Gateshead Council has confirmed that the Phoenix public house, widely known as Curley's Bar, will be demolished next year. The building, which closed in May last year, is part of wider plans to regenerate the southern end of the town's High Street.
Over 150 Years of History
The pub has stood at number 266 High Street for more than 150 years, with an earlier three-storey townhouse on the site dating from the late-18th century. Records show the Phoenix began trading in the early 1870s.
From the 1930s, the pub was run for several decades by Newcastle-born featherweight boxer Will Curley, who won the British title in 1900 and fought in New York a year earlier. The name Curley's Bar stuck, and in 1982 it was reported the premises would be officially renamed as such, with the interior redecorated Edwardian-style and given a boxing theme.
Regeneration Plans
The Phoenix will be demolished along with the disused Park Lane club across the road. A Gateshead Council statement said: "The demolition is a significant milestone in the council's plans to transform this part of the town centre, paving the way for new homes, improved public spaces and future investment."
A local councillor added: "This is about much more than getting rid of eyesore buildings. This work unlocks opportunities for new homes, attractive public spaces and future investment that will support a thriving local economy."
High Street Decline
The closure and demolition of the old pub reflects the long-term decline of Gateshead High Street, particularly its southern stretch, where many former shops and outlets are now boarded up and derelict. Within a short walking distance of Curley's Bar, once-bustling pubs such as the Blue Bell, Ye Olde Fleece and the William IV now stand empty. The William IV dated back to 1830, seven years before Queen Victoria ascended the throne, and had survived the town centre's various demolitions and redevelopments.
A handful of pubs still trade along the High Street's northern stretch. In 1976, local historian Mrs Jane E Walker listed more than 40 pubs that at one time or another traded on the High Street from the Swing Bridge up to the Ritz cinema, including the Phoenix (known as Curley's Bar), the William IV, the Blue Bell, Ye Olde Fleece, and many others now long gone.
