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Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 9:52 am
by My Kitten
Come on chaps, back to topic ;)

Re:

PostPosted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 3:13 pm
by Sydney Rosewater
Here, Ye kin see ma hoose in this photie:
Image[/quote]

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 11:31 pm
by Southside
I also remember the computer game stall, ma dad used to take me every sunday to get a few games, they used to copy them infront of you, always good for the old championship manager or sensible soccer games

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 7:36 am
by conn75
Th Barras, as I see it, has no future because of one thing - the internet. Specifically ebay. Well, more the way the stall holders refuse to budge on their prices even when they know they're not worth what they're asking and you can get it online for half the price or less. I've even heard more than one stallholder bitching about ebay and the way that everyone tries to get the price cheaper because they've seen it sell on ebay for less, or something along those lines.

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:25 am
by mooshimooshisan
Having briefly considered taking a unit at the Barras last year, I have to say the management of the stallholders is a bit dodgy too. The guy who is part of the family who own(ed?) the Barras was great - very flexible and supportive. The guy who was supposed to be "in charge" on the other hand was as helpful as a kick in the face with a pointy shoe, turning up 2 hours late on one occasion to a meeting reeking of booze!

Agreed on the ebay thing - you can get a lot of the stuff for much cheaper and without having to go out in the pishing rain. However, there is no van selling jumbo hotdogs and mini donuts in my living room, so it's still worth a wander up now and again.

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 9:39 am
by conn75
There's one specific stallholder in the Old Washhouse or Washroom, whatever it's called, who has a lot of different things but specifically old electronic gear and cameras (the main reason I always pop along to his stall for a look). He's a grumpy old sod, though, and won't even hear of any sort of discussion on the ridiculous price he probably set 5 years ago for the item when he originally bought it in. I've never bought anything from him, save an old pewter teapot of some kind, but I would if he would just realise that he's never going to sell anything at the prices he's set and won't budge on. He's going to die leaving a stall full of stuff that he could have easily sold and made several thousands of pounds out of and fucked off on a world cruise or something with plenty left over for when he gets back. Old git.

Hahaha, I'll stop having a go at him now.

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:29 am
by cheesemonster
I think I know the guy you mean!
Certainly I once enquired about some stuff from a guy that fits this description, something odd happened though, argh, can't remember what exactly, like there was something i wanted to buy from him but he wouldn't let me...

I get that feeling from a lot of stall holders, that they don't actually want a sale!

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:49 am
by conn75
Regarding the teapot that I did buy off him - he wanted a fiver for it, I offered him £4...something like that. Anyway, he snatched it back off me, cursed under his breath and mumbled something about 'no way...blah blah blah', and slammed it back down on the table. I left him to sit grumbling to himself, but my girlfriend went back and gave him a fiver for it. She sort of felt sorry for him for some weird reason. I don't understand it. If you're going to be that miserable you're getting nothing from me...

::):

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Tue Jan 15, 2008 10:50 pm
by HollowHorn
rdt2 wrote:Nope -'barra' being a Glaswegian form of 'barrow', 'Barrowlands' would contract to "Barra's"

Hmmmmm, I wonder.

From 'Old Glasgow' Cant & Lindsay, 1947:
The East Port, or Eist Barras Yet, originally stood on the west side of the Molindinar burn, but in 1646 it was advanced to the east bank, here it persisted until 1754. The South Port, or Nether Barras Yet, stood at the foot of Walkergait (Saltmarket)

See below map for location of the Yets:
Image

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:13 am
by crusty_bint
Very interesting map HH, I've never seen it before (I'm slipping! ::): )! So does 'barras' actually refer to wheel barras like my granny told me? *strokes chin

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 6:58 am
by Josef
As a surname, Barras means

English: of uncertain origin; perhaps a topographic name for someone who lived by the outworks of a fortress, Old French barrace, or a place among trees.


and yett :
A yett is a gate.
The prison yett
...as daft as a yett on a windy day
In place names such as the Yetts o Muckhart, a yett is a pass running between hills. yett is an Old English variant of gate.

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:44 am
by Fossil
I have the same map ::):
crusty do you want a copy?

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:12 pm
by crusty_bint
Interesting, thanks for that Josef! So I wonder now if 'barras' refers to some form of fortification around the east and south ports - obviously I realise Glasgow was never a fortified or walled city but it would make sense to guard a gate/port if you're going to go to the bother of erecting one in the first place?

Fossil, would love a copy of the map! Ya big show aff... ::):

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 3:45 pm
by Fossil
crusty_bint wrote:Interesting, thanks for that Josef! So I wonder now if 'barras' refers to some form of fortification around the east and south ports - obviously I realise Glasgow was never a fortified or walled city but it would make sense to guard a gate/port if you're going to go to the bother of erecting one in the first place?

Fossil, would love a copy of the map! Ya big show aff... ::):

will do Crusty. Its a photocopy. See you friday

Re: The Barras and its future

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:11 pm
by HollowHorn
Crusty, he'll forget. :roll:

The maps:
Image

Image

And the full text regarding the Ports:
Image

Image

If the 'Eist Barras Yett' has nothing to do with the name of the present site, then it's one hell of a coincidence.