Town Wall, Newcastle Upon Tyne

Set in an impressive Grade II listed building which was once the home of the artist Thomas Bewick, this is a large open plan pub handy for Newcastle Central station. The pub is laid out around a vast island servery with a pewter counter and surrounded by exposed floorboards and tiling. Large windows along two sides make it light and airy in the daytime and there are plenty of seating options to choose from including high stools, regular chairs and smart banquettes. A raised seating area to the left of the bar, partially screened off by some large pillars, offers a bit of privacy from what is otherwise quite an exposed and open space. The décor includes a large reclining nude portrait to the rear right, some nice bench booths along the front wall, the day's papers in a rack near the front door and a number of quirky paintings dotted around the place. Two separate rooms can be found towards the rear - the Library and the Billiards Room. The Library is not a library - it's just a room with wallpaper that looks like a bookcase - but it was quite a pleasant spot nonetheless with some clapped out wingback chairs under bare brick walls. Similarly, the Billiards Room has no billiards table, but again offers some of the comfiest looking seating options the pub has to offer. Stairs in the entrance porch lead down to the Cinema Bar, unsurprisingly without cinema facilities but instead showcasing a tiled floor, comfy bench seating, a smart servery to the left and a collection of animal heads on the walls, all of which was gleaned by peering through the closed door, as the bar was shut on my Sunday evening visit. I can only assume that the various room names reflect their uses in Mr Bewick's days, rather than being an entirely pointless exercise. The pub has built a reputation for stocking locally sourced ales and the line-up on my visit certainly met that criteria, comprising as it did Tyne Bank Dark Brown Ale, Wylam Toon Waal Ale, Galatia and Gold Tankard, Almasty MKB IPA and a couple of West Country interlopers in the shape of Left Hand Giant Duet and Moor Return of the Empire. Keg options were predominantly from further afield and included beers from several London micros such as Beavertown. My pint of the MKB IPA was okay, if perhaps a little past its best. This is a pretty good pub and certainly a handy place to know about if you have time to kill before taking a train. I liked the building very much, but felt the main room was a bit too big for its own good, so that the atmosphere ended up being diluted and cosy spots seemed hard to come by. I'd certainly be happy to return but I'm not sure it's the sort of place I'd enjoy an extended session in.

Official site of the Town Wall, contains menus - www.thetownwall.com