The Cumberland Arms

About The Cumberland Arms

The Cumberland Arms stands on James Place Street, off Byker Bank, in a prominent spot on the bank above the lower Ouseburn Valley, with views down over the old industrial bottom of the valley. It was first licensed as a beer house in 1862, and the present three-storey building dates from 1899, put up after the earlier structure collapsed during renovation work. Little about it feels engineered: bare boards, a small front bar, a back bar used for sessions and a terrace out front that fills on warm evenings. The pub also has four bed and breakfast rooms upstairs, which is unusual for a pub of this character and size.

Drink is the main event. Alongside changing cask ales from independent breweries, including two house beers brewed for the pub by Allendale in collaboration with The Old Coal Yard, it typically keeps up to eight ciders and perries, and has taken the regional CAMRA Cider Pub of the Year award more than once. The upstairs room hosts gigs, comedy from The Suggestibles and Liveoke nights, while traditional folk sessions run in the back bar. Food includes a menu and Sunday dinners, and there is a ping pong table for good measure.

Featured in These Guides

Blog posts and guides that feature The Cumberland Arms.

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A year-round guide to live music in Newcastle, from the arena and the grand seated concert hall down to the independent grassroots rooms of the Ouseburn, so you can pick the right venue for the night you want.

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From a narrow Victorian drinking house on The Side to a tiled bar inside Central Station and the real ale cluster down in the Ouseburn, here are the Newcastle pubs worth planning a night around.

Bonfire Night in Newcastle 2026

There is no firework display in Newcastle city centre, and there has not been one for years. Here is where people actually go in 2026, which nights they fall on, and how to get to each one by Metro.

Upcoming Events

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