Vaux worker's memories of Sunderland pubs - including the Continental and the Imperial Vaults - nearly 50 years ago

From the Continental to the Brewery Tap, Brent Huntley has memories of them all.

He has shared them with the Sunderland Echo and said: “I have a great interest in Sunderland pubs as I started out as a junior technician with Vaux Architect's Department in July 1973 as a 17 year old, my first job.

"I became an architect in 1984 and have for the last 40 years worked in the south east of England. I intend to complete 50 years in the architectural profession next year.”

Brent only spent a little over a year at Vaux but he said: “It was an experience as the work we did also included hotels, working mens clubs, brewery installations, residential buildings and the long lost off-licences.”

His job included sorting out ‘all of their drawings in the whole of their ownership from Edinburgh to Ripon, Grasmere to Redcar, hundreds of pubs and 30 Swallow Hotels. All on tracing paper and dating back to the 1940s.”

“I tend to remember the traditional pubs in the town centre,” said Brent.

"The Park Inn was always packed at 5.30pm, the Continental was a fine example of modern architectural facade, the Imperial Vaults was a true corner shop pub that had been extended within the block that it occupied.

"I remember measuring up the Brewery Tap when it was owned by Whitbreads in 1974 before Vaux eventually bought the freehold.

"I always take people to the Dun Cow when I visit with friends who are from outside the area and the Wheatsheaf was always an interesting place to visit, preferably not on match days and spent many a Sunday evening there as a 16 year old in the 70s.”

Brent went on to work for Tetleys in Leeds in 1980 and his last pub project was ‘restoring a pub in Brighton for a client in 2017’.

Our thanks go to Brent for some wonderful memories of his workdays at Vaux and we would love your memories of your old and favourite jobs.

Did you work in a pub, club, school, factory, department store or perhaps a restaurant?

Get in touch by emailing [email protected]