Just down the way is the New Tavern, on the original crossroads between New Washington and the old village. These days though, it’s without its beautiful onion dome!

Concord was the original *new town* of Washington. It was originally named New Washington as a pit village for the nearby F Pit and Usworth Colliery, and featured rows of housing and social infrastructure. The change in name from New Washington to Concord came around the same time as the New Town, presumably to avoid confusion with the wider development.

There’s been a New Inn here since the inception of the settlement around the late 1850s, though it was certainly rebuilt at some stage. The first reference I find is from 1861, when the venue was used for a coroners inquest in two deaths at Usworth Colliery. The landlord at this time was a Mr John Armstrong.

By the 1880s it was sold to Farquhar M Laing of Newcastle, who owned a whole portfolio of pubs in the North East and as his staple a wine merchant. He owned the Pineapple Inn and the Eldon Grill in Newcastle, two of its most well known restaurants. Its headquarters were at 39 Westgate Road, now the Hilton. I imagine it was his investment that rebuilt the New Inn.

Given its location, the Inn has been an artery of community life. Rabbit shows have been held here, public auctions selling local property, the Northern Amateur Billiards League and the Washington Canine Society also. Regional billiards leagues were attracted to play here thanks to a large purpose built Billiards Room inside.

There was also substantial damage caused by a fire in 1913, which may have been the time it was renovated and partially rebuilt. This was in November 1913 while Mr and Mrs Pyle were in charge, and had been in the early hours of the morning when an Usworth Colliery electrician found the site ablaze. Mr and Mrs Pyle, their family and servants escaped, and used the hosepipe from the next door Co-Operative branch to put down the fire, not before considerable issues were caused which were covered by insurance.

By the 1950s, it appears the inn was taken on by Mr & Mrs G. E Baker, who had already managed the County Hotel at Hebburn, and affiliated with Deuchars Brewery of Sandyford in Newcastle.