Pub Crawl

[Pilot]

Oh and I started my drinking career at 16 years old in 1964. A pint was about 1s or 1s 2p depending were you drank, I think.

[captain beefheart]

Did no one go to the Dougy vaults ???

[comeonthen]

Well after you stole my house I lived in Bradwell for 4 years 1960 to 64 then I left home and lived in digs in Stanhope Road for 4 years before going deep sea.

I didn't want your house I was happy where I was. I know, like me, you were not happy where you were. I guess the culture change did not suit the both of us. One from an old smoky town and one from the fresh sea air. do you have pictures of the sea and ship on your wall. I have, true, pictures of bottle ovens on mine. I suppose we could talk all night on this subject. Do you want some pics from where you used to live. Probably not.
comeonthen

[baldy.smith]

Did no one go to the Dougy vaults ???

I did but it would have been before your time, middle to late fifties.
You had to get there very early or you couldn't get in, it was always
crammed, there again so were most pubs back then. We were always
up stairs, and were regulars there.

[Pilot]

My Sister still lives not far away in Cheshire and her daughter lives at May Bank so I still see the area from time to time. But you are right I hated every minute away from Shields and to my parents dismay I left home at 16 and never returned for more than a week.

[comeonthen]

I took my daughter down there for a week about two years ago. I was showing her all my old haunts, schools and playgrounds. I expected her to be a bit bored but she loved every minute of it and wants to go back. She loved all the towns that were so near together and how the old still stood amongst the new. The thing that most took her was how nice, polite and helpful the people were. she said that it was a pity that the people in Shields were not as nice.
I do not think that you moved into our house. I thought it was a three way shift. My house was 272 Bradwell Lane.
comeonthen

[Pilot]

Yes your right, we moved to Arnold Grove, at first we had an open farmers field out back but then they built the crematorium . Bradwell woods were just over the field, I do have fond memories of the woods, wink wink.

[martymont]

Talking of lock ins mine used to be in the Commando, when Barry was the manager in the 70s we just used to ask and we'd have one, also a couple in the Ferry and Railway none in the Brig when the mad couple were in charge

[Jarrow Pete]

Used to have half a pint in as many pubs as we could on a FrIday night. Start off at the Willie Wouldhave, then Ferry, Old Nunnerie, City of Durham, Trams, Old Highlander, Norfolk and Suffolk, Mechanics, Eagle, Black and Grey,The old Havelock, Bridge, Wheat sheaf, Stags Head, Monkey Bar,Scotia, Criterion, Pier and finaly Marine before going on to the Beach Club.

[malaymac]

Talking of lock ins mine used to be in the Commando, when Barry was the manager in the 70s we just used to ask and we'd have one, also a couple in the Ferry and Railway none in the Brig when the mad couple were in charge

Our place for late drinks was the Voyager.

The first couple of times I was there were really quite unnerving when a couple of coppers came in through the back door, put their t*t on the bar, have a quiet pint and generally share some good conversation. I really didn't quite know what to think but soon realised it was part of their routine !!!

[Jarrow Pete]

In the days when coppers walked the beat, they used to pass the Lake pub every night between 8 and 8.30pm. They would go through the off license door into the back and have a free pint before carrying on walking their beat.

[comeonthen]

I used to work at the Beach Club. This is for everyone that used to drink there.
All the slops from the previous night would be collected in a bucket. This would be the dregs of beer which could have cigarette ends in, spirits, lager etc. It would all go in buckets, after that a half full barrell of beer would be opened and the whole lot would be drained into it through a sieve and a bucket of water added for good measure. Apparently the customers were too drunk to notice. I guess you would have to be drunk to drink in the Beach Club.
If anyone has eaten anything there let me know and I will tell you how they looked after the food.
comeonthen

[malaymac]

I used to work at the Beach Club. This is for everyone that used to drink there.
All the slops from the previous night would be collected in a bucket. This would be the dregs of beer which could have cigarette ends in, spirits, lager etc. It would all go in buckets, after that a half full barrell of beer would be opened and the whole lot would be drained into it through a sieve and a bucket of water added for good measure. Apparently the customers were too drunk to notice. I guess you would have to be drunk to drink in the Beach Club.
If anyone has eaten anything there let me know and I will tell you how they looked after the food.
comeonthen

Well thanks for that Comeonthen, I'm just glad I never went for a drink there.
Gives a whole new meaning to going out on the P*SS
No don't tell us about the food, I'm feeling a bit paranoid already.

[PartyGirl]

Whe I started going out when I was 7 .. i mean 18 ... we used to start at Oscars then off to Obriens, voyager, evissa, coast, raffles, trader jacks, kirkpatricks, ship and royal, dineros, gladstones then venue!

[Angie]

That was out root too Partygirl.

Starting at Oscars....ah them were the days, it used to be bouncing in there.

O'briens used to be the Bowler hat back then though, coast was Trocaderos, with the fish pond under the stairs.

[malaymac]

That was out root too Partygirl.

Starting at Oscars....ah them were the days, it used to be bouncing in there.

O'briens used to be the Bowler hat back then though, coast was Trocaderos, with the fish pond under the stairs.

Was Oscars the one right opposite the town hall ?
I remember the bowler hat very well, music on tv screens always way too loud. Killed any conversation.
Trocadero's, I'm trying to remember the lad who ran that place (in partnership with Pete Edmonds, I think),
and the blokes always got an eyeful when the girls went up those stairs.

[PartyGirl]

I loved the Friday night session - home from work, bath, tea, ready, bus at 7:15, Oscars at 7:30 when it was packed and then the route into town ending in venue and then pizza on the way home

and then getting wrong for taking about 10 mins to open the front door and getting wrong of the step dad for waking everyone up!!!

I spent many a night on the sofa there!!!

Still cant beleive they closed oscars and placed it with Breeze - what a dump

[Ingeryl]

just after the war, I got a job with ( was it curries carriers ??)
big clysdale horses and carts. The place was next to the ferry landing.
used to go to the railway goods yard to collect the barrels, and hogs
heads of beer, McKewans, Youngers,Indecoop and allslops,vauxes etc
and deliver to most of the pubs in Shields and north Shields.
I noticed in the "pub crawl" that no one used to drink in the Tram Hotel,
maybe it was because I was barman there.
When I lost the job with Curries ( returned soldier had to have his
job back) The manager of the tram ( Frank Garbutt) offered me the job.
Later on curries swapped the Clydesdales for Scammel trucks.
Funny thing I did not inhabit most of the pubs we delivered to
but I was very familiar with the cellars. My local was the Westoe, good
drop in those days 1947/55.
Tom Rylance

[hartman045]

My first ever drink was in the Tram. 1955. I was 17. It was always my favourite.

[mr-angry]

Mine was in the Garricks head, new years eve 1979.