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Date of photo: 2014		Picture source: Jim Scott
The Victoria was situated at 184 Tynemouth Road. This pub changed its name to The Tap & Spile, then back to The Victoria, before closing in June 2017. Originally a single-room pub it later incorporated the next door pub, The Priory, with the main door being moved between the two properties.
Source: Adrian Don
I have attached a letter I have transcribed that had been handwritten by my grandmother, Vera Fitton (née Newton) and sent to her nephew, Alan Newton on 1st February 1989. She was born in the Victoria Hotel, Tynemouth Road, North Shields in 1918 and lived there until 1934.
The Victoria Hotel as I knew it. The house where I was born and grew up was situated at the corner of North Church Street and Tynemouth Road on Albert Terrace as that part of Tynemouth Road was known as then (is it still Albert Terrace?) began at the Vic (No. 1) The Priory Inn was No. 2 Albert Terrace - a very small inn next door. Seemingly squashed in between the Victoria and the garden rails of No. 3 - a private house - with a small garden frontage, before the shop. At that time the family business of Mr. and Mrs. Gruber - pork butcher and cooked meats. The Victoria Hotel had a double-doored entrance on the corner (now bricked up.) This led into the public bar. The other entrance was in North Church Street (I believe same entrance as now, but private). This, at that time, also had a double-door - heavily bolted across the centre, top and bottom when closed. The door in North Church Street led to the private accommodation upstairs which had a private door about four stairs up and this was also the entrance to ‘The Snug’ and on the left the door to the ‘Smoke room’ and lounge. It was always known as the ‘Smoke Room’ in those days. The names ‘Saloon Bar’ and ‘Smoke room’ were etched in a beautiful design on the glass door. Through the Smoke room - and into comfortable leather seats. In those days against the far wall the piano - near the door which led out to the bar door facing to the bar with permission and through the lift up flap of the end counter. Before proceeding through to the public door there was the cellar door on the right facing a small passage to the yard and outside toilets. The Priory Inn, had a small window frontage of 5”-6” then the doorway a very small barroom to the left and an even smaller narrow room to the right. The Victoria Hotel cellar was just round the corner in North Church Street. Then the draftsmen used to lower the huge wooden barrels on slopes down to the cellar - and placed on the gantry stands. One year – can’t exactly remember the year - a terrific thunderstorm flooded the gutters which overflowed and consequently poured through the hatch into the cellar - flooding it to a depth of 5” all the barrels were lifted off the gantries and floated in the cellar. The fire brigade had to be called to pump the water out - and mother had to foot the bill - as it was termed an ‘Act of God’. I don’t know if the beer was insured. I do recall whenever I ventured down into the cellar the smell of the hops from the beer.  The Oast Houses that are left in the Kent hop fields still stand, but the hop fields themselves diminished. I have found Londoners talk about the hop fields of years ago. For many from the East-end it was their annual holiday working in the hop fields. Before I digress any further I must finish this and hope it doesn’t prove too complicated for you to work out. Your mother will recall some of the descriptions of the Victoria Hotel. It was a very popular Happy House with its regulars.
Tom Fitton (October 2024)
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Other Photos
Date of photo: 1921		Picture source: Tom Fitton
Ethel Newton, publican, c1924		Picture source: Jim Scott
Date of photo: 1970	Click above photo to expand		Picture source: Tom Fitton
Date of photo: 1971	Click above photo to expand		Picture source: Tom Fitton
Date of photo: 1992