The

Brown Bear
Story

Jim Herbert
A Brief History of
Opening Time
The Brown Bear Story
 This book is dedicated to my long-suffering wife, Amanda.
It is also dedicated to the memory of my long-time boss at Berwick Museum,
friend and mentor, Christopher W Green,
who encouraged me to research Berwick’s rich history.
Without him, Berwick Time Lines, and this book, would not exist.

© Jim Herbert, 2017

Printed by Martins the Printers, Sea View Works, Main St, Spittal, Berwick-upon-Tweed
A Brief History of
Opening Time
The Brown Bear Story
by
Jim Herbert
Preface
The Brown Bear is one of the longest standing and most important pubs in Berwick.The
bear and tree have been a symbol of Berwick since at least the early 13th century. It is
for these reasons, if for no other, that the recent saving of this pub in
particular is of great importance for me.
Many remember it from the past. I recall Saturday nights twenty years
or so ago when there would be queues of eager young things outside
looking for, and finding, a fun night out.
I have been studying, and writing about Berwick’s history, for a number
of years. Old buildings fascinate me. Unravelling their history through
old records, maps, photographs, and the clues within the fabric of the
structure is like a detective game. As a building investigator, one has
to see what is the best fit of clues to discover the truth (or at least an
approximation) of the developmental history.
As I progressed my researches I realised that it is impossible to divorce
the pub’s structure from its context. Stories emerged about the people
who lived in it and the society that frequented it and other pubs. These
stories are woven within the more “academic” sections of the book but
I hope people get a sense of the pleasure I have had tracking down
the evidence and that it goes some way to encouraging people back
to the Bear.
If anyone has any stories or photographs they would like to share,
please email me at berwicktimelines@gmail.com

Jim Herbert

My thanks go to Linda Bankier, J Mark Dodds, Frank Flannigan,

Alex Gibson jnr, Liz Holmes, Pat Kerr, Elaine Mallory, Alison Pringle,
the Forgotten Berwick (Facebook) community, and of course, the staff (past and present) The Great Seal of the Berwick Guild of
of the Brown Bear. Freemen showing the bear and tree symbol. It
Thanks must also be extended to Hadrian Border Brewery, Cross Borders Brewing is a medieval visual pun: the tree is specifically
Company, Thistley Cross Cider for believing in the project. a wych elm, hence “bear-wych”.

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Foreword
A Brief History of Opening Time is a timely publication, placing the pub’s new iteration
in context with its long and varied past at the middle of Berwick’s social scene. I’ve
met many people, women and men, who have said, “I grew up in the Bear”, and Jim’s
book sets a pivotal reference point for the pub’s future heading off to occupy a similarly
important social space it has done in the past
It’s not rocket science; Pubs are ALL about people: the thesis is simple: People LOVE
pubs but don’t go to pubs that are run down. Turn a dying pub into an attractive, inviting,
welcoming space where conversation takes place and fine drink flows, perhaps add food,
and, Behold!, people love going to the pub again.
Two years ago the Brown Bear was boarded up by its private equity Pubco as no longer
economically viable and looked like it would never open again. Now, nine months after
a rapid “Build It and They Will Come” refurbishment which was part one of three phases
to #BringBackTheBear, the pub is popular and becoming one of Berwick’s busiest pubs.
Some of this success is down to Jim Herbert’s involvement in a community of support
for the pub’s resurrection, and in particular through his every fortnightly Bear Facts quiz
which introduced many people to the pub for the first time in the midst of a scarily bleak
Berwick February.
Last year, my good friend and fellow campaigner for saving and preserving good pubs,
James Watson, captured the rich, deep, complex essence of the humble British pub when
he wrote:
“Pubs are about community; shared social space; common values. Yet diversity;
supervised drinking in a communal environment; friendships, respect, forging social
ties. They are about celebrating, commiserating, mourning, reflecting. Hopes, joys,
fears, regrets, aspirations, dreams, misery, elation. Pubs are a refuge, a place of
quiet reflection and solitude, for inward comfort, outward bravado. For dancing,
for kissing, for hugging, laughing, chattering, crying, cheering up, dressing down,
falling over, getting up. Pubs are to Britain the last bastion of social levelling and
equality. They are for rejoicing and condemning; for lamenting and lauding; for
educating and debating. Pubs are the beating heart of our communities, like the
senate of Rome, like the Inns of Court, like the factory floor and the operating
theatre. They are the board room, the mess room, the negotiating table, the waiting
room. Pubs are the place we bear our souls, and show our inner selves, whilst

ii
 embracing strangers as friends, and friends as lovers, and the acquaintances of
friends as family, and extended family. Pubs are where we let off steam, let down
our hair, rekindle rusty relationships, nurture new ones, and discard the spent ones.
Irrespective of your philosophy, I submit pubs in essence ARE philosophy. We must
teach our children the rules of the pub. We must teach them to find, and to grow to
love, them. British pubs are as diverse and eclectic as the British themselves. Pubs
ARE the British. Long may they survive and prosper. When you’ve lost your inns,
drown your empty selves, for you will have lost the last of England.”
When pubs stop providing an environment that exudes the above, when pubs get run
down through chronic under-investment—as has happened to tens of thousands of them
in the last twenty five years—they lose their relevance to society and people abandon
them.
When I first came across this pub it was a place I’d never want to use but I could see it
was an important pub with a long history. It struck me as a pub with a lot of potential to
be remade as an attractive, modern bustling business again. When news broke that Frank
Flannigan had bought the pub I made a proposal—to bring back the Bear, turning it into
an attractive pub again. I had no money but a lot of experience and support of many
people who believe that pubs are valuable to community, and who believed enough in
the proposition. I sounded out local people and Jim Herbert was one of the first people I
presented the proposal to.
We’d give people the chance to own the Brown Bear by making it a People’s Pub.
Jim has been a significant part of the initial growth of the fortunes of the pub. His Bear
Facts quiz began one Tuesday in the middle of a bleak Berwick ghost town February;
forty people turned up, loved it and it was an amazing success
This book is important; Jim’s done a lot of research into the Brown Bear’s back story yet
much remains undiscovered. My hope is that the book itself will be a trigger to get many
more people to come forward with memories, anecdotes, stories, photos of times in the
Brown Bear so they can be added to the record, which we hope is back for generations to
come.

J Mark Dodds, Brown Bear project convener

iii
Contents
Preface...................................................................................................................................i
Foreword...............................................................................................................................ii
A Brief History Of Opening Time........................................................................................ 1
Bridge Street........................................................................................................................ 3
Family Ties........................................................................................................................... 5
The Brown Bear: Early Days................................................................................................. 7
The Low Meeting House...................................................................................................... 8
Reconstructing The Original Brown Bear.......................................................................... 10
The Bear Rebuilt................................................................................................................. 16
Berwick At The Turn Of The Century................................................................................. 24
From Brown Bear To White Elephant................................................................................ 27
A Stable Business............................................................................................................... 28
From White Elephant To Brown Bear................................................................................ 32
Brewery Notes................................................................................................................... 36
Robert Woodman Aikman................................................................................................. 39
The Bear Swings Into The Sixties....................................................................................... 41
Into The Modern Era.......................................................................................................... 45
A New Beginning............................................................................................................... 49
Index.................................................................................................................................. 52

