|
Don't be put off by the austere exterior of the Crown Posada. For inside it is a fabulous curiosity. There is a small snug at the front - reputedly used by the captains of the mercantile fleets that used to visit Newcastle's Quayside. It has a long narrow front bar where drinkers cram for space in this authentic Victorian bar, which leads onto a slightly wider space. With a high ceiling, grand mirrors along one wall and wonderful pre Raphaelite stained glass windows at the front, it is an example of Victorian grandiose exhibitionism at its very best.
Music comes from an old mono record player, which stands behind the bar - and the driving beat of Ringo Starr's drumming was filling the space between words.
Bold and confident, it is a tabernacle of beer, which does not serve food, unless you count a swallow with a bag of crisps.
Pictured on the wall are photos of the city's rightly proud industrial and mercantile past.
This is not a bar for secret assignations - it is a place to be seen.
It is not a pub for dogs and children - it is a place for adults to talk and sup beer. Conversations drift onto who will manage the Magpies and Michael Owen's metatarsal break. But it doesn't take long for people to talk about beer. Brews long gone are remembered and new beers are celebrated - Mordue's IPA and Wylam's Bohemia.
And frequent references are made to the barman's well-thumbed copy of CAMRA's Good Beer Guide as the merits of the new wave of heavenly hopped golden ales are argued.
It is a bar where the beer is king, served and drunk with pride.
The crowning glory of this place is that it is a true posada - a wonderful resting place.
Crown Posada,
The Side,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
Tyne & Wear,
NE1 3JE
Tel: 0191 232 1269
Tourist information: www.visittyneandwear.com
"Newcastle retains many fine reminders of its Roman and Norman medieval and industrial past. The city's nightlife is legendary throughout the world."
Back
Regional Winners 2006
Overall Winners 2005
Regional Winners 2005
|
