Reviving Renton at the Loch Lomond Brewery

Reports that the historic fixtures and fittings are being removed from the Central Bar in Renton comes as the final indignity for a bar that is on CAMRA’s list of historic pub interiors. Closed since 2019, West Dumbartonshire Council gave permission two years later for a change to residential use, signalling the end of the last remaining pub in the town.

The Central Bar is a classic example of a period Scottish pub, dating from 1893 and situated on the ground floor of a tenement, with a semi-circular bar and wooden gantry. Next to a former Jug and Bottle compartment were spirit casks, each, unusually, with two taps. It was used as a film set on several occasions, including the 1986 remake of Whisky Galore.

Renton lies in the Vale of Leven, north-west of Glasgow. I won’t say it’s a tough place but the Romans beat a hasty retreat when they got there. It owed its early development to the clean waters of the River Leven, which spawned bleachfields near the home of the Smollett family. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) was a novelist, playwright and ship’s surgeon and a huge memorial to him stands in the Main Street.

Spanglefish

After his death his sister developed nearby land to house workers in the bleaching and printworks industry, naming it after her daughter-in-law, Cecilia Renton.

The town developed as an industrial hub with renowned sporting eminence. Renton Football Club won the Scottish Cup twice and in 1888 thrashed West Bromwich Albion 4-1, the English FA Cup winners, to become ‘Champions of the United Kingdom and the World’. Alex Jackson, who scored a hat-trick for the Wembley Wizards in a 5-1 win over England, came from Renton, as did the champion boxer Skeets Gallacher. Quoits was very popular in this area and Renton were Scottish champions in 1949.

Alex Jackson at the Angel and Crown, his pub in Covent Garden

After the Second World War US investment helped to build the Strathleven Industrial Estate and attract American companies like Westclox, Burroughs (who made Adding Machines) and later Polaroid. At its peak over 4,000 workers were employed there, providing plentiful business for the six pubs and works social clubs.

Westclox had a staff magazine called Tick Talk. There may be no pub left in the town but the Westclox premises has been repurposed in a ways of interest to other forms of ticking- it is now home to the award-winning Loch Lomond Brewery.

The brewery was started in Alexandria by Fiona and Euan Maceachern in 2011, establishing itself nationally when Southern Summit won the Champion Beer of Scotland in 2017. Two years later they moved to the current premises with a 35hl capacity brewery and space for a tap room that opened in 2022.

At the time of writing the tap room is open Friday and Saturday but from 1 June it will open Thursday to Sunday, ensuring that at least one cask beer will be available. On our recent visit Fiona said she had to be confident of serving it in top condition and using it up. At a recent all Scotland CAMRA branches meeting she put three casks on but didn’t quite sell out, despite more than 60 people attending. Not because the casks weren’t on fine form but because the craft keg beers also went down a storm. A sign of our beer drinking times but also of the beer quality.

Unlike some tap rooms, Loch Lomond is warm, cosy, welcoming and pubby. Brian delivered the trophy for Glasgow CAMRA beer of the year, the deliciously smooth Silkie Stout. This was much enjoyed by our friend Jamie, a dark beer man, whilst reflecting on our failure to find the Mandarin Duck population in nearby Balloch.

Southern Summit, a finely balanced 4% Pale, quaffed well after winning top prize at the recent excellent Paisley Food and Drink Festival. Other beers from the range were sampled with the 10% Crack in the Clouds sour considered a triumph. We will be back.