About our house
No.61, an unassuming name for a guest house with such a colourful history!

Originally built as a Georgian town house around 1750 it has also been used as a principal billet for the officers of the Tynemouth garrison in the late 18th century and as a guest house from the early 19th century.

Some of the more famous people who have enjoyed its charm and hospitality have been Charlotte Bronté, Charles Dickens, Richard Cobden, Henry Hallam, Thomas Carlyle, Robert Chambers and Lord Durham.

In 1930 an interesting discovery was made whilst clearing out the cellar. A window pane thought to have been taken from one of the front upper windows overlooking the village which had several verses of a famous poem written by Lord Byron cut into the glass by means of a diamond ring. It is believed that this was written by Lady Byron (circa 1840) several years after his death when the ill feeling caused by their tempestuous short marriage had mellowed. For a period the house returned to residential use being owned by Charles George, captain of the Tynemouth Life Brigade, the first such organisation of its type in the country. The brigade was set up to save shipwrecked victims from the treacherous waters around the mouth of the River Tyne. Being a local seascape artist of some repute he was able to paint many of the scenes depicting the full horror of these disasters.

Around 1950 the house reverted to a guest house and tea rooms becoming well known locally for its impeccable quality and service.

The house has recently undergone a major refurbishment to upgrade the facilities to a level people have now come to expect without losing its essence and character. More importantly without losing its homeliness, quality and service with which it has always been associated.