Our street has quite a bit of history. William the Conqueror once had a bit of a run in with Malcolm III of Scotland (it didn’t end well for Malcolm), pretty much just outside our house. And, for a few hundred years there was an annual procession up the street. 

This procession would stop for refreshment at a pub down the road, the Old Cannon. While a nice building, the times haven’t been kind to the Cannon. I’ve only called in twice and found the pub to be pretty run down and struggling to survive. Something of a shame when you consider its past. 

Inevitably, the pub closed and attempts to reopen an turn it into a realistic business failed. It’s soon to reopen as a Chinese restaurant. 

At least the building is remaining largely unchanged. Unlike the nearby Queens Head, which closed more recently. It’s to be converted into bedsits. 

Should a ghostly Sheriff of Gateshead still be travelling the route, at least he’d be able to find a meal and a bed for the night.