iv
v
A Brief History of Opening Time
In the medieval period, the pub—a public house—was just that. Anyone could brew
their own ale and sell it in their house, usually a front parlour. This was still the case in the
18th century and many small pubs had small brew houses on the premises. This is why
in newspapers, etc, there are references to simply “…at the House of Mr John Smith…”;
anybody local knew where John Smith lived so the was no great need to give the
establishment a name. Names did exist though, often from heraldry or local landmarks or
occupations, and pubs are also referred to as “the Sign of the Wheat Sheaf” (on Hide Hill
in 1806) or similar.
For obvious reasons, many of these alehouses were on main routes in towns to provide
for travellers. The inn was a development of the alehouse; it would be larger and able to
provide accommodation for travellers. Monasteries were amongst the first to set up inns.
These are sometime referred to as “hospitals” such as the Hospital of Mary Magdalene
near the entrance to Berwick Holiday Park, then close to the main road from Berwick
to Edinburgh (hence Magdalene Fields). These were nothing to do with medicine but
were places of “hospitality” where a traveller could have board and lodgings and the
monks would say prayers for his safe journey onwards. Taverns were a somewhat better
establishment, serving the more expensive wine for the wealthier tippler.
All manner of entertainments and services could be had at alehouses, inns and taverns.
Gaming and music, we still have; cock-fighting and bear baiting are thankfully a thing of
the past. Many had stables and provided a place for touring theatre groups, salesmen,
and doctors; in 1731 anyone in ill health could take advantage of the services of “the
excellent Oculist and Surgeon Mr Taylor“ who was making his way from Lancashire to
Edinburgh at the Bear Inn.
The early 18th century saw the rise of the stagecoach. Each stage was about fifteen miles
breaking at inns to change horses and for the passengers to have food and drink or a bed
for the night on longer journeys. We may think the A1 is bad now, but 250 years ago the
journey from Edinburgh to London took ten days. In the 18th century there was a huge
expansion in the number of pubs nationally (due to the availability of cheap gin) but in
Berwick, this expansion did not occur until the latter half of the 19th century.

1
By the 1850s there were over sixty pubs in Berwick alone, a ratio of one pub for every
130 residents. Most were in, or close by, Marygate. Many long-forgotten establishments
echoed the local trades. The Butchers Arms, for example, was hidden up Strother’s Yard
next to the “inner and outer shambles”—the abattoirs at the corner of Marygate and
Church Street.
In Sandgate, there were several reflecting quayside activity: the London and Berwick
Tavern, the Leith and Berwick Tavern, the Ship and the Steam Boat, as well as the Golden
Swan, the Fishers Arms, Hen and Chickens and two Nag’s Heads next door to each
other. Hide Hill, in addition to the Brown Bear, boasted the Wheat Sheaf, the Peacock,
the Salmon, and the King’s Arms Hotel—one of the town’s major coaching inns. This
number grew to about eighty‑five licensed houses of one sort or another. One gets the
impression many of these establishments were nothing more than a single room tucked
away up a hidden alleyway.
The Licensing Acts of 1872 and 1902 sought to reduce the number of licensed premises.
In March 1911, the Bench of Magistrates met to discuss once more the question of
compensation to licence holders in a bid to reduce this number. By then, they were
proudly stating that they had reduced the number to “only” sixty-five.
One of the licences up for renewal or compensation was the so-called Hole in the
Wall operated by James Grey. His main business was as a wine and spirit merchant at
44–48 Hide Hill, the site occupied now by the estate agent Edwin Thompson. The 1852
Ordnance Survey map shows a passage leading to the back where it was to be found;
a room described as 17½ feet wide by 6½ feet wide with a ceiling barely 7 feet high.
The Freemasons Arms was little better at a mere 16 feet by 18 feet. They, and the Harp,
tucked away somewhere off Church Street, were closed down for the same reason.
In the 19th century, the Brown Bear was similar. If it had not been for a major change, it
may well have suffered the same fate.

2
Bridge Street
The story of the Brown Bear can be said
to go back to the 1720s—but not our
Brown Bear. In May 1724 and 1725, the
“Newcastle Courant” carried notices for
the annual Lamberton Races in June.
Entries to the different races should be
made to certain gentlemen’s “houses”.
Among them, for a “subscription plate”
worth £6, horses are to be “shewn and
enter’d at Mr George Temple’s, at the Sign
of the Bear in Bridge Street”. The entry fee
is half a guinea.
George Temple was born into a prominent
Berwick family about 1680 and admitted
to the Guild of Freemen in 1707. (One of
his sons, William Temple, born in 1710,
went on to be Mayor of Berwick when the
present Town Hall was built.)
An interesting record comes from the
writings of the Rev T Thomas who, when
accompanying the 2nd Earl of Oxford on
a trip north of the border, commented
on staying at the “Bear Inn” on 12–13
May, 1725. He wrote, “[we] met but very Above: The first known mention of the Sign of
indifferent entertainment of all kinds, and The Bear in connection with entering horses
[it] was but a discouraging prelude to our (Galloways) for the Lamberton Races.
entrance to Scotland”. “Newcastle Courant” 16th May, 1724.

In 1729, a notice in the “Newcastle

Courant” informs readers that the Bear Inn
is to be let. In 1736, there is a notice that
Left: A notice of the conversion of the Sign
a Mrs Mary Selby, who “…lately kept a
of The Angel from a coffee-house to an
Coffee-House in Berwick” has made some
inn.“Newcastle Courant” 24th August, 1736.
alterations and has opened it as an inn—

3
the Sign of the Angel in Bridge Street.
In 1738, a further notice advises patrons,
“That Mrs Mary Selby, who lately kept the
Coffee-House and Angel […] is removed
to the House of Mr George Temple (where
he formerly kept an Inn) […] There will be
an Assembly in her Great Room (which is a
most commodious one) during the Races.”
Mary Selby is mentioned once more in
connection with the Sign of the Angel in
1742 when it is put on the market to let.
Coinciding with these dates is one Daniel
Gallimore who has “a House” in Bridge
Street and it is probable that it had been
let out to him for about four years; after
all, how many pubs can you have in one
street? There seems to have been some
sort of connection, possible familial,
between George Temple and Mary Selby
(Temple’s mother was an Anna Selby)
as enquiries regarding the letting of the
Angel should be made to him, not her. It
may be that she was looking after him. His
first wife, Esther, died in 1719 and by now
he was about 60. He died in 1750.
After this, there is no further mention of
the Angel or Bear. In notices regarding the
Lamberton Races, what would become
the three most important coaching inns in
Berwick—the Kings Arms in Hide Hill, the
Red Lion in Marygate, and the Hen and Top: The Tudor mural in situ at Ye Olde Bridge Tavern, Bridge Street.
Chickens in Sandgate—were now used to Above: Part of the mural at Berwick Museum
show the Galloways.
Courtesy Berwick Museum and Art Gallery

4
Family Ties
A fascinating analysis of a survey in 1562 of all the town’s properties has been
undertaken1. Because of a general rule of thumb—that the “footprints” of plots of land
remain the same throughout the ages; a new building within a row of other buildings can
only occupy the same space as its predecessor—she has been able, with some success
to find on a modern map, where these Elizabethan properties were and therefore who
owned them.
An Oliver Selby owned 50–54 Bridge Street (now occupied by a dental practice). Is it
possible that 160 years later this was the site of Mary Selby’s Sign of the Angel? Another
interesting coincidence is that Oliver Selby also owned what became 110 Marygate which
was known as the Angel—later, the Old Angel—until its demolition in 1983 to widen the
Walkergate junction. The 1806 directory lists The Sign of the Angel, in the market place, Detail of a topographical map of Berwick,
i.e., near the Town Hall—and the Angel in the High Street (110 Marygate). St George’s c.1590. The site of the Brown Bear is outlined
Lodge of Freemasons met at a pub called the Angel in 1774 but which one is unknown. in red. The footprint is similar to that of
Again, no direct connection can be found, but it is tempting to believe that maybe the today. A range of buildings backs the street
Sign of the Bear remained a pub, one that from 1803 (at least) was called the Old Hen frontage. To the right is a gap which, in time,
and Chickens. Older readers may remember the Old Hen and Chickens in Bridge Street became the archway to the church.
that is now the Magna Tandoori Indian restaurant, but it’s not that one I’m thinking of. The
1852 OS map shows two “Old Hen and Chickens” in Bridge Street as well as the Hen and
Chickens in Sandgate. So why should I think there is a connection?
“My” Old Hen and Chickens became Ye Olde Bridge Tavern, which even older readers
may remember. It was demolished in 1963 to create the entrance to Bridge Street car
park. While the front had been altered to keep up with architectural fashion, the interior
contained some very old remains. A mural, thought to have been painted about 1580–90
was discovered and rescued, and now is on display in Berwick Museum and Art Gallery.
This means the building must have dated from very early on. Only high status buildings
could have afforded such interior decoration. It is thought the artist—certainly the source
of a motto in the mural—may have come from Suffolk. (There was a Suffolk man, Edward
Grimston, who was appointed muster master to the army of the north and was quartered
at Berwick between 1560 and 1562 and again in 1565.) The Olde Bridge Tavern had
access for horses at the side and an extensive yard behind. Could this be the site of the
Sign of the Bear?

