Volunteer Arms, Dalry

A drinkers' pub built in 1870 that has never sold spirits via optics - all are served from the bottle into measures. It has been in the same family for 118 years, the present owner's grandfather owned the pub from 1905. The present owner, Liam McDermott, took over from his father in 1974.  The interior is very little changed since refits in 1958 and 1960 and is therefore a rare survivor.

The public bar was last refitted in 1958 when a snug at the rear of the bar was removed and the original half-moon bar counter was replaced.  The present counter has a slatted vertical timber front that tapers towards the floor and a simple shelved timber gantry installed in 1958 and although not visually exciting and are rare survivors. Back in 1958 there was a snug at the street front which has been removed in recent years and the whole counter moved to the right to meet the window; originally the counter had a side for the snug.

On the left side of the public bar are two sitting rooms created by floor to ceiling wooden partition walls with high level glass panels and separated by a passage from the side door. Each snug has a sliding door from the passage, leatherette fixed seating and bell-pushes but the panelling on the walls was renewed in the mid 1990’s. The bells are still working – one in the passageway is for off sales – each snug and the passage bells have a different pitch and licensees / staff know which is which and some table service still occurs at least daily.

At the rear is an intact lounge created in 1960 from former private accommodation. The lounge has a post-war style bar counter with four ply panels attached, a mirrored gantry at the rear, fixed seating, two tiled fireplaces with timber mantels all of 1960s vintage.

Gents’ looks older than 1960s so possibly former outside ones? Ladies only added in the 1960s. Very good old mirror on rear wall – ‘Glenleven Old Scotch Whisky John Haig & Co, Markinch’. A Wm Murray & Co’s India Pale Ale, Craigmillar Brewery, Edinburgh’ mirror on the partition. In rear snug a ‘Younger’s Pale Ale’ mirror.