As T2 Trainspotting is released, we rediscover the original film’s gritty locations in Glasgow

Downstairs in the Kelbourne Saint tavern, James Killen, general manager, is telling me how to spot the first-time visitor. “They always look up at the balcony,” he says.

In 1995, when the Kelbourne was called the Crosslands, it was taken over by the cast and crew of Trainspotting, and those who were there have never forgotten those two days. “The then owner of the pub was paid £700 to let them take over the premises,” said Killen. “They also gave each of the regulars £20 and free booze for the entirety of the filming session.” The director, Danny Boyle, will probably reflect that it was money well spent. At the end of it he had captured one of the scenes that came to define his film.

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