1 Catherine Kent

5
 The rear of Ye Olde Bridge Tavern with
Stirling’s Yard in the foreground. To the left
can be seen a stable block with its arched
opening.
This area is now the Bridge Street car park.

6
The Brown Bear: Early Days
Staying with the 16th century a little longer, the 1562 survey of Berwick tells us that
the property thought to have been on the site of the Brown Bear belonged to Thomas
Morton and later, his son, George. (Another Thomas Morton was a writer of protestant
treatises in the 1590s—a connection to the later Presbyterianism of the site?)
George Temple of the Sign of the Bear, was a Presbyterian dissenter and one of the first
trustees of the Low Meeting House behind the pub as he owned the land. 19th century
deeds which give primacy to the Low Meeting House refer to the land upon which it is
built together with the Brown Bear, a blacksmith’s and a shop.
No mention can be found of the Brown Bear before 1806 but there was another ursine
inn, the White Bear, situated in Hide Hill. Mentioned between 1725 and 1765, sometimes
in connection with the Lamberton Races, it must have had stabling facilities. It is last
noted as a meeting place for the St George’s Lodge of Freemasons in 1788 (they held
their infrequent meetings at different pubs until the Wallace Green Lodge was built in
1872). Is it possible the White Bear and Brown Bear are one and the same?
So George Temple owned the Sign of the Bear in Bridge Street and the site of the Brown
Bear/Low Meeting House. There is no mention of the White and Brown Bears coexisting,
but absence of evidence does not infer evidence of absence. Even if the White Bear was
elsewhere, it is possible that a pub did exist on the Brown Bear site. Temple may have
been a Presbyterian but he was also a businessman and would have had an eye on the
money.
As we have seen from the medieval history of inns, it was not unusual for pubs to be
closely associated with churches—they share many similar functions and have similar uses
in the community. It is pure conjecture, but if there had been a pub on his land, it may
have been the White Bear which later shed its winter fur to become the Brown Bear.
It is difficult then, to determine when the Brown Bear was actually established. The first
definite mention of it is in Robert Good’s Directory of 1806 when the innkeeper was
Joseph Brown. It has been suggested that it was named the Brown Bear after Joseph
Brown. While possible, this is highly speculative: there are many other “Brown Bears” in
the country. There were then a succession of landlords until, in 1864, George Moor took
over the licence from Mark Davison in 1864. Andrew Whitehead (seated, left) and family
pose for a photograph c.1890.
He was the landlord between 1829 and 1830.

7
 The Low Meeting House
Berwick had always been fiercely puritan and non-conformist
since the days of the Reformation. John Knox came to Berwick
to preach at the old parish church in Wallace Green, in 1549, for
two years and returned again in 1559 to help unite the English
and Scottish protestants against the common enemy that was
Catholic France.
The Low Meeting House was built in 1719 for a breakaway
faction of the Scottish Presbyterian church. It is sometimes
referred to as the John Knox’s kirk, but there is no record of
there having been a church on the site before the Low Meeting
House. Such was its popularity—it could hold a congregation of
600—in 1724 the High Meeting House was built (behind where
Home Bargains now stands) to accommodate a fsurther 1500,.
Later still, as the result of a further schism, the Middle Meeting
House, or Relief Church (now flats; formerly the CEF depot) was
built in Shaw’s Lane (now Chapel Street).
In 1879, the High and Low Meeting Houses merged and the
Low Meeting House and all the land was auctioned at the
King’s Arms in 1881. Bidding was brisk and £1450 reached
but the reserve of £2000 was not forthcoming. It was not
until 1894 that “A messuage now consisting of the licensed
public house known as the Brown Bear, with the small front
shop and storehouses, and of the blacksmith’s shop behind, in
the occupation of the Border Brewery Company or their sub-
tenants…” were eventually sold to Robert Douglas and William
Henning, partners in the Border Brewery Company (on Brewery
Lane in Tweedmouth) for £1250.
Detail from John Wood’s map of Berwick, 1822. The three
Presbyterian churches are circled (from left to right) the High,
Middle, and Low Meeting Houses.

8
George Moor was born in 1824 and married Elizabeth in the mid 1840s. He seems to
have led an itinerant life. In 1861, he was supporting his growing family in Dunbar as a Early Landlords
railway worker. Although they and their family of two sons (the eldest had left) and four (Note: dates are taken from trade
daughters are listed as living at the Brown Bear in the 1871 census, no occupation is directories, etc. Only known dates are
given. In the 1881 census he is listed as being a fish merchant, despite being known to listed.
be the licensee of the Brown Bear. This is not as odd as one might think; then as now,
1806–07 Joseph Brown
many people had more than one occupation, often seasonal. The 1891 census shows him
as a fully fledged licensed victualler. 1822–29 William Isdale
1826–32 William Crow (who also had
the Brewers Arms in Marygate.
c.1822–37)
1834 William Isdale
1837–41 Neil Anderson
1847 John Home
1855–59 Francis Dawson. (He left for the
Cock and Lion, Bridge Street)
1859–60 Andrew Whitehead
1860–64 Mark Davison
1864–97 George Moor

The Low Meeting House in 1971. The large

archway was knocked through in about 1900
when it was converted into stables for horses
and carriages (see plan p.29).

Inset: The date stone recovered when the

building was partly demolished in 1982. It can
be seen in uits original central postion under
the gables in the main picture.

9
Reconstructing The Original Brown Bear
The impression one gets of the original Brown Bear is that it was little better than the
Hole in the Wall. Its only redeeming feature raising its status somewhat was that it had
an assembly room on the first floor. The photograph clearly shows an archway on the
right signed “Entrance to Church of Scotland”. Three ordinary doors front the street.
Comparison with the map shows that the middle door matches the area marked on the
map with an elongated diagonal cross. Like that at the church entrance, this indicates a
cross-passage, or vennel, as the feature is known locally. To the right is a door associated
with a window with blinds and a barber’s pole above this door. To the left of the central
vennel is another door and windows which appear to be whitewashed. Above the central
doorway is a sign proclaiming the “Brown Bear Inn, George Moor”.
The map suggests the pub was set back from the street front to the range of buildings at Above: A surviving wall of the Good Templars’
the rear. This may seem odd, but as we have seen, there were many establishments such Hall in Coxons Lane Berwick. Built in 1874, it
as the Hole in the Wall which were set back from the street front. The Brown Bear started was the first local lodge of the international
as a back room and later incorporated the room at the front with the vestigial entrance, temperance movement.
the windows whitewashed to afford the customers some privacy from the Good Templars
and other prying eyes! An obituary to a later licensee describes the old Brown Bear and Below: Detail of the 1852 OS map showing
confirms this. the Brown Bear. Note the central vennel
(below the label “The Brown Bear PH”)
leading to the pub and into the yard.

10
 27-29 HIDE HILL 31–33 HIDE HILL

25 HIDE HILL PROBABLE

ORIGINAL
BROWN BEAR
VENNEL

BARBER SHOP
35 HIDE HILL

BLACKSMITH? UP
ARCHWAY

STABLES
37 HIDE HILL

Interpretation of the 1852 map showing a

possible internal layout.

