Houghton Conservation Area
Houghton le Spring is located on the A690 Durham/Sunderland Road where it meets the A182 Washington/Hetton Road. The Conservation Area (CA) runs from just north of the Britannia and White Lion pubs, south to the lower roundabout on the map. The dual carriageway bisects the CA, the easterly taking in Lake Road and Neasham Place; westerly covering Rectory Park. There are three pubs, a former pub and a brewery to mention.
The Britannia
Dating from the 19th Century, The Britannia is a street corner local where The Broadway meets Newbottle Street. Note in the photo above the main entrance is blocked in and is now in Newbottle Street. See photo below taken in 2021. A former Wear Inns pub, it is now owned by Punch Taverns. There is no real ale.
White Lion.
This pub is the last of the four Lion pubs in the town. The other three are the Golden Lion, now a boarded up restaurant ( see photo further down), The Red Lion and The Black Lion. The Red Lion closed in 1975 and was located close to where the top photograph was taken. Standing in between The White Lion and The Wild Boar on Sunderland St. The Black Lion closed in 1969. The site has since been developed. Thanks to the Houghton Heritage Society
The pub logo says Established in 1801
The White Lion sells real ale, one of only two in the town. The pub is owned by the Dorbiere Group and was refurbished in 2022. In 2024 it was awarded by the owner the Most Improved Pub and Best Community Pub
Wild Boar
Formerly the Buffs Club which closed in 2010. It was reopened as a Wetherspoons the following year. The pub, which sells real ale, has may paintings showing history of the area
Wild Boar and history of Houghton
The former Golden Lion is shown below, now a closed restaurant. According to the Houghton Heritage Society website, it was thought to be the towns oldest pub.
There are some past local CAMRA Real Ale Guides available online in this website which provide some more brief information about the two real ale pubs and the Golden Lion. There are five guides and can be found here :- Documents and Downloads area of this website The Golden Lion features in all of them.
Robinson’s Maltings – City Brewery
Robinson’s former malting house of the City Brewery can be found at the southern end of the CA overlooking the A690 roundabout. The refurbished building now contains flats and apartments. For a detailed history , check out the Houghton Heritage Society , which contains brief history of pubs and clubs in the town.
More Information
Houghton & Newbottle Real Ale Guide
Thanks to Terry Ford and Ron Lawson ( Sunderland Antiquarian Society)
Compiled by Ken Paul, who took the uncredited photos.