Copyright falkirkherald
Behind the Wall opened its doors for the first time in October 1985 and has become a name synonymous with Falkirk – arguably right up there with The Falkirk Wheel and the Kelpies. And Behind the Wall was here first. Mr BTW himself, Brian Flynn, has been the main man at the venue since it began all those years ago. “We had been looking for a place in Falkirk that could be like the Beanstalk was in Stirling,” said Brian. “We found the premises on Melville Street and it looked like a great fit. "It was close to the town centre and there was car parking.” The Behind the Wall we know today did not come fully formed overnight – rather, it grew into the bar/venue/restaurant it is now a “little bit at a time”. Brian said: "We rented it from the council at first. After a few years they were looking to sell it and we had to go to auction and buy it. Thankfully we got it." From 1990 onwards things began to move on apace. "It was just the front bar area at first. We just grew over the years – not all at once. We only had the money to do it a little bit at a time. Over time we added the big extension on and reduced the size of our beer garden. "It’s been good fun – we’ve had our ups and downs over the years like everyone else.” BTW is almost the prototypical hospitality industry “one stop shop” – people can come for lunch, stay for dinner, enjoy a drink, have a dance, listen to band, laugh at a stand up comedian all at one warm and friendly location. Over the years the venue even saw a certain Falkirk Herald reporter – when he did such things – utilise the premises as an interview space to talk to up and coming local bands. "It’s so important to give people a reason to come out,” said Brian. “If you’re not feeding them or entertaining them, then why would they bother coming out. I think it’s the fact we just try to give people the complete package – a complete experience. "It’s been a meeting place for people for all these years. Even now with the rise of online dating, Behind the Wall is still a place where people come to meet each other for the first time and come back as couples. "They have their first drink together here and their first meal together. Behind the Wall is all things to all people. And, yes, I have seen people come in and lunch time and still be here at dinner time and then into the early hours. That does happen.” "I love that people have days out that revolve around Behind the Wall. We rely on our customers and they have been phenomenal over the years. I can’t thank them all enough for being loyal to Behind the Wall – over that 40-year period the amount of repeat customers we have had has been amazing. "We now have people who still come in after all these years, bringing their children and their grandchildren. We’ve been really lucky to have the customers we have.” Behind the Wall’s association with Falkirk FC goes way back to the beginning too and continues now the team is back in the top flight of Scottish football. "Obviously we were much closer when the team played at Brockville, people used to roll out of the bar and head to the match. Now we put on buses to Falkirk Stadium. "It’s great to see the team doing so well again and we have been able to give them a wee bit of financial support over the years.” BTW will be holding a long weekend of music, laughter and libations to mark its big 40th and people will be partying like it’s 1985 to help the venue celebrate its four decades in business. The massive anniversary weekender kicks off on Thursday, October 30 with writing and performing whirlwind Alastair Bisset hitting the stage with his latest show – When Billy Met Alasdair. Music fills the venue on Friday, October 31 with the Dirty Martinis delivering a cocktail of top tunes and Crash Kid and Drum Room blasting out sounds on Saturday, November 1. Then things go way, way back on Sunday, November 2 as a line-up of DJ legends – Stevie Harkins, Craigie P, Dave Ferguson and Gary Kidd – roll back the years and spin some bangers for punters. For Brian, the big weekender will no doubt bring back happy memories of days past, but, to him, it’s the people themselves who have made BTW such a memorable adventure. "It’s amazing how quickly it has gone by – but if you think back to the opening weekend in October 1985 it does seem to be a lifetime ago. It has kept us young. "My abiding memories of Behind the Wall are the staff and the customers. We’ve had over 1000 members of staff here over the years who have dedicated their time to the business and they’ve all been absolutely fantastic. “I can’t believe the number of good people – both staff and customers – who have come through our doors through the years.” Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at https://www.yourworld.net/submit/ It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers
