Time for a Pint – A Pictorial Pub Crawl: June 2013

The 21st Century Pub

The pub, with origins going back several hundred years, is under threat as never before. Several reasons have been identified, most notably the availability of cheap (but often inferior) booze in supermarkets, tenancy restrictions and high rents imposed on landlords by the pub owners, and the smoking ban. Sadly, until the government recognizes that these little buildings scattered throughout the country are not only an irreplaceable community focus but also a major tourist magnet, unique to the British Isles and Ireland and contributing significantly to our national wealth, we are in danger of losing them forever.

Can I Do Anything?

Yes, turn your computer off now and go straight to the pub.

Thursday 27 June 2013

Alnmouth

Alnmouth from the south

If you are ever in Northumberland, then you must visit Alnmouth, a quiet, picturesque village with a natural harbour on the Northumberland coast. The area has been inhabited since the Bronze age and, through the centuries, has experienced both prosperity and poverty. At one time Almouth was an important trading port, notably for the export of grain. Many granaries survive today as private houses.

In 1779, during the American War of Independence Alnmouth was attacked by the American privateer, John Paul Jones, who fired a cannonball at the town. His aim was poor and the cannonball missed its target and landed in a field before striking a farmhouse roof.

The fortunes of Almouth declined rapidly after a violent storm hit the coast in 1806, resulting in the river Aln changing its course.

Today Alnmouth boasts four pubs - The Red Lion, The Sun Inn, The Schooner Hotel and The Hope and Anchor Hotel.

The Red Lion

The Red Lion started life as an 18th century coaching inn and today is an excellent pub serving splendid beer and good food. The cosy lounge bar has extensive wood panelling which allegedly came from the RMS Carpathia, the ship that went to the rescue of the doomed Titanic in 1912. However, the Carpathia, which was built a few miles down the coast at Newcastle, was torpedoed in deep water off Ireland in 1918 and sank, so the story may be apocryphal – unless the panelling was removed prior to its sinking.

The Schooner Hotel

The Schooner Hotel is a 17th century coaching inn which was one of the most renowned hotels in the area in the 19th century. It is also said to be one of the most haunted locations in the United Kingdom. Guests have included Charles Dickens, King George III and the founder of the Methodist Movement, John Wesley. After his stay in Alnmouth, Wesley is reported to have said that the village was ‘famous for all kinds of wickedness’.