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Glasgow Live
Glasgow Live
National
Craig Williams & David McLean

Recalling Glasgow's lost Star Wars-themed boozer the Jedi Bar

Not everyone out there in the Glasgow galaxy may recall, a long time ago, when the city had its very own Star Wars-themed boozer.

The Jedi Bar, or Bar Jedi as everyone called it, followed in the footsteps of the galactic city neighbour Buck Rogers' Burger Station, which promised visitors the chance to 'Eat in the 25th century' when it opened in 1982.

The long-vanished bar was situated in what is now the uber-trendy Chinaskis Bar & Grill on North Street in the Charing Cross area of the city.

READ MORE: 64 amazing Glasgow photos that'll take you right back to the 1980s

And, far from being a "wretched hive of scum and villainy", as Obi Wan Kenobi might say, the Star Wars boozer really was a thing of beauty.

Featuring a striking exterior with a front door bordered by two huge 'starship' engines, it drew in Star Wars fans and garnered praise from workies for its exterior workmanship.

Inside, the actual bar was a 20ft Darth Vader helmet, and TV screens with stars whizzing past like when folk in the films enter hyperspace, hooked up to games consoles.

There was also a small enclosed beer garden and some circular tables, where, on a Sunday, you'd often find some weekend clubbing casualties napping underneath them.

'Glasgow's first space bar' used to have a weekly house night on a Saturday called Bughouse, as well as an afternoon jams open stage featuring music, poetry and comedy.

The joke is that amid the hot tunes and strong drinks you'd often find it full of seedy characters like the dimly-lit drinking den Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine in A New Hope. And that, following a period of initial success, it went downhill 'in less than 12 parsecs'.

Bar Jedi shut its doors in 2002 to give way to the Bukowski-themed bar, and thus consigned itself to the scrapyard of themed Glasgow bars that were once open in the city.

Also, prior to it closing down, it's believed that the owners had a job lot sale featuring the large Darth Vader bar canopy and helmets, capes, lightsabers and blasters etc.

Bar Jedi gave way to uber-cool pub Chinaskis (Chinaskis/Facebook)

So it might be the case that someone out there has a massive Darth Vader mask fixed above the headboard of their double bed. We will neglect to pass judgement if that's the case.

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