Seaham Harbour Pubs - II
A hundred years ago Seaham had many more pubs and clubs than today and they are remembered in this poem believed to date from 1902:
A Tale of Seaham Licencing Signs
‘’The fellows of the Royal Naval Reserve suddenly entered the bar, and after being repeatedly asked to hurry up they departed, and entering The Ship, built of Royal Oak, sailed up to the Adam and Eve Gardens, where they met with some Foresters, who informed them that The Duke of Wellington, leaving the Edinburgh Castle, had gone into a Draycart. He was escorted by some noble Volunteers, all loyal to the Rose and Crown, and headed by a Highlander playing his pipes, had passed through Northumberland and, on arriving at the Bridge, were met by Londonderry, Castlereagh and Blandford.
Then the party adjourned to the Vane Arms, where they were joined by Marlborough, Zetland and Bradyll, who had just returned from Canterbury.
The assembled company here sat down to discuss various subjects: the merits of Shakespeare; the latest achievements of the Engineers and the industry of the Bottlemakers. But they were repeatedly annoyed by the chattering of the Parrot.
Then a party of Oddfellows suddenly entered the room and informed them that the Golden Lion had escaped from the Noah’s Ark and was speeding on his way by the Colliery to the Times Inn, hotly pursued by Lord Seaham, wearing a Hat and Feather and mounted on a Kicking Cuddy.
Thirty three pubs in all. Now, 100 years later, only a handful still remain. These include The Engineers Arms, The Times Inn, The Duke of Wellington (now called The Duke of Seaham), The Marlborough and Oddfellows Arms.
A few friends enjoying a pint in The Volunteers in 1981
The entrance to the Volunteers Arms. Note the mosaic blue star on the wall and the door painted black, cream and red, the traditional colours of the Newcastle Brewery. 1981.
The Volunteers Arms in 1981. By then the only remaining building in Frances Street.
Carlton Arms 1986. This was originally called The Castlereagh Hotel.
The Volunteers Arms in 1986.
Note that the original entrance has been replaced by a cheap wooden structure
The Blandford in 1986
The Duke of Wellington and The Golden Lion in 1986
The Northumberland Arms in 1986
When I was a kid in Tyne Street in the late fifties I remember the four pubs at the end of the road. From The Blandford down to the Northumberland Arms, down by the Duke of Wellie and finally the Lion. On a Sunday morning the old man, Gerry Smith, went down to the Lion for a "pint of fresh air". I used to be sent down to the Lion to get him out for his dinner. I'd reach up as high as I could (for a 5 yr old) and bang on the pub window. The glass would shoot up and a head would look out. A voice would shout "Gerry, it's one of yours'" Then would say to me "tell your mam your dad's on his way son" and off I'd trot home. At the opposite end of Tyne Street was the Oddfellers where my grandfather Jocker Smith used to have the licence and was followed up by my uncle Leo. The other notable pub in the Smith world was the Vane Arms where my folks Gerry and Eva Smith held the licence in the early fifties. We laughed when, after it was demolished, our family seat was replaced by a public toilet - from one seat to another...
ReplyDeleteThe Lion was a favourite haunt because that's the nearest pub to where the old man used to hang the catch for sale when he and his mates Godfrey Little, Tony Morgan, Bede Gallagher and John Foreman brought their boat 'The Dolphin' into the North dock.
Half a century ago now.