11
 “In the old days entrance to the licensed house (then tenanted by George Moor),
was up a narrow passage. Internally the house was dark, badly ventilated and totally
out of keeping with modern times. A side entrance to the old Brown Bear led from
the yard leading to the Scotch Church which was situated at the top of the yard, and
which is now the Inn stable and coach-house.”
“Berwick Advertiser” 22nd April, 1922

Typically in medieval Scottish towns (and therefore, for this purpose, Berwick) properties
fronted the street in widths measured in fractions of a rood—about 5½ yards (5m)—with
a relatively long strip of land behind. In time, extra dwellings were built on this land which
led to the “vennel and courtyard” arrangement.
It is possible that the front room (with the door on the left) was not part of the original
pub. The room behind approached by the central vennel filled that role. The pub then
expanded, taking over the room at the front, and later, the dwellings at the rear. One
should note the unusual way the central vennel widens to twice the width of the front
doorway. The only logical reason is that it led to two doorways—one into the dwelling
immediately behind the pub, the other into the close.
It is probable that the rear range dwellings were two storey buildings. This is deduced
from the fact that between 1888 and 1906 the landlords are listed in the electoral register
as living at 29 Hide Hill. The building on the south side of the main archway to the church
was 35 Hide Hill. It was a wine and spirit merchants, between (at least) 1806 and 1900,
thereafter, a hairdressers salon until 1939 when it became part of the King’s Arms Hotel.
The numbering of the Hide Hill buildings is odd to say the least. The building at the top
of the hill on the corner with Woolmarket is 9; 1–7 are on the other side of Woolmarket.
The address of the Brown Bear now is 27 Hide Hill but it is sometimes referred to, and is
shown on an OS map c.1960, as 25 Hide Hill, with 27 behind it. If one starts with the front
of the Brown Bear as 25 Hide Hill, then the two buildings making up the rear range would
be 27/29 and 31/33, i.e. two sets of “two ups–two downs”. By 1835, it would appear the
Brown Bear had expanded into the rear range. A newspaper of 1835 reported the case of
a lodger “of some weeks”, Richard Weddell Hay, stealing a silver watch from the wife of
landlord Neil Anderson suggesting there were spare rooms to be let.
A typical vennel and courtyard arrangement
behind Church Street.

12
The Moor family
outside The Brown
Bear. Based on the
apparent age of the
children, this is likely
to have been taken
in the late 1860s or
early 1870s. George
and Elizabeth stand
in the doorways
with a postman.
Their youngest sons,
Thomas (left) and
George (right) stand
by their mother.
The identity of the
elderly gentleman is
not known but may
be another family
member.

Courtesy Jim Walker

13
Above the front of the pub was a relatively large assembly room for functions such as
weddings. We can be fairly certain of its location as, in 1895, a wedding reception took
place in the assembly room. The story that has been passed down by the family is that
the bride tore her dress ascending a flight of stairs and that the windows looking over
Hide Hill were all open because of the very hot weather (and no doubt, the cramped
conditions). These must be the first floor windows in the photograph and this, arguably,
strengthens the notion that the room below also belonged to the pub.
Everything considered, the pub appears to be quite small and probably not the most
salubrious of establishments, though as the Moors were in place for 30 years, it must have
been a prosperous enough business.
In common with many licensees, George Moor crossed the law more than once. In 1866,
at the annual Licensing renewal meeting of the Magistrates, the police singled out the
Brown Bear, and the Black Bull in Marygate, as not being fit to hold a licence as the were
“very disorderly houses”. Strangely, the name before the bench is William Moor. Who
this was, and why he was cited, is not understood; maybe he was a relative of George
“taking the rap”, or maybe the licence had been transferred to him after only two years.
Whatever the truth, George was certainly the landlord later.
This was by no means the first time the Brown Bear had been singled out. It was reported
as being closed in 1863. In September 1866, the Bear was cited in the case of the death
of James Tait, an assistant ostler who worked at the stables of the Red Lion in Marygate.
He had been on a heavy drinking session on a Saturday night after having been paid and
continued the next morning at the Red Lion. After being allowed to rest that afternoon in
the stables, he was found dead caused by “apoplexy, the result of intemperance”.
Another case, in December 1876, was brought to the attention of the Magistracy by the
police. They had observed some odd comings and goings outside the Brown Bear early
on Sunday morning. They investigated and found two men leaving the pub by the rear
entrance. One man had a white deposit on his moustache and inside were five glasses
containing what appeared to be milk. Upon closer examination, the glasses were found
to smell of rum. Even though it was pretty obvious to all concerned that the Moors had
been selling “intoxicating liquor” outside permitted hours, the charge was dropped as
there was no absolute proof that the two men and the rum and milk were connected:
their lawyer had been able to spin a good cock and bull story explaining the men’s
presence there. Mr and Mrs Moor were acquitted.

14
The end of the 19th century ushered a new age, not only for Berwick at large but also the
story of the Brown Bear. By 1891, George Moor’s wife had died and all his children had
flown the nest, apart from 35 year old Janet. He called last orders for the last time and
died in 1899. With him, died the old Brown Bear.

:rr
.ma.:Jim
ry: hm."
.555“m,

w
MW
”Wm

Extract of the case against the Moors.

“Berwick Advertiser” 29th December,1876.

15
The Bear Rebuilt
Business was good for the Border Brewery
at this time. William Henning had recently
immigrated from Germany. Under his
sure guidance, the brewery had been
transformed from a small family business
to a wider reaching commercial concern
attracting outside investment. It may have
been this that prompted the company to
bring their new acquisition up to date to
welcome the new century, and so in 1898,
at the height of pub building in Britain,
they commissioned local architect Robert
Marshall of 2 Ivy Place, Berwick, to bring
some high Victorian, metropolitan glamour
to the Bear. His proposal was to demolish
the entire assemblage of buildings and
replace it with a grand “gin palace”.
The front building was more imposing than
its predecessor. Large windows flank the
door, framed by barley-twist iron pillars,
and iron scrollwork foliage aping medieval
designs popular with Victorians. The
scrollwork continues over the new, more
generous archway to the rear yard. Above
these Gothic features the neoclassical
takes over. Three windows are topped by Victorian ironwork decorates the facade.
pointed and curved pediments and above them, a parapet with blind balustrade sections
hiding the pent roof sloping down to the rear.
Marshall’s plans used a similar building footprint as the original pub. In his notes
accompanying the plans, he instructs the builder that the range of buildings at the rear
are to be demolished as well as that at the front. However, this appears not to have Opposite: A social event in the rear parlour in
happened. 1956. Note the glass partition on the left.

Courtesy Berwick Record Office BRO 1944-1-1351-2

16
17
 UP
UP PASSAGE

DINING
ROOM
BATH BEDROOM BEDROOM BEDROOM

SITTING
ROOM

FIRST FLOOR

Robert Marshall’s
PASSAGE UP vision for the new
COAL
UP WC Brown Bear in 1898.
PARLOUR KITCHEN SCULLERY
BAR
UP

UP
UP
OFF-LICENCE
SERVING HATCH?

ARCHWAY

URINAL
CELLAR
PROPOSED
GROUND FLOOR EXTENSION

18
 PASSAGE UP
UP
UP

ASSEMBLY BATH BEDROOM BEDROOM BEDROOM

ROOM

PARTITION

FIRST FLOOR

Interpretation of
PASSAGE UP
the actual Brown
UP Bear as it would
UP PARLOUR SITTING DINING have been in 1900
KITCHEN
BAR ROOM ROOM
UP when it reopened.
Ostensibly it is very
similar but there
are discrepancies.
The central stairs
ARCHWAY have a very different
arrangement and no
rear stairs are in the
original plan. The
URINAL parlour was intended
CELLAR
to have two windows
but the one that
GROUND FLOOR exists is in a different
position to either
planned.

19
 LADIES

Why not is unknown but it was probably down to finance. Why rebuild what is essentially
there already? “Thank you for the ideas, Mr MarshaIl. We’ll take over from now.” That
ARCHWAY
the basic idea was approved can be judged by the formation of the parlour. This was a
wooden partition with frosted glass windows to let some daylight into the corridor which
led to the living area at the rear (see photograph p.17).
Physical evidence for the old building remaining can be found upstairs in the rear range. There
are three bedrooms and a bathroom, GENTS
with a corridor running the length of the north side, as
CELLAR
shown in Marshall’s plans. Yet this is far from straight; there is a definite meander. Not only that,
there is a distinct rise in the floor level. Builders of all ages should be respected for their skills.
There’s nothing amiss with the front section so why would the rear be of such a poor standard if
this was new build?

