Seven long lost Sunderland pubs you may (or may not) wish could come back, including The Old Twenty Nine, Brewery Tap, Upper Deck and Red Lion
Some of the buildings are now used for other purposes. Most were demolished. For the better? That depends on your opinion, as well as the pub.
Books could be written about Sunderland pubs, as indeed they have been. We have selected seven which those among you old enough to remember may fondly recollect. Or not.
5. The Jovial Friar, Ford Estate - fondly remembered
The Jovial Friar served drinks on the corner of Fordfield Road and General Havelock Road in Ford Estate. We don’t know who the eponymous friar was, but his joviality was evidently beyond question. It was a fairly typical estate pub, but treasured by its regulars. It had an off-licence at the side of the building and was also next door to a police house, which may have been appreciated by management. Milburn’s newsagent was on the other side. This neck of the woods, although not the pub itself, was reputed to be a hub of ‘paranormal’ activity at one time. Interesting, albeit drivel. Demolished in the 1990s. Photo: Sunderland Echo
6. The Brewery Tap, city centre - another victim of the Vaux takeover
The Brewery Tap in my opinion (which is no better than yours) is the best pub on this list. As its name suggests it was attached to a brewery; Vaux Brewery, whose wares were sold there. You all know where the Vaux site is and most of you are familiar with the shameful manner in which the brewery was dispensed with in 1999, so we won’t repeat it. One of the casualties was the Brewery Tap along with its two traditional bars, match day crowds, charm, atmosphere, abundance of photographs on the wall, dartboard… Oh life. It actually dated back to 1842. Pictured here in about 1997 are young-ish (at the time) Sunderland fans before a home game. Photo: Sunderland Echo
7. The Old Twenty Nine, High Street West - other opinions are available
The one and only, thankfully, Old Twenty Nine was situated where Hays Travel headquarters now stands, near today’s Keel Square. Until 1976 it was called the Boilermakers Arms. As the Old Twenty Nine it’s remembered for its glass covered carpets, reputation for serving anyone who looked over the age of about 12, occasional large-scale physical debates and extremely loud gigs. The Toy Dolls and Angelic Upstarts were among those to perform there. It closed in the late 1980s and was demolished soon after. The bewildering fondness with which it is remembered is perhaps proof that we become attached to anything we can no longer have. Still, each to their own. Photo: Sunderland Echo