Clara studying a plan at the Tyne and Wear Archives in Newcastle’s Discovery Museum.
We’ve been continuing with our search for lost Coaching Inns throughout the North East, and last week Clara and John visited several Archives looking for more information and some plans. Unfortunately, while we did find a number of great plans, most of them were of Inns that are still in business – which is great news for the buildings, but a shame for us!
None of the ones that are lost had plans that are complete enough for us to copy, so the search continues! We did come across a fantastic story from an Inn though. A newspaper from 12th Feb 1790 tells of an duel that took place in a Coaching Inn in Morpeth – thankfully it ended happily – without anyone being injured!
On the evening of Friday night a misunderstanding took place at Morpeth between a Mr B. and a Mr L. in consequence of which they met attended by their seconds in a room of the Phoenix Inn. They took their ground at six yards distance and agreed to fire together. But after poising and looking and looking and poising and chameleon-like alternating and changing colours it was discovered that the pistols would not go off. The seconds then interfered assuring their parties that they had sufficiently proved themselves men of honour which it was said they were highly pleased to hear and the matter was finally adjusted without blood-shed.
Beamish Buildings 