Answer: because it isn’t new. This is the original range. The departure from the straight
can be explained if one thinks back to the time before these buildings existed. It is
likely that each was added behind the last at different times, by different builders,
resulting in differences of floor levels and wall thicknesses. Inside, on the ground floor
north wall, is a protruding section of wall, 930mm (3 feet) wide. This extends as a beam
across the ceiling. Features like this are usually the remains of original external walls and
sure enough, this coincides with the most significant kink in the upstairs corridor and a
noticeable rise in the floor level.
The upstairs corridor is far from straight. Near
the wall radiator there is a significant rise in
the floor.

Cross-section of the present day Brown Bear looking north. The unevenness of the rear range floor and ceiling levels
clearly coincides with the thicker wall sections indicating different building phases.
The colour banding below indicates the areas with corresponding colour coding in sections on p.21.

20
 ROOF AT REAR OF ROOF AT REAR OF
FRONT BUILDING FRONT BUILDING

ASSEMBLY ROOM ASSEMBLY ROOM

FLOOR LEVEL FLOOR LEVEL

DOOR FROM CORRIDOR DOOR FROM CORRIDOR

TO CENTRAL STAIRWELL TO CENTRAL STAIRWELL

Cross-sections of the rear range looking west showing (left) Marshall’s proposed stair layout, and (right) what was actually built. Note the stairs at
the far end of the corridor leading up to the central stairwell in the original plan. Marshall’s design would have necessitated either some special
adaptation of the corridor ceiling above the stairs or a much higher than otherwise needed ceiling height throughout
Rear range
Central stairwell
Front section

21
Another great anomaly is the central stair arrangement. Marshall’s
plan shows a stair from behind the front bar leading upstairs to
behind the dining room. At the west end of the corridor, he has
drawn stairs leading (presumably) up to the landing. The stairwell
manifests itself on the outside as a section with a pitched roof
higher than that of the rest of the rear range. If the whole range
had been new, one might assume this higher roof would have
continued the length of the building. The off-centre nature of
this middle section can be explained though, if we assume the
lower pitch is original. This section must have been raised to
accommodate the new stairs and the north roof pitch extrapolated
from the original.
Marshall’s stairs in the corridor are a mystery. If the rear range
was new, and the height that it is, how could this arrangement be
practical without some sort of strange “cutaway” in the ceiling to
provide sufficient headroom.
Yet another oddity in the corridor is a slight recess found at the
east end above the stairs; small details often hold the clue for the
building detective.
The stair rail has a newel post directly below the edge of this
recess and here the profile of the rail also changes. Opposite
the recess, a change occurs in the wall finish; tongue and groove
panelling gives way to a plainer finish. The stairs descend to
a corridor leading to a door at the back of a relatively new
extension. All this suggests an earlier layout with a turn at the
newel post. The recess is a result, possibly a later adaptation, of
this arrangement—cutting back the first floor a little to allow a
taller person to ascend without banging their head.
This in turn begs the question: did these rear domestic stairs exist
at the same time as the grander stairs at the west end? Possibly;
possibly not. Marshall’s plans show no stairs at the east end of the
Remains of the central staircase leading to upper rooms at front of the
range; the intention was clearly to access the whole upstairs area
building. A cornice remains under the landing proving that this area
from the one central flight. It is probable though that they predate
could be seen from below.

22
the main stairs as part of the original layout when the rear range Far left: An odd
was divided into separate dwellings. newel post below the
odder recess.
Marshall’s plans show two reception rooms for the family above
the front bar. Yet again, this arrangement is not what the evidence
Left: A change
in the building shows. The wall between the modern living room
in wall cladding
and kitchen is not a simple one. Below the ornate cornice in both
opposite the newel
rooms is a thick architrave, a moulding defining the outline of an
post re-enforces the
opening. This demonstrates a further departure from Marshall’s
evidence of change.
intention; an assembly room was deemed more important than
palatial accommodation for the family. The arch held a folding
partition to sub-divide the room.
Below right: Within a house in Wellington Terrace a smaller, but more
This was confirmed by the son of the landlord in the 1960s and
ornate architrave contains folding doors to make the room smaller if
‘70s. Indeed, a former member of staff told me that the two rooms
needed.
had been created as recently as the 1990s This is not entirely
surprising as many large inns and hotels had such a facility as,
Below left: A corner of the present day Brown Bear living room
indeed had the old Brown Bear.
showing the cornice and architrave.

23
Berwick At The Turn Of The Century
Being so far from any other major centres of population meant that Berwick was a thriving
town in late Victorian and Edwardian age; the hub of a large and productive agricultural
area with fisheries and a busy quay side. One can only imagine how noisy it would have
been as horses pulled carts laden with goods over the cobbles of the streets. New
industries and better transport links brought many outsiders to Berwick yet between 1891
and 1911, the population fell by about a thousand to 13,500, comparable with today’s
population. It should be noted though, that while the middle classes had begun to move
too new villas in Castle Terrace and North Road, the majority were confined in often
squalid conditions within the town walls. These slums would not begin to be razed until
the 1930s and new housing estates built out of town.
Berwick served everybody’s needs, be they work or leisure related. The Charter Market,
granted by James VI/I in 1604 was held, as now, every Wednesday and Saturday. In
addition, poultry, eggs and dairy products were sold in the Exchange (Buttermarket)
under the Town Hall. Fish and green markets were held in the High Street. There were
also regular cattle and sheep markets, initially in Hide Hill, with the abattoir—the
shambles—at the corner of Church Street and Marygate. This, as one can imagine, gave
rise to disgusting conditions. Dr Fuller cannot contain his thoughts, and writes at length,
in 1799, about how the blood and excrement flows down Hide Hill to the river, blocking
gutters and finding its way into the drinking water supply. In 1844 the shambles were
closed and the livestock markets moved to the top of Castlegate where the war memorial
now stands. This expanded north before a purpose-built cattle market was created in
what is now Castlegate car park, in 1887.
The shambles were deep cleaned and became home to the corn market which hitherto,
had also been held on Hide Hill, until the Corn Exchange was built in Sandgate in 1858.

Opposite: A bustling market day in Marygate

about the turn of the century.

24
25
The markets were not only a place of commerce for farmers. Their
wives and families would come into town to purchase provisions
and perhaps browse the latest fashions in the many new
department stores like those of Dunlop and Messrs Paxton and
Purves that thrived and expanded in the late 19th century. It was a
chance to catch up with the gossip and relax.
In an age before cinema and other forms of mass entertainment,
theatre was very popular. Fuller noted in 1799, “Theatrical
performances have occasionally been exhibited in Berwick for
a great number of years past, sometimes in the Town Hall, and
sometimes in a house in Golden Square”, but it was Hide Hill
which developed into a centre for cultural endeavour.
Stephen Kemble, manager of the Newcastle Theatre Royal,
opened Berwick’s first purpose built theatre behind the King’s
Arms Hotel in Hide Hill in 1794. This was replaced by the present
Assembly Rooms in 1845 following a fire. The Corn Exchange was
also used for performances and other entertainments. In 1879,
the Queen’s Rooms, holding a thousand, were built set back from
Hide Hill, just below the King’s Arms. It was here that the first
cinematograph was shown in 1897. Early cinema also played in
another small theatre in Hide Hill. Formerly, the Salmon Inn Hall, it
operated between 1909 and 1910 as the Central Picture Hall.
So market days and the entertainments of the day attracted great
numbers of people into the town and of course, public houses Advertisement from an early tourism booklet, 1902. New enticements
were a major draw (though almost exclusively for men) ready to for the traveller included “stabling for cycles” and “hot and cold
refresh the thirsty and weary. baths”.
This then was the context in which the Brown Bear entered the
next phase of its story.

