The Bridge Tavern, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Curiously positioned in the shadow of the iconic Tyne Bridge, the former Newcastle Arms (as the façade proclaims) has been reincarnated as a brew pub. Bare brick walls and shiny vent ducts. Decor includes a book wall plus the functional brewing vessels to the rear. Mix of plain furniture, and jazz-funk music at a sensible volume. Ten handpumps in the main bar, plus another six in the upstairs bar with its roof terrace. Small side ground-floor terrace for smokers. My pint of the 'house' Anamchara Stout (£3.20) was first class, and all-in-all I really enjoyed my initial visit.

Official site of The Bridge Tavern - www.thebridgetavern.com

Now called the Bridge Tavern and newly reopened with an on-site micro brewery, the large downstairs room has a stripped back industrial look with its exposed pipework and bare bricks. The floor is parquet and some of the walls are lined with bookcases, a home for books bought by the yard. Furnishing is fairly traditional with bench seating and Britannia tables. The counter has 10 hand pumps with local micros and the onsite product, the quality is excellent. Upstairs is a smaller bar with a further six pulls and tap stuff of course. There has been a pub here for 200 years but this one was built in 1925 as the Newcastle Arms as the outside confirms; the reason its predecessor was demolished? Well that's when they built the Tyne Bridge and the pub was in the way, this one sits between two huge iron stanchions that hold up the northern approach viaduct. Recommended as part of a three hander with the Crown Posada and the Redhouse.