Food & Drink

Former Magpie Pub Near Haymarket to Reopen as The Gander After £3m Refit

Amber Taverns has bought the former Magpie pub off Percy Street and is spending £3 million turning it into The Gander, a sports and live music pub with 25 to 30 jobs, due to open in early December.

NewcastleCity.live·4 November 2026

A pub that has sat empty since the summer is about to get a new lease of life in the Haymarket. The former Magpie, on Eldon Lane just off Percy Street, is being rebuilt as The Gander, a sports and entertainment pub that its new owner hopes to open in early December, in time for the Christmas trade and the festive fixtures at St James' Park.

Who is behind it

The site has been bought by Amber Taverns, a pub group with around 200 pubs. The company says it is investing £3 million to buy and redevelop the building, and that the project will create between 25 and 30 full-time and part-time jobs. The day-to-day running will be handed to experienced operators David and Donna Molloy under Amber's operator-managed model.

What is planned

The interior has been stripped out and is being rebuilt around matchdays and nights out. Plans include a new sound and screen system for live sport, a stage for live bands, three darts areas and a pool table. There will also be a soundproofed karaoke room for up to 20 people, with its own bar and toilets, which can be hired privately for birthdays and stag and hen parties. The toilets and drainage are being overhauled, and the operators plan a Wednesday student night.

"Newcastle city centre has been a priority location for us," said Alex Ozobia, business development manager at Amber Taverns.

A building with many names

Locals may know the pub better by one of its earlier names. It traded as the Filament and Firkin and as Scruffy Murphy's before becoming The Goose, which closed suddenly in September 2024. It reopened that November as The Magpie, a Newcastle United-themed bar, and closed again in June this year.

The news was announced in October and reported by the Morning Advertiser and NE1's Get Into Newcastle. No exact opening date has been given yet. We will add The Gander to our directory once it opens, and in the meantime our guide to the best pubs in Newcastle city centre has plenty of places to watch the match.