I believe that the following pubs and clubs no longer exist in Sunderland.Correct me if wrong. The Upper Deck,Brewery Tap,Continental,the Gannett,Sun Inn (Southwick),The Torrens,Southwick Conservative Club,Downhill workmens club,Jacobean club,The Cauld Lad (Hylton Castle),the Scotch House,The slip way{Town End Farm},The park Inn,The Borough,The steps,The Imperial Vault,The Beehive,The Dagmar,The Prospect,Castletown club,Southwick Social Club,George Street Club,The Red Lion (Roker Avenue),The Black Bull,The Castletown Inn,The Democratic Club,The Dray and Horses,The Albion (Southwick). These are the ones that I can recall but could maybe include that one ower Pallion that used to get some extremists in there,oh aye The Ship ISIS Theres probably more maybe you good people could add.
Some of those have been demolished mate. Borough's still gannin I think & so's the Beehive but it's changed names. Black Bull's still serving up pints I think. You missed the best one out - The Old 29.
Billy,how could I have missed the Old 29,used to be one of our first ports of call on a Frida neet. Think I mighta missed Greens off as well
I knew the owner of Redhouse workmans' club in the 1970's, Englebert humperdink started there ! It is a sandwich shop now. Southwick conservative is empty, make a canny house. The sun inn is a grocers, the Albion was demolished years ago, Dray and horses an Italian restaurant, which you can smell a mile away !.
Spent some time in a few in the late 60s All the Cubs along bridge street plus weathsheaf Behive continental Albion Duck and kangaroo To name a few Also a few night clubs Spent my illicit youth in Sunderland on a weekend Bus through special bus from the rink back to Durham Went for about 3 years it seemed like a life time Happy days
Remember the toilets at the back..Karoake toilets cos ya had to sing to let people know you were in there cos there were no bolts on the door. I was in there once giving birth to a Newcastle united supporter and stuck my leg up to stop somebody opening the door. The c*nt opened outwards. Me sitting there with me trolleys round me ankles and both lads n lasses walking past. Wouldnt mind but it smelled like a Yeti's hut.
A few of them pubs still very much around although a lot of them have different names these days..I also loved the Old 29's which was a cracking venue for the bands.
By I wudda thought that that pub would be one of the ones that fell by the wayside.The fact that it is thriving says a lot for the pub,its been there donkeys.Could it be considered as one of if not the oldest pub in Sunderland.
Aye closed down because of increases year on year by governments taxes,increase in rents on landlords and the ever decreasing customers through the door due to cheap beer from the big supermarkets.Crying shame that these pub chains thrive mainly on food sale and cheaper beer (aka Weatherspoons),in pubs without any of the atmosphere that was created by the real pubs from back then.
You can add to your list The Hendon Gardens and The Bush (top of Ward St) The Post Office Inn (later called The Winsor Castle) and I understand that The Salem is now boarded up. It a long time since I was in the one at the top of Suffolk St, over the Road from Mainsforth Terrace, but it's now a Pharmacy. The Blue house seems still to be hanging on, just but The Hendon Grange is still there. The Toll Bar was flattened for housing some years back. If you wanted a seat on Friday nights you had to be in by 7.30 None of this takes into account of the many little pubs that used to exist along Hendon Road or Tatham St. I've done my best but there's a limit to how much one person can manage.
