Clark's Bar: New owners of Edinburgh 'institution' pub respect tradition with renovation
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The new owners of Edinburgh institution Clark’s Bar said they are proud of the restoration that has revitalised the Dundas Street boozer
The new owner of a historic Edinburgh pub has completed an extensive restoration to return the venue to its 1970s and 1980s prime.
Murray Fraser Hastie, who took over Clark’s Bar on Dundas Street in September, used old photographs to recreate the traditional aesthetic of the local institution.
And it’s had a positive response from those who remember it from its heyday.
Murray said: “What we did was just basically looked online for old photographs of the place and how it used to look back in the ‘70s and the ‘80s and tried to recreate that. Hopefully when people come in, they say, ‘oh, it looks like it hasn't changed much’, but that's actually a bit of a compliment because all of the lighting's completely new, all of the walls, the entire exterior was redone and repainted.
“You know, the only stuff that's still the same is a lot of the mirrors, the fitted seating and these brass tables, but everything else was chosen to try and fit that aesthetic of what it used to look like when it was really in its prime. People talk about it in the ‘70s and the ‘80s when it was just like absolutely full all the time.”
The bar has a reputation as an institution in the city and Murray said it was a no-brainer when the opportunity came up.
Murray said: “The thing about Clark's is it has a reputation and a history associated with it, which is being an institution across different generations, across time. It's quite a special place to a lot of locals and people of Edinburgh. And so when the opportunity came up, I actually just dived at it.
“I've worked in pubs pretty much my whole adult life, in hospitality. And so it's something that I'm really familiar with and understand and kind of get. You know, I get what's important about it and try to bring that back.”
Working alongside bar managers Keir and Eilidh, Murray hopes to help the bar find its way.
“I think it lost its way for a few decades. There used to be an office across the street, which was massive. It was just a very busy thriving place and it's good to see these people coming back in and appreciating it and it's always nice.”
And the message from Murray is ‘simple’.
He said: “Just keeping it really simple, traditional Edinburgh pub, no food, no nonsense, just good beer, good service, clean, and just keeping it simple.
“Not trying to make it anything that it isn't you know and respecting the history and the authenticity of the place and trying to maintain that. I think a lot of pubs are more chains or they're owned by big brands and they're more commercialised and homogenous whereas we're independent and there's fewer and fewer of those these days.”