Overlooking the A34 in Newcastle, and easily within stumbling distance of each other are two pubs which I have much enjoyed visiting this year, writes Mervyn Edwards.

In an era when a refurbishment usually means a garish and ostentatious transformation of a pub interior, I can recommend somewhere where recent changes have been made sensitively. The Edwards award for the best pub refurbishment of 1999 (drum roll, please) goes to the Duke of York in Liverpool Road, which has been under new management since the Summer.

This has been no desperate attempt to "reinvent the wheel". The two rooms are still intact, with the traditional bar still being used for pub games. Although I have never been a fan of television in pubs, I accept that they increase custom, especially if football is on.

The lounge has undergone a necessary facelift, but the new decor is understated and very tasteful, with low lighting (always appreciated by drinkers) and attractive blue wallpaper. All this is a million miles away from emetic farrago of wallpaper styles to be seen in many other Newcastle pubs.

Most praiseworthy of all, though, the breathtaking mural, running the length of one wall, has been preserved and is more laudible when we consider that at the Duke of Bridgewater in Longport, the handsome canal mural disappeared when a "catalogue refurbishment" was implemented last year. On my June 12th visit to the Duke of York, a young duo performed on the platform stage in the lounge, and referring to the previously-successful "Faggyoke's Karaoke", rather indecorously informed us that "there'll be none of that sh*te tonight". I am yet to be convinced that the removal of the very popular Faggyoke was a wise move from an economic point of view, as there were times on weekend evenings when you could barely find a spare seat after 9pm. However the semi-acoustic guitar/vocals "mix" of some of the pub's providers of live music has been pleasantly melodic and restrained. The ale is decent, too, and the Duke of York is well worth a fresh look if you have fallen out of the habit of calling there.

I can't think of a better pub in Newcastle than The Albert, a few doors down. The room at the rear is now private, and has been used for PPPG meetings, leaving us with a single-roomed hostelry run by Stan and Sue Bennett. It is a very clean pub, and ideal for those who want a pint and a chat, although you have to raise your voice on odd occasions. Dominoes kill conversation, you see. Stan is a jovial chap who believes that being a pub tenant is hard work, but that you can either do it well, or risk losing custom by being slaphappy. Like any good professional he has his own house-rules:

"I don't like swearing in the pub. It's one-roomed, and if there are ladies in, they don't want to listen to that do they? I like to feel that you could bring your mother into the pub, and you wouldn't have to listen to bad language".

The Albert today then is a far cry from 1873, when the Staffordshire Times reported a case of foul language being used at the pub (a snippet I chanced across whilst researching Newcastle pubs in the 19th century). Incidentally, for those interested in local history, there is a synopsis of the Albert's beginnings, written by Dave Adams, and displayed on one of the walls - as well as numerous fine photographs of old Newcastle.

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