Two centuries of keeping the fire lit.
Stone floors. A log-burning stove. Local ales, gin and whisky collections worth spending time with, and a bar that has been the centre of this village since before anyone can remember. All welcome. Muddy boots included.
The bar at The Duke is not a waiting room for the restaurant.
It is its own place; with its own regulars, its own rhythms, and its own particular qualities. Stone-flagged floors worn smooth by two centuries of trade. A log-burning stove that earns its place from the first cold morning of October through to April. Darts, dominoes, and cribbage for those who prefer their evenings with structure. The daily papers for those who don't.
The full restaurant menu is available in the bar, served without ceremony. If you want to eat well after a walk through the valley, arrive unannounced with a muddy Labrador, and sit by the fire with a pint while you decide what to order, the bar is the place to do it. That is what it has always been for.
“The Tyne Valley has a way of slowing things down.
The bar at The Duke makes it easy to let it…”
What’s behind the bar:
We keep a range that rewards exploration without demanding it. A well-pulled pint of something Northumbrian is always the right starting point. Everything else is there when you are ready for it.
If you are partial to a gin & tonic (or a gin and anything) we keep a collection that deserves some time spent with it. The range spans the world, with a particular emphasis on the Northeast of England, where a number of excellent distilleries have been producing serious spirits for some years now. Our bar staff know the range well enough to find you something you will not have had before and to explain why the tonic matters as much as the gin.
When it comes to wine we have a considered selection chosen to work with the food menu and to hold their own as a drink without it. The list is honest: every bottle is there because it earns its place, not because it fills a price bracket. We change the list seasonally and add to it when we find something worth adding.
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Northumbrian cask ales
We rotate our cask offering to feature breweries across Northumberland and the wider Northeast. The range changes week to week, ask the bar staff what is on and what is drinking well today. There is always at least one Northumbrian cask ale that merits serious attention, and usually two.
Seasonal guest ales
We bring in guest casks that reflect the time of year; lighter and more hoppy through the summer months, richer, darker, and maltier from October onwards. A pint by the fire in November should taste meaningfully different to one on the terrace in July. Ours does.
Keg & lager
A considered selection of keg beers and lagers for those who prefer them. Including options chosen specifically to pair with the menu's richer dishes.
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North East Gins
From distilleries across Northumberland and the wider Northeast; botanicals that reflect the landscape they are made in. The Hepple range is a strong beginning: made in the hills above the Coquet Valley using locally foraged ingredients. Ask for a tasting note before you commit.
Classic London Dry
The benchmark gins; Gordon's, Tanqueray, Beefeater, for those who know what they want and want it made properly. In the right glass, with the right tonic, these are hard to improve on.
Contemporary & botanical
Gins with unusual botanical profiles; floral, coastal, spiced, herbal. Each one has been matched to a tonic and garnish that suits it. The bar staff will explain the reasoning and pour a small taste if you would like one before ordering.
Tonics & garnishes
We use Fever-Tree and a selection of specialist tonics, including light, elderflower, and Mediterranean varieties. The tonic is not an afterthought. Every gin in the collection has a recommendation, ask, and we will tell you which one and why.
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By the glass
Red, white, and rosé available by the glass; selected seasonally for versatility and quality at the price. A light and clean white in spring and summer; a proper, structured red for autumn and winter evenings by the fire.
House selections
Our house red, white, and rosé are chosen to pair with the broadest range of dishes on the menu. They are the wines we use in the steak night offer, which is itself something of a quality assurance: we serve the same bottle we would recommend.
The cellar list
A fuller selection drawn from the restaurant wine list; Old and New World, weighted toward food-friendly bottles from Burgundy, the Rhône, northern Italy, and the Iberian Peninsula. Ask for the list and take your time with it.
Sparkling & Champagne
Prosecco, Crémant d'Alsace, and a Champagne selection; by the glass and by the bottle. For occasions that call for it, and for those who need no particular occasion to justify a glass.
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Single malt whiskies
A good range across Highland, Speyside, and Islay; from accessible entry points to older, more characterful expressions. The bar staff can suggest a starting point based on what you usually drink or, more interestingly, based on what you have not tried before.
Blended Scotch
The familiar blends, poured properly. A good dram by a log fire does not need to be a rare one. The occasion does that work.
Rum, bourbon & other spirits
A full selection updated seasonally. Aged rums, American whiskeys, brandy, and a range of soft drinks, fresh juices, and non-alcoholic alternatives for those who want them.
NEED TO KNOWOpening
Seven days a week, 9am to 11pm. No booking required for the bar. No dress code.
Dogs
Welcome throughout the bar, providing they are accompanied by well behaved humans. Water bowls provided. Leads appreciated during busy service. If they ask nicely they might find some dog biscuits behind the bar.
Food
The full restaurant menu is available throughout the bar at all service times; the same kitchen, the same ingredients, the same standard. For those who want something lighter, or who arrive between meals and want to eat without committing to a full dinner there’s the bar snacks menu. We also offer the Duke’s Favourite’s for more traditional pub grub - because some lunchtimes only a locally caught beer battered fish & triple cooked chips will hit the spot.
Games
Darts, dominoes, and cribbage boards available at the bar (along with a solid book collection). Ask to borrow them. We also have the daily papers, because nothing says a lazy weekend morning like a coffee with the Sunday Supplements.
“A village pub has always been more than somewhere to drink. It is where news travels, where arrangements are made, where the week starts and ends. The Duke has been that place in Newton for over two centuries. The bar is where most of that history happened, and where most of it continues to happen.”
QUIZ NIGHTEVERY OTHER MONDAY · 7.30
The pub quiz runs every other Monday evening. Teams of up to six. £2 per person. Starting at 7.30pm. Questions written in-house, covering a range wide enough that specialist knowledge in any one area is not sufficient and not necessary. No phones; this is enforced with some ceremony. Disputes settled by the quizmaster, Gary, whose decision is final and occasionally wrong. New teams always welcome.
What People Say…
“A pub that knows exactly what it is; local, warm, properly stocked, and run by people who care about it. You don't find many of these any more.”
(TripAdvisor 5 star)
“The quiz night has become a fixture for us. We have not won in two years and we keep coming back.”
(Google Review 5 star)“Arrived after a wet walk with a muddy dog. Nobody batted an eye. Excellent pint, good food from the bar menu, and three hours by the fire. Exactly what a pub should be.”
(Visit England 5 star)