The Trent House

The Trent House

Newcastle is full of mainstream bars, bedecked with bright chrome and leather upholstery, where the staff ply you with expensive brightly coloured alcohol, whilst the latest chart ‘noise’ bombards you and prevents decent conservation. Whilst such bars are tolerable for the majority –indeed, even this writer often partakes in triple vodkas and cheesy music- there is another way.

And those right on people up at the Trent House have been showing those in the know the true path since the 1980s. Unlike a lot of the city’s bars, word of mouth amongst the Toon’s more discerning drinkers provides the cozy little free house with more than enough business.

I first came across the legendary Trent House at the tender age of 13, when – perusing one of my uncles’ Viz annuals - I discovered a tiny black and white advert for the place. It consisted of a naked woman extolling the virtues of said establishment and expressing her yearning to feel the Trent’s “Cold, firm walls inside of me”. Wow, I thought, I didn’t think girls could sleep with pubs! I still have that Viz annual, and I still marvel at the irreverence of such an advert. Fast forward several years to the present and it is clear the Trent is still as vibrant, and different as ever.

The Trent House boasts possibly The Greatest Juke Box in the World –no small claim in today’s ipod obsessed climate, and the best atmosphere of any bar in Newcastle. The Trent House focuses on being friendly, ‘fool free’ and aims to provide the punters with cheap drink, top music and solid pub grub.

Twinned with the incomparable World Headquarters – a fantastic easy-going nightclub, the Trent House has to be the best bar for a few drinks and a game of pool with good mates, as some of the world’s finest artists provide the soundtrack to your experience.

Tom McArthur, MyVillage