Full Circle x Sir John Fitzgerald Pubs
Fitzgeralds, 60 Grey St, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6AF
Robyn Gilmour
Saturday 14 December 2024
This article is from
Love Your Pub
issue 112
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Sir John Fitzgerald bars and restaurants have been a fixture in the North East for nearly 100 years, with a distinguished heritage stretching back to the days of Queen Victoria.
John Fitzgerald was born in Tipperary, Ireland in 1857. After completing an apprenticeship in the wine and spirit trade, he moved to Newcastle in 1878 and started his own business. In 1896, he branched out and bought his first licensed premises, becoming a pioneer of the long bar system which would revolutionise social drinking in England.
By 1900 John Fitzgerald owned bars across the North East and became a prominent figure in Newcastle; elected to the Board of Guardians in 1888, the City Council in 1891 and becoming Sheriff in 1906 and Alderman in 1910. He served as Lord Mayor for Newcastle 1914-1915, and was knighted in the New Year Honours of 1920 for his services to the city. Sir John Fitzgerald’s descendants still ran the company until its acquisition by Ladhar in 2020, though the group remains a stalwart of the North East’s pub scene today.
This being the case, it will come as no surprise that Sir John Fitzgerald's pubs are good friends of Newcastle’s own Full Circle. “Our relationship with Sir John Fitzgerald's goes back many years,” says Full Circle founder, Ben Cleary. “The start of our regular working relationship came in 2022 when we secured a permanent line for Looper in Pleased To Meet You, which is one of the pub group’s city centre venues. Since then we have continued to regularly supply them with beer across many of their sites, mainly Lady Grey's and Gunner Tavern. The new addition of our traditional cask range has already proven to be a hit with the group as it's a more approachable style which resonates with much of their clientele.”
John Ritchie, Sir John Fitzgeralds’ craft and cask buyer, adds that “Full Circle’s diverse range of quality beers are well received by our loyal customers across our very varied estate; from a best bitter with fish and chips at the Tavern and Galley in Whitley Bay to an after work DIPA at the Crown Posada.”
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