26
From Brown Bear To White Elephant
Unsurprisingly, it was not a good start. Locals of the “it’s ay been”
persuasion did not welcome the change. The 1922 obituary cited
earlier continues:
“When the new place was built the critics pronounced it a
white elephant. Townspeople had for so long been used with
the old order, that they looked with suspicion on the new
up-to-date building, the first of the modern licensed houses
in the town. Under Mr Morrallee the house soon became a
success.”
“Berwick Advertiser” 22nd April, 1922

A fresh dynasty was to make its mark in the new establishment,

completed in 1901. Thomas Morrallee is first discovered in 1882
when he took over Robert Noble’s six year old wine and spirit
business, as a joint partner with Noble’s son, John. This was at
8, Bridge End (the site of Hargreave’s electrical shop). Business
seems to have been good but in 1889, for whatever reason,
Morrallee moved to Edinburgh to set up on his own. It was not
a successful move: between 1889 and 1894, he turned a £1,250
surplus into a £1,250 loss. His business recovered somewhat, in
great part by his reacquisition of the Berwick business in 1896. All
was not well though and in 1901, he was declared bankrupt. It was
a tricky case as, having businesses in both Berwick and Edinburgh,
nobody was quite sure whether to try him under English or
Scottish law. As most of his creditors were north of the border,
Morrallee elected to go to court in Edinburgh.
By 1901 he had become de facto landlord of the Brown Bear but,
possibly because of the bankruptcy, the licence was actually in the
name of his wife, Christian Morrallee.

“Berwickshire News and General Advertiser” 18th April, 1882.

27
A Stable Business
The Brown Bear had always been used
for horse trading (in the literal sense) but
this side business grew in the early 20th
century with the sale and hire of carriages,
and later a courier service, all of which
operated from the rear yard.
The 1898 plans show that the Low Meeting
House had been converted for this use.
A large doorway was knocked through
and stalls added on either side; the vestry
reduced to a store for hay. The carriages
were kept in the central area.
Prior to this, the stables with a blacksmith’s
forge were in the long building to the
south of the pub. It is possible this is the
oldest area on the site: inside is found
a timber frame wall with brick nogging
infill. The building now has a modern
corrugated roof but the east end wall
suggests an earlier, higher building. This
is supported by a report in the “Illustrated
Berwick Journal” in 1862 which tells of
a fire in the hayloft over the stables. It
is doubtful that this led to the building’s
destruction however, as the fire was quickly
brought under control. Had it not been for
a brick dividing wall, the flames might have
spread to a store containing turpentine
and oil, and the next door workshop of
James Purves, cabinet maker.
Top: A typical advert. “Berwickshire News and General Advertiser” 22nd April, 1902.

Above: The outbuilding now used as the cellar and stores. The unusual profile of the end wall
suggests an earlier, higher building.

28
 LOOSE HAY
BOX HOUSE

SPACE FOR
CARRIAGES

STALLS
PIG
Low Meeting House
conversion to stables
LOOSE STY from Marshall’s

BOX
drawing of 1898.
The area marked
“pig sty” was
originally intended
to be an additional
stables area (seen in
deeds from 1928) but
was being used for
pigs by the 1960s.
(See also photograph
p.9)

29
 A timber frame dividing wall within the
stable block. The brick infill is a common
replacement for earlier wattle and daub
infill and may date to the 18th century if not
earlier.

30
Outside, in the yard, is further evidence of equine activity. Along
the length of the north wall are a curious series of rings and hooks.
The rings are positioned at six feet intervals and the hooks at eight
feet intervals. This suggests their uses are not related, but maybe
similar. It seems reasonable to assume the rings were used to tie
up horses, but what of the hooks? It is probable they were part
of a system used to attach fencing hurdles to the wall, creating
temporary pens for livestock and perhaps this was the location of
the sheep market in Hide Hill.
As early as 1911, Morrallee had seen the way modern transport
would supersede the horse. In conjunction with the continuing
horse sales, he set up a taxi and bus service which operated
from the rear yard to meet all trains at Berwick railway station.
Somewhat bizarrely, also in 1911 “after repeated requests” the
Morrallees introduced a hearse.

Adverts from 1911. An iron ring for tying up a horse, top left, and
a pair of iron hooks, one above the other.

31
From White Elephant To Brown Bear
Thomas Morrallee was well suited to the task of rebuilding the Brown Bear. He knew
the wine and spirit trade by heart and the Brown Bear soon became a success. Despite
early reservations from the old clientele, the premises were in an ideal situation to take
advantage of the age. His stables and yard offered ample space for parking horses. He
was described as a model landlord and did not tolerate drunken behaviour from anyone
whatever their status. This meant that some of the less desirable elements of Berwick
society quickly learnt to stay clear of “Morrallee’s”. He seems to have been a stickler for
punctuality and attention to detail and while described as brusque, he had a sense of
humour perhaps bordering on the black.
A labourer, Adam Cowe, got on the wrong side of Morrallee in 1905. He had been
working at the pub; his efforts were obviously not up to scratch. He was arrested for
being drunk and disorderly (for the 29th time) swearing and shouting abuse against
Morrallee. Fined 10s 6d or 14 days in the cells.
The business definitely catered for the better off. It was said that he knew every farmer in
the district by name and the establishment was renowned for his lunches, serving more
than a hundred meals on a busy market day. He was a member of the Mechanics’ Friendly
Society and of St David’s Lodge of Freemasons. A staunch supporter of the Liberal Party,
he was a friend of Lord Grey (then Sir Edward) who became the youngest Member of
Parliament when elected in 1885 for the Berwick-upon-Tweed constituency. It was said
that every time Sir Edward Grey was in Berwick, Morrallee would make a point of meeting
and having a talk with him.
It was therefore perhaps ironic that, as a friend of the statesman who gave the famous
“The lamps are going out all over Europe” speech at the start of the war, Morrallee’s one A Brown Bear regular?
time before the bench was because his eldest daughter, Mary, allowed a candle to show Sir Edward Grey in 1914. He served as foreign
through a window with no black-out blind a couple of days before her wedding in 1916. secretary from 1905 to 1916.
He was fined £1 for the offence and enquired of the Magistrates,
“Is there no receipt given?”
Opposite: The Brown Bear, probably in
“No receipts here!” the 1910s, proudly displaying the new
landlord’s name. At the right of the picture
“I don’t see why I shouldn’t have a receipt; I could have put it up at the window!”
is the Queen’s Buildings built in 1879 and
demolished in the 1920s.
Courtesy Libraries, Leisure and Culture Dundee

32
33
The outbreak of the First World War saw both of Morrallee’s sons join up; Henry with the
Artillery Volunteer Corps and Tom, the 7th Northumberland Fusiliers. A lack of staff, as
with everywhere, meant that the business suffered somewhat but kept going.
Morrallee was an excellent horseman as one might imagine. He was one of the driving
forces behind the Berwick May Horse Procession for working horses, part of the annual
May Fair. This, like many things, had lapsed during the war and Thomas Morrallee was
instrumental in its revival, in 1921, after the conflict.
Sadly, it was the last one he would assist with. Two months after a meeting to organise
the following year’s events, Thomas Morrallee died in April 1922, the result of a brief spell

Above: Sergeant Thomas Morrallee, wounded

in action in France in 1915.

