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Not so long ago you would have found it impossible to have a drink in every pub and club in Blyth and be alive at the end of the night.
Although there has been a splattering of new venues opening in the town in recent years, the number doesn't compare to the days when Blyth ship yard was open. Or even to the 1980s and 90's when every young person lived for Friday and a trip for a new outfit before hitting the town.
Take a look at how they did it way back when.
The Pineapple hotel was in Regent Street - After it closed in 1974 the building spent decades as a bank. Today it's used by Lennon Estate Agents.
The Blyth & Tyne hasn't changed much on the outside down the years but it's been a disco bar a rock bar amongst other things.
The Ship used to stand in Albert Street opposite the entrance to the ship yard. The area was mostly workers terraces of two up, two downs and was one of many pubs which served them.
The kings Head which also contained Jumpin Jax on the ground floor bar to the left and a room upstairs that was very dark with barrels for tables and a very sticky painted bare floor. The Beach late bar also followed a little later on.
We only went to work for Friday and Saturday!
We always finished work at lunch time on a Friday back then, you never minded going to work that day because you knew it was payday. We got our pay in cash in a little brown envelope and it felt more like money than it does today for some reason.
After work we'd go to the deli that was in Parsons street for a stottie sandwich, to this day I've never had a better sandwich! And then it was off to find something to wear for that night. There were a lot of clothes shops to choose from back then, Geordie Jeans in the Keel Row was where I usually ended up though. If not there, then we had Top Man, Burtons, Drapers, loads of clothes stalls on the market, or later on Pal Joey to name a few.
Once the the pulling outfit was sorted and you'd bought some fruit off the man in the market to take home for the mother it was time to get sorted for the Friday night ritual.
Home for food, then the bath with Frankie Goes To Hollywood blasting from a hifi in the bedroom, we thought the parents didn't know what they were singing about, but they did.
After three cans of hair spray and an hour long hair styling session it was in a Kingsway Taxi and down to Blyth.
Every group had their own route, we followed it religiously every week. Ours was always start at the Waterloo pub before moving onto the Pullman, then the back room of the Blyth and Tyne, Coronation next and then the Fox. Then it was onto the serious business and the pubs at the top end that were always heaving! getting served took longer than drinking the beer. It always went, Boathouse then Steamboat before my favourite bar - Jumpin Jax.
We staggered over the car park next to the dole and paid a fortune to get into Reflections to end the night, it was the the only late bar back then. Also if you'd had your eye on anyone in a bar earlier then you could be pretty sure they'd end up in there as well so you could try your luck.
To end it all we had to stand in an enormous que at the taxi rank to get home to face the banging bad head that always followed on a Saturday morning.
Ahhh the 1980's those were the days!
A view of the Bebside Inn taken from the southbound platform of Bebside railway Station.
High Street Social Club which as the name implies was situated in High Street. The Business moved to it's present home in the same street in **** and this building and the houses at either side of it were demolished soon after.
The Travellers Rest was a large imposing building near
the corner of Regent Street and Hodgens Road. It had been built as a hotel in **** but spent much of it's life as a pub. The building had some interesting architectural features but after it closed it fell into disrepair. The windows were bricked up and it stood empty for a number of years before being demolished around 1998.
The Duke of Wellington Social Club in Burt Street. The club moved to a new location on Cowpen Road around 1963 and this building was demolished with the rest of Burt Street.
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The Thoroton Hotel on Renwick Road. For a lot of years this pub was named the Burglars Dog. Now used for accommodation.
A list of some of the pubs and clubs in Blyth, if we've missed some from the list, drop us a line with the info.
Part One..
1 - Bebside & Cowpen Social Club. Cowpen Road. Closed and demolished.
2 - The Bebside Inn, Front Street Bebside.
3 - Bebside Welfare, Front Street Bebside. Closed.
4 - The Black Bull, Sussex Street. Closed and demolished
5 - The Black Diamond, Phoenix Street Newsham. Closed
6 - The Blagdon Arms, Burt Street. Closed and demolished.
7 - Blyth & District Social Club, Keelmans Terrace Closed annd demolished.
8 - Blyth Spartans Social Club, Croft Park.
9 - The Blyth & Tyne, Regent Street.
10 - The Sports Club, Coomassie Road.
11 - The Quay, Bridge Street. Previously named Brewery Bar, Pilot Cutter and Boathouse Tavern.
12 - British Rail Club, known as The Bandroom. Edward Street. Closed and demolished.
13 - The Buffalo, Regent Street. Closed.
14 - The Thoroton Hotel, Renwick Road. Closed.
The Blagdon Arms was situated in Burt Street. It was one of a number of pubs and clubs on the street and closed in 1971. The building was demolished with Burt Street and industrial units were built on the land. This street was one of multiple terraces of workers houses that ran all the way to the river which were home to numerous bars.
The Westoe Burt Street ready for demolition.
The Red House now named The Percy Arms Brierly Road, Cowpen
"I worked at the Percy the day it reopened in about 1985 after it was renovated from the Red House which was a pretty run down estate pub. An awful lot of money had been spent on it by the new owners who had renamed it after themselves. It was now a live music venue, which was a pretty new idea for pubs back then. People used to come from all over the place, often coach trips to see the acts. There wasn't a night the place wasn't full to bursting point. It attracted some big names as well. The Little Waster aka Bobby Thompson even performed there. "
Swaledale Avenue
Blyth
NE24 4EW
Next to Bobbys Chippy
Open Every Day 6am - 9.30pm
The Windmill Inn on Cowpen Road. Closed around 2016 and was converted into a Spar and a Greggs take away. The Spar closed around a year after it opened.
Bebside and Cowpen Social Club. Opened in 1958 on the site of Cowpen Hall. The site is now a McDonalds.
The North Farm. Cowpen Road. Closed around 2008 and was demolished. Kwik-Fit now occupy the site.
A list of some of the pubs and clubs in Blyth. If we've missed anything from the list, drop us a line.
Part Two..
15 - The Comrades Club, Wright Street.
16 - The Conservative Club, Croft Road.
17 - The Coronation Club, King Street. Closed.
18 - The Duke of Wellington, Cowpen Road. Closed and demolished.
19 - The Dun Cow, Quayside. Closed and demolished.
20 - The Gladstone Arms, Burt Street. Closed and demolished.
21 - The Globe, Waterloo Road. Closed.
22 - The Golden Eagle, Albion Way. Closed.
23 - The Golden Fleece, Ann's Row. Closed and demolished.
24 - The Grey Horse, Cowpen Quay. Closed and demolished.
25 - High Street Social Club, High Street.
26 - The Irish Clun, Wright Street. Closed and demolished.
27 - The Isabella, Southend Avenue.
28 - The Joiners Arms, Coomassie Road. Closed.
29 - The Kings Arms, Cowpen Road
30 - The Kings Head, Bridge Street also containing Jumpin Jax and The Beach Club. Closed.
31 - The Kings Arms, King Street. Closed and demolished.
32 - The Kitty Brewster, Cowpen Road. Closed.
33 - The Flying Horse, Previously The Labour Club.
34 - The Lord Nelson, High Quay. Closed and demolished.
35 - The Market Hotel, market Place. Closed.
36 - The Masons Arms, Plessey Road.
37 - The Miners Arms, Marlow Street. Closed and demolished.
38 - The Miners Arms, Newsham. Closed and demolished.
39 - The Miners Welfare, Renwick Road. Closed.
40 - New Delaval and Newsham Club, Wharton Street.
41 - Newsham Soldiers and Sailors Victory, Elliot Street.
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