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Then and Now: Popular Newcastle pub, the Beehive, in 1995 - and the same location todayThe Beehive pub in its current form has been a popular Newcastle watering hole for more than 120

yearsCommentsDavid Morton Nostalgia Editor12:26, 15 May 2025The Beehive pub on the corner of Cloth Market and High Bridge, Newcastle, in 1995(Image: Malcolm Maybury) One of Newcastle’s most

popular and characterful pubs, the Beehive sits on the corner of the Cloth Market and High Bridge.

The older of our two photographs, which was taken by Malcolm Maybury and is published courtesy of Newcastle Libraries, shows the traditional Geordie boozer as it was in 1995. Only cosmetic

changes have taken place at the well-frequented city centre location over the intervening 30 years.

‌ The first mention of the Beehive in local directories can be traced back to 1778 when Newcastle was a thriving, up and coming industrial and commercial town, and the long-serving King

George III was on the throne. Victorian Newcastle was no less lively. In 1880, one newspaper reported how a local woman, Bridget Shean, was fined 10 shillings (50p in today’s money) for

being drunk, ‘willfully breaking’ a window at the premises, and ‘refusing to quit’.

‌ The current pub, with its long bar and distinctive green and yellow external glazed tiling, dates from 1902 and was built by J Oswald and Sons. The building is Grade-II listed.

The Beehive pub on the corner of Cloth Market and High Bridge, Newcastle, in May 2025(Image: Newcastle Chronicle)Article continues below This section of Newcastle is famously chockablock

with lively watering holes, with the Bigg Market, Groat Market, Cloth Market and High Bridge all boasting well-known licensed premises.

The Beehive’s postal address is number two on High Bridge - an historic, narrow, winding lane which is home to two other notable pubs, the Victorian-era Duke of Wellington and, further

along, The Bacchus - the third version of a Newcastle pub to bear that name.

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Article continues below A couple of reviews on Tripadvisor sum up the Beehive’s enduring appeal. One customer writes: “My favourite pub in Newcastle. Cheap prices, first class management and

staff, plus great friendly punters. One of the few proper pubs left in the Toon.” And another reviewer declares: “We love going here for a drink. Very reasonable prices. Lovely surroundings

and friendly clientele. Always head here when in Newcastle.”

In 2025, the Beehive is owned by the Tyneside leisure firm, Vaulkhard Group, whose portfolio includes popular city centre bars Bealim House, The Town Wall, and The Bridge Tavern. Countless

Newcastle pubs have come and gone over the decades, but the Beehive remains - for more than 120 years, a constant in an ever-changing city.

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