When you need a smoke and you are both a kid and skint, dog end collecting sure saved the day.
We are camping out tonight at the bottom of Coach Lane, North Shields, but as we are all skint we will go looking for dog ends (gutter hunting) along Low Shields, to make some rollies up. One of the lads has pinched a few of his dad’s tab papers and his rolling machine, so we are set. Our first call is the Berwick pub on Trinity Street corner, then to Coach Lane corner outside Cookie’s barbershop. Next we head along to Victoria pub in William Street, then drop down to the Ballarat and Mariner’s pubs on Saville Street.
We are not doing too bad, just a few yards further and we are outside the Sir Colin Campbell pub. Off we go to the Gardener’s Arms in Gardener Street and then, heading up the road, we call in at the Stanley pub in Rudyard Street. Just around the corner we check out the Wellington pub in Wellington Street, then back to Rudyard Street for the Neville pub on the corner. We cross the road to the café on the corner then across to the station to try our luck. Yes, we are having a good night. The Railway pub and Telegraph pub in Nile Street are next, then up to the Royal Arms (Charlie Robson’s). Across to Bedford Street and the first call is the White Hart, then Uncle Tom’s Cabin. We are back to the main road, Saville Street again so we cross over to the Alnwick Castle then move next door to the General Havelock and the Garrick’s Head.
We are having a real good collection so off we go down Camden Street to the central pub (Magnesia Bank today), then two minutes round the corner to the Albion pub in Norfolk Street and along to the Crown & Sceptre in Stephenson Street. As we are hitting lucky we head along to the Colonel Linskill in Charlotte Street, followed by the Corvette on Beacon Street. Last call is the King’s Head on Tyne Street, then off home we go.
Once back at our camp we start to sort out our tab ends. There is a variety of all makes like; Capstan, Players, Senior Service, Woodbines, Capstan Full Strength, Envoy, Cadets and foreign ones, etc., etc. Some are thick with lipstick, others have what we call ‘duck’s bums’, others were quite useable. Once all the nippers were broken open and the baccy mixed up in the tin we would make some rollies and smoke them. Mind you, I will admit they nearly always blew our heads off, but when you need a smoke and you are both a kid and skint, dog end collecting sure saved the day every time.
One last thought:
Out of the pubs mentioned 12 are still open and the rest long gone.
General Havelock Pub North Shields
Photograph from The Lost Pubs Project