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Beer of the Week (w/e 14th December 2025) with Mobyduck
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Detail Pages
Free Trade Inn, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Byker
Postal town: Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE6 1AP
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about Free Trade Inn
Situated in the Ouseburn area of Newcastle, a short and pleasant walk along the riverside walkway from the City Centre, is The Free Trade Inn.
It’s a single split level room with basic seating and nicotine coloured walls and ceiling. There’s something of that lived in proper pub feel, enhanced by the absence of any TV’s or fruit machines, although there is a renowned free juke box. The local CAMRA branch magazine describes the interior as “shabby chic”, reflecting the fact that the area as a whole is allegedly on the up. It’s an unusual mix of old factories and warehouses and modern apartment blocks.
Up a slight incline from the riverside, large windows and a small seating area over the road provide superb views of the various bridges over the River Tyne and the Newcastle skyline. The interior features plenty of black and white photos of old Newcastle city scenes and industries. A local deli and butchers provide a selection of sandwiches and pies respectively. Wednesday’s quiz night offers the chance to win 18 bottles of Budweiser, should you feel the need.
A blackboard over the bar advises us to “drink beer, smoke tabs at The Free Trade Inn – a better bar by far”. The pub is a keen supporter of microbreweries and is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular. Despite the blackboard advertising beers from Mordue, Jarrow, Hadrian Border, Archers and Wylam, it transpired that none of these beers were on when I called in one Saturday lunchtime in September. Instead, notably, there was a dominance of beers from the Holmfirth Summer Wine Brewery with as many as 4 of their beers on – Zenith, Berry Big, Oregon and Teleporter supplemented by a beer each from Great Heck and Tempest Brewing Co. Beers sampled were in good form.
Worth seeking out – and, in particular, do leave time to inspect the splendid graffiti in the gents toilets
On 1st November 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about Free Trade Inn
Another superb Ouseburn pub for the beer enthusiast, this one has possibly unrivalled views from an elevated position upstream along the Tyne valley to central Newcastle a mile or so away. The pub itself is rather careworn to be polite, shabby really with nicotine yellow surfaces everywhere and seriously graffitted toilets although there are some rather amusing comments therein.
A long narrow L shaped space with a bare boarded floor which steps down to the rear as the river bank descends. Lots of very good and atmospheric B&W photos of Newcastle and the Tyne together with it's now lost industries. Some of the tables are inlaid with the Newcastle Blue Star, a bit of history of this City and it's former brewery.
Very busy and jovial on Saturday evening with a host of genuine beer loving punters, I'm not sure I recorded all the beers but I got Magic Rock Curious, Rapture and High Wire, Mordue IPA, Tyne Peloton Bank Pale Ale, VIP Village Copper and Three Kings Highgate Pale, the last three being new to me.
This certainly isn't the place to take someone on a first date but for a few superb beers and a great view it is spot on. A good crawl can be had around here with The Cumberland, Tyne Bar and the Cluny close by.
On 6th December 2012
- rating: 7
[User has posted 1710 recommendations about 1683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Free Trade Inn
I got the Metro to Byker and this pub was about a ten minute walk from there. It is a small pub overlooking the Tyne and has great views into central Newcastle along the river. Five ales on handpump and I settled on Mordue Geordie Pride and Workie Ticket. It was about a 15min walk along the Quays back into central Newcastle. Well worth a visit
On 1st July 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3725 recommendations about 3725 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ivan Dale left this review about Free Trade Inn
Marvellous free-house pub over-looking the River Tyne and Tyne Bridge. Can't remember what I had, but was in there all afternoon..Which is a good enough reason to visit. Check out the graffiti in the toilets too!
On 23rd May 2011
- rating: 9
[User has posted 21 recommendations about 21 pubs]