Elvaston Road, Former Jolly Fellows Public House (2)

Public house with exuberant architecture and paintwork. In the late 1890s the original stone cottage public house named The Jolly Fellows or Three Jolly Lads (HER 16453) was acquired by a group of Newcastle wine and spirit merchants - John George Wood, John Wilkinson and John Davidson. They decided to replace the Jolly Fellows with a three storey building. The building was designed by the Blaydon architect Thomas Nicholson and constructed by G. Thompson. The 1899 plans show the ground floor sub-divided into three rooms which were accessed via a corridor from the main entrance to a side door in the cart passage. The bar was located at the front of the property. At a rear was a Tap Room and Select Room each with its own fireplace and wall seating. At first floor the property was split into two. The eastern half was given over to one large open room which served as a café and dining room. The western half was split into a kitchen (front) and scullery (back) with a separate lavatory and W.C off the first floor landing. The staircase rose to the second floor which contained four bedrooms and a boxroom each with its own fireplace. The new Jolly Fellows was designed solely to meet the needs of the clientèle. The rebuilding of the pub corresponded with the expansion and redevelopment of Ryton. A small number of alterations have been made to the building - most significantly in 1984 and 1985. In 1984 permission was granted to infill the cart entrance. In 2012 the building was recorded ahead of plans for the redevelopment of the site. The front and rear elevations had changed little since 1899. Original glazing is largely limited to the first floor rear and front. The eastern elevation is characterised by a later two-storey extension. The western gable has been partially rebuilt following the demolition of neighbouring properties in the 1950s. Internally the building has been heavily modified. Original features of merit are four fireplaces on the second floor, staircase, original windows and some original door fittings.
This site was added to the Gateshead local list in 2023.