The notorious Edinburgh landlady who fired a gun and waved a sword at last orders

There's nothing worse than enjoying a night out and having it spoiled when staff announce last orders. Before you know it the lights are on, chairs are being re-arranged and punters start to leave in droves.

However, if those behind the bar were swinging a bladed weapon and threatening to fire a starter pistol in your general direction, you'd be more than happy to down your drink and make a swift exit.

One Edinburgh pub where this no-nonsense approach was very much the norm was the Old Chain Pier in Newhaven's Starbank Road, an establishment that once run by the inimitable Betty Moss.

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In the 1960s, the fearless publican, whose family had owned the famous seaside howff for generations, carved a lasting impression on drinkers that is still talked about to this day.

Described as being short and elderly, but universally known for her tough exterior, razor sharp wit and exotic choice in garb that included a kimono, oriental slippers and bamboo-framed spectacles, Betty was nothing if not a memorable figure.

The pub itself, which was reputedly in ramshackle condition and falling to bits during her tenure, was also a sight to behold.

Items on display around and behind the bar included several dangerous looking swords, a few ornamental pink elephants and a rather macabre collection of shrunken heads alongside a couple of wooden casks that allegedly contained the remains of her past husbands. The walls of the pub were decorated with postcards from all over the world.

It's also said Betty was known for her love of Irish folk music, which was forever blasting out of a small tape recorder. The pub had a small black and white television, which was always on but with the sound turned right down - save for one occasion in 1964 when there was a Beatles special being broadcast.

The choice of drinks on offer was said to have been particularly poor, as was Betty's rather dubious attitude towards housekeeping - some say she wiped glasses 'clean' using a filthy rag that only served to make them dirtier.

And despite living, quite literally, across the road at Trinity Crescent, Betty Moss would climb in a taxi cab each night to do a simple U-turn that would stop right outside her door.

Betty's most infamous habit by far, however, was her cavalier approach to clearing the bar at last orders.

Come the stroke of 10pm, the legendary landlady would swing a wooden football rattle to announce the time. Failing that, she'd brandish a cutlass and starting pistol to ensure that customers made a swift exit.

"She used to wear a silk kimono, with bamboo framed spectacles," wrote former Old Chain Pier regular Dick Allan on the Living Memory Association website.

"Little old lady, but she commanded that place. Ten o'clock on the dot, Betty fired a starting pistol a couple of times, and shuffled round the bar poking it in people’s ribs and just taking their drinks away."

As previously mentioned, Betty's drinks menu was also not for the faint of heart.

"Betty served possibly the worst draught beer in Edinburgh or Leith," recalled Rab Duncanson on the Edinphoto website.

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"If you were a regular, you only drank bottled beer. The rumour was that you couldn't get a pint if the tide was oot.

"No matter what you asked for, draught, lager, Extra, you got the same luke warm light beer.

"I remember standing beside two young American sailors one night who, after a mouthful of the ill-tasting brew, decided to sample whisky instead. They asked for ice in their whisky and Betty replied: 'Ice? Dae ye think I'm running a Brothel? Ice indeed!'"

Adding to the recollections of the eccentric publican, Jim Gentle wrote on Edinphoto: "The beer was pretty rubbish, but at my age what did I know? We just liked the atmosphere. Those were the days of pints of heavy and pints of light.

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"One story goes that when a customer complained that the Light was cloudy, Betty replied, 'What do you expect for 1s 3d, thunder and lightning?'

"She was a real one-off. When we were much younger she could be seen on warm summer days in a sort of bikini lounging outside her pub - not the most attractive sight in the world."

Betty Moss continued to run the Old Chain Pier until her death in 1970s. While it's now been more than half a century since she last commanded the famous bar, the many vivid memories of her colourful tenure don't look like they'll be fading any time soon.

This article was originally published on 18/01/2023.