NEWSLETTER – JANUARY 2026

Welcome to this new style Sunderland & South Tyneside newsletter. Our original newsletter, CAMRA Angle Online, appeared during Covid, the last issue being in July 2022. Our latest printed edition of CAMRA Angle (Issue 73) appeared on December 11th. It was during its distribution around the branch that more pub, club and brewery news came to light. So this newsletter fills a gap till the next Angle appears.

Past issues can be found here in our archive. https://sst-arch.camra.org.uk/viewnode.php?id=65188
Our pictorial branch logo above features Souter Lighthouse, The Northern Spire Bridge and Penshaw Monument.

Pub News

The Clarendon ( below) on High Street East in Sunderland has been closed for some time now. It is said it is the oldest pub in Sunderland, dating from 1724. When distributing CAMRA Angles I usually do a drive past to see what is happening. The outside had been painted in the summer, but now a solitary workman was inside doing some refurb work. The bar was gone so I asked him if after this refit it would still be a pub. He said it would but didn’t know when.

Gin & Ale House. You may recall there was fire at this pub, below, in Jarrow at the end of October 2023. It has been closed since then. This photo below was taken on 19th December; a new roof and some new windows have been fitted, but there is no date on any opening yet.

Marsden Grotto was forced to close at the beginning of December. Access is via a lift, by an external staircase on the cliff face or from the beach. The staircase had to close for safety reasons and in the event of a fire, the lift cannot be used. The beach isn’t an option because of the tides. This news was reported in the local press and TV.
The pub has the most unusual location in the North East and even has it’ own Wikipedia entry. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marsden_Grotto

The Mountain Daisy in Millfield is one of the branch’s 3 star heritage pubs. It has not had real ale on for about 12 years. However during an Angle drop off, I discovered they had Double Maxim on handpull, and it was very well kept. A visit is recommended. .

The New Crown near South Shields sea front has had a brief makeover, resulting in a sporting feel and a giant TV screen. Two handpulls in use.

The Railway in Ryhope is tucked away just off the village green ;- worth a visit. At a recent Angle drop off, a new landlord was in place, the former retiring due to ill health. Their regular beer is from Hadrian Border and a second ale is envisaged.

The Sir William de Wessington in Concord will be closed 5th – 8th January for cellar work

Club News in brief
It was locally reported Hebburn RAOB (Buffs Club) will close for good on January 4th,

Brewery News

Brewlab in Sunderland held a beer tasting and cheese pairing experience in November 2025.
This was reported in the current CAMRA Angle, page 12. https://sst-arch.camra.org.uk/dl.php?id=268469
They have released more Food Pairings dates ; up to end of May. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573390793735

Maxim Brewery announced on Dec 22nd that the brewery and its brands have been acquired by The Powder Monkey Group. This group already has nearby Castle Eden Brewery in County Durham as part of it’s portfolio. A joint press release was issued the same day :-

Mark Anderson of Maxim commented
“Maxim Brewery was formed following the closure of Vaux Breweries in 1999. We are proud to have been brewing and serving our customers North East favourite beers Double Maxim, Samson, Lambtons, Swedish Blonde and other seasonals from our Houghton Le Spring brewery since 2006.
We are delighted to be joining the Powder Monkey Group, and this will ensure that our well-loved brands continue to be brewed in the North East for many years to come and would like to thank all our suppliers and customers for their support over the last 25 years.”

Andy Burdon, Group CEO of Powder Monkey added
“We’re proud to have added the Maxim Brewery and established brands to the Powder Monkey Portfolio. It has a fiercely loyal customer base and we will continue in this tradition. Hailing from the North East I am all too familiar with the strength of Maxim’s brands.”

Ends.

Vaux Brewery – The Bridge Hotel Vaults in Sunderland featured a new Vaux beer at a recent visit; a 4.6% Brown Ale. Whilst there I asked about the brewery’s latest venture, their new venue on Roker Beach They were hoping it would open Dec 20th but no sign of that happening yet. An inspection of the development later that week revealed the site is not ready so, as they say, watch this space.

Sam Smith’ s Brewery in Tadcaster , North Yorkshire has published a list of vacant pubs that require managers. The full story is here Sam Smith’s Brewery of Tadcaster lists over 120 vacancies | York Press but to save you time looking, there are two in our branch: The Adam & Eve, South Shields and The Royal Oak in Jarrow. See below. The former closed inn 2019, the latter in 2022.