219 High Street, Grey Nag's Head

A fascinating building, this admirable quality, well-detailed public house is a great asset to the street scene of central Gateshead. Upon encountering the building, the greatest impression is given by the broad rounded corner – a most unusual feature – with its delightful crow steps (corbie steps) hopping lightly up the gable. It seems remarkable that these details were not actually on the original plans, and there is some confusion as to whether the previous Grey Nag’s Head exhibited the distinguishing rounded corner feature or not (different plans contradict one another).
The beautifully intricate art-deco-influenced stained glass windows to the bar and sitting room areas, however, were specially designed for the building (as specified on the plans), with simpler but no less elegant metal fenestration to the upper floor (perhaps inspired partly by the margin light sashes on nearby Regent Terrace which dated from the previous century). Both sets of windows were designed with opening elements, presumably to allow for the ample ventilation which was undoubtedly essential for such an establishment before the recent advent of the smoking ban! The plans also show the ground floor covered in green glazed tiles, and upon further inspection it is possible to discern that these may still be in place, painted over in cream. The roof is shown clad in a similar material, although if this specification was adhered to, the tiles have since been replaced with slate. The two neat little chimneys with mortar-board cornices sit cheerfully atop each gable, and the cast iron downpipes, complete with moulded hopper heads, still grace the front elevation. The building is a wonderfully complete survival and deserves to be cherished into the future. MATERIALS Green glazed tiles (?), orange-brown brick, slate, metal ARCHITECT James W Thompson DATES 1931 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Owners 1850s M Collinson, 1870s Mrs Margaret Atkinson, 1920s/30s James Deuchar Ltd. ‘All walls are 14” thick, and all lath & plaster partitions are of 4 ½” strongly braced stoothings lathed and plastered, i.e. a finished thickness of six inches’. LOCAL LIST