The Old George

The Old George is one of those pubs that seems to have been part of the fabric of Newcastle for ever and I suppose it has.  It is probably one of the oldest pubs in the city but what I mean is that it is one of those pubs that I grew up with.  Located just off the Bigg market down a small alleyway the Old George manages to hide itself away but is the perfect place to while away a few hours in conversation with friends.
I first discovered the Old George in the late 1970's and I immediately loved the olde world feel of the place with its wooden floors and oak beamed ceilings.  It didn't take too much to imagine the lives of those people that have sat next to those gorgeous wood panelled walls.  This atmosphere changed somewhat in the 1980's when an ugly modern extension was built onto the pub and the main bar was opened out into this, to me the pub was never the same again.
I think this is the problem with this pub, it doesn't know what it wants to be, on the one hand it exudes history and cosyness, on the other it has a modern extension which opens out the main bar and in the process destroys some of this cosyness.  Neither sits well with the other and to my mind makes visitors feel a little confused.  However this is still a nice bar to meet friends and have a few drinks, prices are reasonable with a choice of rooms in which to enjoy your drinks with clean toilet facilities upstairs.


Date of visit Saturday 20TH March 2010

Trent House

The Trent House is an unassuming little pub that doesn't take itself too seriously. Drinks are relatively inexpensive and the pub has a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. The trouble with this attitude though, is that some things need to be taken very seriously, for example, I watched one of the bar staff preparing a cheese toasty without employing any food preparation and handling techniques. In fact not only was food being prepared with bare hands but the member of staff was playing with their hair at the same time. Whilst the Trent House doesn't offer any significant food options (only a couple of items really), the preparation of these food items needs to be carried out in a professional manner.
I feel as though I've laboured the previous point a bit, but I do feel it's important as I very much like this pub and it's welcoming atmosphere. In fact it's a bit of an oasis in a desert of noisy pubs in Newcastle city centre and I for one wouldn't like it to be closed due to some environmental health concerns.
If you feel like visiting the pub and want to listen to music that appeals to you then bring along a cd of your music and they'll add it to the juke-box. How cool is that?
Visit soon, you wont be disappointed (as long as you don't eat anything)!

http://www.thetrenthouse.co.uk/index.html

Date of visit: Saturday 20TH March 2010