There are very few things in an old industrial town like Consett which stir the memories quite like the stories of the old Pubs and I was always fascinated by them. Every time one of the old guys would reminisce you could see their face light up. Within minutes, every one in ear shot would join in adding their bit to the story. Sadly many of these old pubs have now gone or are struggling to survive.
I suppose for me, and a lot of others, the most well known of all the pub tales or challenges; depending on whether or not you had tried it; was the fabled Consett Pub Crawl. Initially first mentioned in the papers in the early 1900’s it was said that if you had even a Half Pint in each of the Consett Pub’s you would have trouble standing at the end! The Pub Crawl was immortalised in an anonymous poem back in the 1930’s:
Let’s start at the “Stirling Castle”
And admire the “Royal Oak”
Let’s watch the “White Swan” swimming
From “The Turf” I’m a happy blokeLet’s climb the “Mount Pleasant”
And look around “The Park”
Have a good drink at “The Burton”
Before it gets dark
Let’s stop next at “The Railway”
The beer is a real treat
We can look through the stained glass windows
At “The Shakespeare” across the street
Next let’s visit “The Queens”
Mine host Albert Pigg
Then pop into “The Mason’s Arms”
And do an Irish jig
We can shake hands with the “Duke of Wellington”
Meet “Alexandra” with all her charm
Who took “Britannia” to the “Fountain”
In front of the “Freemasons Arms”
Then through “The Edinburgh House”
To “The Wheatsheaf” we can stray
Then take the “Coach and Horses”
The “Black Horse” and “The Gray”
We’ll take “The Imperial” route to “The Commercial”
Skirt “The Beehive” what a test
Let’s stop at “The Railway Tavern”
As we will need “A Traveller’s Rest”
Now I think I’ll finish
I am full of beer and gin
But if you can manage a walk up John Street
You can sleep at “The Old Board Inn”
There are still some of the old Pubs left in Consett, but now we also have Pub Chains, Gastro Pubs and Wine Bars, etc.. giving a much greater diversity. It is purely down to everyone’s own personal opinion whether they think it is for the better or worse. For me there was always a sense of familiarity and comfort in the old pubs which is lacking in some of the new. The time of the old Consett Bar crawl is definitely a thing of the past. As with everything time marches on.