The Free Trade Inn | Newcastle Ouseburn

The Free Trade Inn on St Lawrence Road in Ouseburn is a pub that has become famous for one specific reason: the view from its terrace is extraordinary. The pub sits high above the River Tyne with a clear line across the water to the bridges and the Gateshead riverbank. On a clear evening the view is one of the best available from any pub terrace in England. Everything else about the Free Trade is good. The view is exceptional.

The Pub

The Free Trade is a proper Victorian pub. It does not serve food. It does not have a gin menu or a cocktail list. It serves real ale – a well-chosen, rotating range from northern English and Tyneside breweries – and it does this very well. The interior is dark, comfortable and unpretentious. The regulars are the Ouseburn creative community alongside visitors who have been told about the view and come to verify it. Both are welcome in equal measure.

The Terrace

The terrace is the reason people make the specific effort to come to the Free Trade Inn rather than the other excellent pubs within a short walk. The views across the Tyne include the industrial-heritage cranes of Neptune Yard, the Quayside and the bridges. At sunset the light on the river is a genuinely beautiful thing. The terrace fills on summer evenings and the overflow stands at the wall overlooking the river without appearing to mind.

The Walk There

The Free Trade Inn is a walk from the rest of Ouseburn’s cluster of venues. The walk is part of the experience – following the river path from the Cluny up to St Lawrence Road is a specific Ouseburn pleasure. The approach through the lower valley past old industrial buildings adds to the sense of finding something that requires some effort.

When to Go

A summer evening before sunset. Arrive before 6pm to secure terrace space. Bring a jacket – the riverside wind is unpredictable regardless of the season.