… and on the dole, you’ll get a pint in The Metropole. Someone told me about that little rhyme soon after I moved to Gateshead; in The Traveller’s Rest I believe. The Metropole had a lot of history, including some nice (but battered) old Edwardian panelling.

The pub closed a few months ago, having being purchased by a chain. It’s now re-opened and it’s pretty much been gutted. The lovely old bar has gone and the ceiling lowered (extremely). But it’s better to have a modernised pub than no pub at all. And it’s now attracting a new, cleaner clientele.

While most of the panelling has been replaced, a tiny bit remains.