the left.

cafe area at the Museum of Religious L:ife, Glasgow
cafe area

We would sometimes come here for lunch if we wanted a change of scene. Also to look at Salvador Dali’s, Christ of St John of the Cross, bought by Glasgow in the 50s and now estimated to be worth in excess of £60m. Apparently Dali wanted £12,000 but Glasgow made him an offer he couldn’t refuse – £8,200 .. we dread to think. Didn’t see it this time though as it has been moved to the city’s Kelvingrove Gallery. The museum itself is interesting. It was built in 1989  and designed to reflect the architecture of the Bishops’ Castle which stood on this site in the 17th century. It aims to bring together differing faith systems and promote greater understanding.

Zen

It has Britain’s first zen garden and a Clooty Tree, which we always thought was a solely Tibetan tradition. Apparently, though, it is also Scottish, dating back to pre-Christian times. We don’t know of anywhere else where you can see so many works of art and other artefacts brought together from the six big religions: Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism and Sikhism. All sitting side by side, displaying the huge diversity of belief systems. Also the extraordinary lengths believers go to in creating these amazing artefacts. Each and every one designed to appeal to hearts and minds.

Nicola Sturgeon, a well known sconey, was after hearts and minds yesterday as she delivered her keynote speech to the SNP conference. A speech that the leaders of other parties must have wished they could have delivered. One of strength and unity. A scone at the Museum of Religious Life in GlasgowSince this place is all about understanding we wonder at the lack of understanding from Westminster for Scotland’s desire to simply stand on it’s own two feet. It’s not such a big ask, surely? Okay, okay, what about the scones?

Well the café area is pleasant enough and in keeping with the architecture of the rest of the building. Their scones, however,(bought in) are best described as ‘ordinary’. Don’t let that put you off visiting the museum.

part of the zen garden
part of the zen garden

G4 0RH       tel: 0141 276 1625      Museum of Religious Life & Art