People who have never visited the North East are frequently
unaware of the fantastic architecture to be found in Newcastle city centre. In
fact, this city has more listed classical buildings than any other city in the
United Kingdom, in particular the wonderful range of buildings in Grainger
Town, known as 'Tyneside Classical'. There are also several unique bridges
crossing the River Tyne, including the iconic Tyne Bridge, the Gateshead
Millennium Bridge, the High Level Bridge and the Swing Bridge. The past few
decades have also seen an increase in the number of attractive modern
buildings, typified by The Sage in Gateshead.
The River Tyne walking upriver along the Quayside
The Crown Posada, The Side in 2004.
The Crown Posada is approximately 250 years old and was
named by a 19th century owner and sea captain who had a wife in Spain and a
mistress in Newcastle whom he installed in the pub. Posada is Spanish for inn
or resting place.
The pub has hardly changed at all since the Victorian era.
As you enter the pub from the street you step into a long, narrow room, divided
by mahogany and stained glass screens into three areas; a tiny snug, a standing
area in front of the bar and a comfortable lounge area with seating. There is
an old gramophone on the bar which is still used to play records. I have
visited this pub on several occasions and have never had a bad pint!
O’Neill’s, Neville Street
In 1971 the British crime film, Get Carter, starring Michael
Cane, was released. Most of the action took place in the North East and
Newcastle and Gateshead featured prominently. Now, over 40 years later, these
places have changed considerably, but it is still possible to pick out a few of
the locations used in the film.
One pub that featured in the film was The Victoria and
Comet; this was a really rough pub back in the 1960s and was known locally as
the Spit and Vomit. The building still stands, although it has been reinvented
as an Irish theme pub called O’Neill’s.
The Bodega, Westgate Road, with my daughter, Vicki.
If you would like to taste a range of real ales in
Newcastle, look no further than The Bodega. This was originally an old music
hall attached to the Journal Tyne Theatre. There are usually 9 real ales on
offer; 3 permanent ales and 6 guest ales. The permanents include Durham Brewery
'Magus' (3.8%) and Big Lamp 'Prince Bishop Ale' (4.8%). Weston's 'Old Rosie
Scrumpy' (7.3%) is usually available on draught.
This pub boasts a traditional long bar, Victorian stained-glass
domes and elaborately tiled floors.
The Bodega, which is Spanish for wine cellar, was originally
called The Black Bull Inn, but after closure, it was bought by the Sir John
Fitzgerald chain and re-opened in 1995 under its current name.
The Station Hotel, Half Moon Lane, Gateshead
This unassuming little pub is a fine example of the old town
pub that is fast disappearing from our streets. It is situated on the south
bank of the Tyne in Gateshead, only a short walk from the river and tucked
under a railway bridge,
The Station Hotel. Note the narrow, wedge-shaped lounge.
The North East of England seems to have had more than its
fair share of engineers and inventors. Perhaps the most famous is George
Stephenson, ‘The Father of Railways’ who not only designed and built one of the
first steam locomotives, ‘Locomotion’, but built several of the early railways
including the Stockton and Darlington railway (the first in the world to carry passengers on a steam locomotive). The rail gauge of 4 feet 8½
inches which he used is now the world’s standard gauge.
George Stephenson’s most famous locomotive is The Rocket
which is commemorated by the Wylam Brewery in the name of their Best Bitter.
George Stephenson also designed one of the world’s first
miners’ safety lamps which he demonstrated at Killingworth Colliery a month
before the scientist Humphry Davy presented his design to the Royal Society.
Although the two designs differed, Stephenson was accused of stealing Davy’s
idea and Davy was awarded a prize of £ 2,000. Later a House of Commons
committee exonerated Stephenson and awarded him £ 1,000. Davy and his
supporters refused to believe that an uneducated man could produce such a
design – both Stephenson’s parents were illiterate and George Stephenson was
illiterate until the age of 18 and paid for himself to learn to read and write.
From an early age George’s only son, Robert, worked with his
father on several projects and became a successful engineer in his own right. His
many achievements included the ‘Planet’, a locomotive far more advanced than
the Rocket. He was Chief Engineer for the London to Birmingham railway and
designed and built several bridges, including the Royal Border Bridge over the
river Tweed at Berwick and the two-deck High Level Bridge for road and rail
from Gateshead to Newcastle.
The Bridge Hotel, Castle Garth, Newcastle
This large, comfortable pub, overlooking the River Tyne,
always has a good range of well-kept real ale. At the far end of the bar is a
raised area with a good view over the Tyne. There is live music (including folk
and jazz) most nights of the week in the 1st floor function room.
One afternoon I popped into The Bridge for a swift half
(well, pint) and a bite to eat. The landlady mentioned that she had made a few
sspecial Scotch eggs. I couldn’t decide which one I preferred, so I tried them
all. This photograph shows the haggis egg, the black pudding egg and the bacon
and cheese egg served with piccalilli and home-made chutney. They were all absolutely
brilliant!
The Bridge Hotel at night
Football fans will be well aware of the fierce rivalry
between Newcastle United and Sunderland AFC. However, the conflict between these
two neighbouring cities goes back for several centuries to the English civil
war when Newcastle supported the Crown and Sunderland the Parliamentarians. But
as you can see, some football supporters still manage to get on very well! This
photograph was taken a couple of years ago in The Pickwick Pub in Basle,
Switzerland and shows Benji Berger, Vicki Allen and Alan Cassidy.
The Tyne Bar, Ouseburn, Newcastle
The Free Trade Inn, St Lawrence Road. Newcastle
The Free Trade is a traditional pub to the east of the city
with a fantastic view over the river Tyne. I dropped in here for a quick bevvy
with Terry Smith and was struck by how friendly the people in this pub were.
The entrance to The Free Trade Inn.
A regular enjoying a pint in The Free Trade.
A quiet corner in The Free Trade
Young Terry Smith with the Free Trade cat.
Another view of the river Tyne with the Gateshead Millennium Bridge framing the Sage