Briar Dene pub in Whitley Bay closed for 'foreseeable future'

The Briar Dene pub which stands proud on the Whitley Bay coastline in North Tyneside closed with immediate effect on Sunday (January 8) to the disappointment of punters.

Landlords Sir John Fitzgerald, owners of the popular boozer and eatery, said the closure was for the “foreseeable future” and to allow “essential maintenance” to take place.

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A statement posted on the venue’s social media pages said: “Due to essential maintenance, we will be closed for the foreseeable future.

“We apologise for any inconvenience, our sister pubs Pavilion Bar and Grill and Shiremoor House Farm are still open as usual.”

The Northern Echo contacted chain Sir John Fitzgerald for further details about the closure but the company failed to respond to our requests for comment.

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An online booking system on the Briar Dene’s website is taking bookings from April 2 but no date for reopening has been confirmed by the owners.

The pub only reopened in 2017 following a major refurb after it was left devastated by a fire in 2015.

Sir John Fitzgerald runs a host of pubs around the North East including Bacchus in Newcastle, The Ridley Arms in Stannington, Northumberland and The Manor House near Yarm.

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