Left: Horse Procession certificate awarded,

in 1910, to Robert Gibson for “Best Kept
Harness”.
Courtesy Liz Holmes

34
of pneumonia. At 78, he was the oldest landlord in Berwick. His wife, Christian continued
running the business until her death in January the following year. They were survived by
Henry, Tom (who, after his wartime wounding had been working in the War Office), and
two daughters.
After the death of his father, Henry assisted his mother and upon her death took over the
licence until he retired in 1942. An auction of all the furnishings ended this golden era of
Horse Procession winners, 1923.
the Bear.
Courtesy Liz Holmes

35
 Brewery Notes
Good’s 1806 Directory mentions only Burnet Roger Grieve and Co in Hide Hill
and Silver Street (founded 1730s), and Pratt & Gregson in Silver Street (founded
1770s), but in 1781, Ann Nicholson is referred to as a Brewer. She must be related
to Margaret Nicholson who, in an advert of 1789 is putting her Woolmarket property
up for sale or let. It consists of “a neat dwelling house, a large, commodious and
well accustommed Brewery; together with Stables, Offices and Cellars...”. Another
“coincidence”is that George Temple’s second wife was... an Ann Nicholson (though
she died in 1749). We should not be surprised that this was a woman’s trade. In the
13th century the Guild of Freemen of Berwick, issued an ordinance, “No woman
shall sell ale, from Easter to Michaelmas, at dearer than twopence a gallon; nor, from
Michaelmas to Easter, at more than a penny. And the names of the ale-wives shall be Johnson and Darling brewery dray, probably
registered.” 1920s.
By 1799, Sibbit, Dickson and Co had started brewing
in Tweedmouth, and other breweries developed within
the town, but the two earliest “modern” breweries were
the Tweed Brewery (Johnson and Darling Ltd) in Palace
Street East (behind the Governors House) and the
Border Brewery, in Silver Street, both recorded in 1855.
The Border Brewery Company took over the
Tweedmouth Brewery by 1897. In 1924 the company
merged with Johnson & Darling Ltd and changed its
name in 1925 to Berwick Breweries Ltd. In 1934 the
company was taken over by Vaux Brewery who closed
down the brewing operations.
The Border Brewery Company Ltd was reformed in
1992 by Mandy and Tony Clark, and Carol and Alan Crawford in part of the old
Tweedmouth brewery. This in turn was taken over, in 1994, by the Hadrian Brewery Above: A Vaux brewery sign—a shield with a
which now operates from Newburn in Newcastle. V and two opposing blackbirds­—at the top of
the Brown Bear frontage.
Brewing is still alive and well in the small but perfectly formed shape of Rikki
Graham’s Bear Claw Brewery in Spittal. Opposite: The Tweedmouth Brewery on
Brewery Lane.

36
37
 The Brown Bear in the 1940s.

38
Robert Woodman Aikman
A native of Longhorsley near Morpeth, Robert Woodman Aikman came to Berwick in
1939 as steward of the Unionist Club in Woolmarket. He went on to be manager of the
legendary Stoddart’s on the corner of Marygate and Golden Square, before taking the
licence of the Brown Bear in July 1942. He was a popular man, and as well as running
the pub, continued the car hire and taxi business started by his predecessors but was
unfortunate enough to be defrauded on
several occasions.
He must have taken an interest in local
politics as, in 1945, he was the proposer
for an Independent candidate for the
Elizabeth (town centre) Ward, Joe Cooper,
the landlord of the Berwick Arms by the
Town Hall. In the 1949 election he was a
nominee for another candidate.
He was a regular at Berwick Rangers
matches. A keen, but not very able
gardener (by his own admission) the Brown
Bear hosted annual flower and vegetable
shows, and also dog shows in a garden to
the rear of the Low Meeting House.
He died in 1954 and the business was
continued by his wife Gladys (affectionately
known as Mother Superior by some.).
Nothing of note seems to have happened
after this for a while. Gladys Aikman was
in turn succeeded by William Wilcox and
then, perhaps briefly, by Gordon Graham
in the early 1960s before another landlord
of note took over the licence—Alex
Gibson.
The front bar of the Brown Bear c.1955. Berwick legend Nagus Crombie from the Greenses. It is
believed the others are also from the Greenses.
Courtesy Berwick Record Office BRO 1944-1-1227-1

39
40
The Bear Swings Into The Sixties
Alex Gibson had been the landlord of the Miner’s Arms to the north of Scremerston
before moving to the Brown Bear in 1963. Another long standing landlord, he is notable
for two things to us.
One of the last major structural changes to the pub occurred in about 1968. The central
staircase and the parlour were removed and the legendary Tartan Lounge—so-called after
the carpet—was born. A new circular bar was installed to serve the new lounge where
music was a common entertainment at the weekends.

PASSAGE UP

BATH BEDROOM BEDROOM BEDROOM

FIRST FLOOR

UP
UP Plan of the Brown
TARTAN
BAR SITTING DINING Bear after the 1968
LOUNGE KITCHEN
ROOM ROOM changes.
UP

LADIES UP Opposite: Brown

GROUND FLOOR Bear darts team in
the 1960s.
ARCHWAY Courtesy Alex Gibson jnr

41
 Alex Gibson, resplendent in his trademark
tartan waistcoat and bow tie, with Bert Spain
at the organ in the Tartan Lounge.
Courtesy Berwick Record Office BRO 1944-1-4485-043

42
More importantly, however, Alex Gibson is remembered for his charity work within the community. Whilst he was behind the bar, money
was raised for the mentally disabled; for the children at the Grove Special School and Northumberland County Council Adult Training
Centre in particular. He was also recognised for his fund-raising for the Aberfan disaster in South Wales in 1966. Of all the recollections
of Mr Gibson, the most common is the large mirror at the side of the bar which would be steadily filled with coins stuck on by dipping
them in beer. He also kept a chamber pot behind the bar into which, people would toss spare change. At his retirement, it was
estimated that £33,000 (over £150,000 by today’s standards.
In 1978 he was presented the Local Life Award. This was organised by the Brewers Society and administered by the North East Brewers
Association in this region. Licensees were nominated by their customers and then assessed on their level of contribution to the local
community.

Alex Gibson holds the “potty” in front of the

coin-filled mirror. Note the door through to
the Tartan Lounge bar.
Courtesy Alex Gibson jnr

Margaret “Peggy” Gibson poses for a

photographer in the front bar. The charity
collection mirror with coins can be seen in the
background.
Courtesy Alex Gibson jnr

43
44
Into The Modern Era
After Alex and Peggy retired in 1980, the Brown Bear was taken over by Walter and
Maureen Turnbull. They, in turn, were succeeded by Sandy and Marion Middlemiss
in 1983. And it was shortly after they took it over that the Bear underwent its last major
change—arguably the most drastic since 1898—the opening up of the ground floor.
There were several factors that brought about this as the attitudes to pubs and drinking
changed in the years leading up to the 1980s. Trends in drinking had started to change as
early as the 1950s with an increase in alcohol consumption after the austerity of the post-
war years. Yet is wasn’t necessarily the drinkers of the old days that were doing it.
Beer had always been the staple drink of British men. Mild was a weaker beer that a
bloke could drink after a hard day at the factory principally to rehydrate but without
getting too drunk. While lager had been popular throughout the world, Britain had
steadfastly refused to change. Maybe soldiers returning from national service (or regular
service) in the army and had been posted in Germany may have developed a taste for
the colder continental drink. I remember my father, a seasoned beer drinker, told me
of his days posted at Kiel on the Baltic coast and his introduction to German lagers
and the strange concept of one litre glasses! Breweries advertised lager heavily in the
early 1970s. It has been said the advert that clinched the deal was the famous line from
1974, “Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach”. This, combined with the
heatwave summers of ‘75 and ‘76, changed the public’s attitude to not just what to drink,
but why you drank it. Between 1975 and 1985 sales of beer reduced by 10 million barrels
while sales of lager increased by 12 million barrels.
By 1971, home ownership had increased to 50% of all households (as opposed to 23% in
1918). The responsibility of home ownership, coupled with higher wages and the by now
establishment of DIY, meant that older men in particular had other avenues of “leisure
and entertainment”. Consequently, they spent less time enjoying pursuits like watching
the local football match and the visits to the pub associated with the traditional Saturday
afternoon.
Changing attitudes in society towards women led to greater freedoms and women were
able to frequent public houses without the fear of intimidation or “loss of reputation” that A shirt awarded to those who, worse for wear,
such behaviour might once have brought about. One of the great drivers was another fell off a bar stool.
new drink: wine. While it had been enjoyed by some at home, its increasing availability in
pubs led to a doubling of alcohol consumption by women between the 1970s and 1990s. Opposite: Young and old enjoy an evening in
the Tartan Lounge.

45
 PASSAGE UP

SITTING
ROOM
BATH BEDROOM BEDROOM BEDROOM

KITCHEN

FIRST FLOOR

POOL
AREA LADIES
UP
BAR
UP

GROUND FLOOR

ARCHWAY

Plan of the Brown

Bear after the 1983
changes. The new
GENTS CELLAR STORE ladies toilets and the
permanent partition
between the upstairs
front rooms were
added after 1995.

