Whisky and jazz den planned beneath a Glasgow landmark

Plans have gone in to turn the basement of 16 Robertson Street into a whisky and jazz venue. The A-listed building on the corner of the Broomielaw was the headquarters of the Clyde Navigation Trust, the body that ran everything on the river when Glasgow was one of the great ports of the world, and its basement has never been open to the public. The building itself is worth a moment.

Sir John James Burnet designed it, and it was built in two stages between 1883 and 1908, with sculpture by Albert Hodge including Neptune riding a chariot pulled by seahorses on the roofline. There is a very good carved bull hidden on the facade, easily missed. The Trust wanted a headquarters to rival the City Chambers, and more or less got one.

Glasgow Arts Centre Limited is behind the proposal, working with building owner Peel Waters. The venue would host live music and cultural events alongside locally sourced food and drink, with spirits from producers including the Clydeside Distillery just along the river. If approved, it would sit rather well with the wider investment happening along Glasgow's waterfront. No timeline yet.