Licensed since 1904
Built for work. Kept for company.
A lamp store became a dockers' refuge, then the public house generations decided not to let disappear.
A lamp store became a dockers' refuge, then the public house generations decided not to let disappear.
The building opened as a lamp store for Kilngate Wharf. Its enormous chimney drew dockers to the warmth long before anyone thought to apply for a licence.
By 1904 the shelves held fewer lamps and the room held more people. The name changed. The oak counter, flagstone floor and habit of staying late did not.
Ale joins paraffin on the ledger. The dockers approve immediately.
A coal store is cleared, a piano appears, and Friday music begins.
Kilngate brews the first house bitter. The recipe has barely moved since.
The old scullery becomes a proper kitchen, with the range facing the fire.
Both burn every cold day. The chimney still draws beautifully and the seats nearest it remain unofficially competitive.
You may arrive as two and leave having met eight. That is the furniture doing its job.
No tie, no central buying list, no television package. The kitchen, cellar and decisions are all ours.
Walk in for a pint, stay for supper, or reserve a table with our external booking partner.
Reserve with Tablehouse ↗