46
Young people were looking for their own identity too. Not for them the “spit and
sawdust“ pubs their fathers had frequented. The idea that you might take your wife or
girlfriend out to the pub led to improvements in cleanliness and the general presentation
of pubs throughout the country. The pub was no longer the preserve of labourers and
businessmen. It was now a place of fun for all; a place to meet new people and enjoy the
liberation of the last quarter of the century.
These young people demanded greater entertainment. Televisions found their way into
the bar (see photograph p.43). Juke boxes replaced the Bert Spains of the world. Darts
had always been popular but pool, introduced into British pubs in the late 1960s, was
becoming more popular: the Berwick Pool League had been formed in 1976. Other new
distractions such as gambling machines and electronic video games were seen as a useful
extra source of income. The old layout of the Brown Bear could not accommodate any of
these. And so, the entire building was opened up with a completely new layout to cater
for this younger clientele.
The dividing wall between the front room and the Tartan Lounge was ripped out and a
bar laid along much of the length of the north wall. Gone were the traditional stools and
tables. In came a more relaxed bank seating around the walls. This extended into the old
Tartan Lounge, and the family sitting room was added to form an area for the pool table.
In 1995, after the Middlemisses, Kim Riley, Susan and Alan Wakenshaw and family took
over the pub. Kim left the business in 2000 and Alan Wakenshaw died in 2005 leaving
Susan and her son, Graeme to create the local legend the Brown Bear was to become
amongst young people at the weekend. Live music and discos as a “warm up” to the
serious clubbing in Golden Square was always a huge pull. So popular was it, that people
would regularly be queueing outside waiting to be admitted.
The Brown Bear had always been associated with charitable work but on a personal note,
their entries in the Tweedmouth Feast Float Parade were outstanding; consistently the
most imaginative and the most fun. Another favourite annual fund raising event was the
all day “B in The Bear” music event. A long range of decking was erected in the rear yard
and a stage erected for local bands to perform on.
The Wakenshaws retired in 2013. It was a hard act to follow and while others tried, they Top: The Brown Bear interior after a cosmetic
were not able to and the pub was open intermittently until it closed in 2016. refit in 2010.

Above: Last orders?

47
 Fun and games: scenes from B In The
Bear 2010
Centre: Susan and Graeme
Wakenshaw, 2013.
Below centre: The staff and customers
win the Tweedmouth Feast Float
Parade (as usual!) in 2012.
Courtesy Graeme Wakenshaw

48
A New Beginning
The closure was undoubtedly the result of many factors, not least of which was the Later Landlords
punitive rent imposed by the pub company. It was bought at auction in July 2016 by (Note: dates are taken from trade
Frank Flannigan, a local businessman. In October 2016, J Mark Dodds of the campaign directories, etc. Only known dates are
group, The Peoples’ Pub Partnership, entered into a contract with Frank Flannigan to listed.
keep the pub open. Over the course of two short months, the pub was refurbished by
a small team led by Paul Waddington, giving it a fresh, modern look. The Brown Bear 1901–22 ������ Thomas and Christian
opened for business once more on 8th December that year. The ambition was to show Morrallee
a new way that pubs can be run and to complement existing activities and businesses 1922–23 ������ Christian Morrallee
in Berwick, and to attract more people to the town. Local beer and food is sourced
whenever possible. The pub intends to be a “shop window” for local producers. 1923–42 ������ Henry Morrallee

It is an interesting throwback to 1901 when the Brown Bear reopened with a new look. 1942–54 ������ Robert Woodman Aikman
As then, when the pub opened again in 2016 there were detractors complaining that 1954–? �������� William Wilcox
the pub wasn’t like it used to be. It was interesting though that other pubs approved its
rejuvenation, seeing it as a valuable extra asset. The Brown Bear is now a busy venue, ? ���������������� Gordon Graham
hosting fortnightly pub quizzes and regular music nights for local talent. These changes 1963–80 ������ Alex Gibson
are now attracting new customers once more.
1980–83 ������ Robert and Maureen
From a historian’s perspective, it is interesting to see how trends repeat, linking the Turnbull
present and future to the past. It is once more a place for people to eat simple, honest
food, and to meet and talk without the distractions of TV and game machines. What was 1983–95 ������ Sandy and Marion
the upstairs living room has now, once more, become an “assembly room”—a space Middlemiss
that local community groups and charities may use to hold meetings for free. This again 1995–2000 �� Kim Riley and Susan
attracts new people to the pub. Wakenshaw
The next phase is very ambitious: to create a “Creative Village” in the square formed 2000–13 ������ Susan Wakenshaw
by the Low Meeting House. It is the customers who are encouraged to get involved in
deciding how the pub should be developed and what kind of things should be done 2013–16 ������ Various
once funds are raised to buy the freehold and develop the whole site properly. It is 2016– ���������� J Mark Dodds
hoped that once more the Bear will provide B&B accommodation, a full restaurant menu
serving produce from the Borders, maybe a brewery, a bottle shop, pop up events and
much more.

49
The new Brown Bear in the making.
Top (from left to right): Paul Waddington wires the new chandelier; And it’s finished!
Above (from left to right): A fine selection of beers; Gary Munckton and Jonny Wilson of the Cross Borders Brewing Company;
Michael Stewart and the author enjoy the first pints pulled.

50
Up and running.
Top (from left to right): Ronnie Hek and Iain Petrie at one of the many music nights; the audience; Heads down for the Bear Facts quiz.
Above (from left to right): Another busy night at the Bear; World famous beer writer Roger Protz pops in while researching the
coaching inns of the Great North Road; The Brown Bear steering group convene in the upstairs meeting room.

51
Index Isdale, William 9 London and Berwick Tavern 2
Middlemiss, Sandy and Marion 47 Old Hen and Chickens 5
Architect See Marshall, Robert Moor, George 7, 9–10, 12–15 Ship 2
Architecture 7, 12–16, 18–25, 30–33, 43, Morrallee, Henry 34 Sign of The Angel 3
48–49 Morrallee, Thomas and Christian 27, 31, Sign of the Bear 3, 5, 7
32, 34 Steam Boat 2
Brewers
Temple, George 3, 4, 7, 36 White Bear 7
Bear Claw Brewery 36
Selby, Mary 3–5 Ye Olde Bridge Tavern 7
Berwick Breweries 36
Turnbull, Robert and Marion 45
Border Brewery 8, 16, 36
Whitehead, Andrew 9
Burnet Roger Grieve and Co 36
Hadrian Brewery 36 Low Meeting House 7–9, 28–29, 39
Nicholson, Anne 36 Magistrates 2, 14, 32
Pratt & Gregson 36
Sibbit, Dickson and Co 36 Markets 24 Bibliography
Tweed Brewery 36 Marshall, Robert 16, 18, 20–23, 29 David Brenchley—A Place By Itself, 1997
Vaux Brewery 36
Places British Newspaper Archive
Entertainment 1, 3, 26, 41, 45, 47 Bridge Street 3–7, 9 http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk
Cinema 26 Castlegate 24
Lamberton Races 3–4, 7 Church Street 2, 24 Dr John Fuller—History of Berwick, 1799
Theatre 26 Marygate 2 Raymond Lamont-Brown—The Life and
Henning, William 16 See also Border Brewery Sandgate 2 Times of Berwick-upon-Tweed, 1988
Strother’s Yard 2
Horses 28, 31 Walkergate 5 John Scott—Berwick-upon-Tweed: The
Horse Procession 36, 37 Woolmarket 12, 36, 39 History of the Town and Guild, 1888

Pubs
Landlords Black Bull 14
Aikman, Robert 39 Butchers Arms 2
Anderson, Neil 9, 12 Cock and Lion 9
Brown, Joseph 7, 9 Freemasons Arms 2
Crow, William 9 Harp 2
Davison, Mark 9 Hen and Chickens 2, 4, 5
Dawson, Francis 9 Hole in the Wall 2, 10
Gibson, Alex 34, 39, 41–43 Kings Arms 4
Home, John 9 Leith and Berwick Tavern 2

52