Fans of Newcastle's much-loved but long-gone Julie's nightclub are proving keen to have their names added to local history as a name-a-brick campaign takes off.
Daniel Van Hymus, who is set to open new bar The Dubliner in the Quayside building which used to house Julie's, is inviting people to 'buy' a brick there and, while they not be able to take it away, their show of support will see their name included on a wall inside which they can view while enjoying a beer when the pub opens doors this June. And Dan is delighted at the response so far, with 100 bricks already snapped up.
His idea has clearly caught the imagination and his invitation to buy into and be "part of the fabric of the building" has seen orders for the £50 bricks come in from across the UK. "Some people from Dublin who have roots in Newcastle have bought bricks and vice versa," he said.
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10 photographs from Julies in 1999"We've had former Julie's staff purchase bricks and even couples who first met at Julie's - and other's who have just bought into us and are just keen to support our journey." And he thinks the brick-naming could also prove an ideal gift for someone with happy memories of the place.
When news first emerged of his plans to reopen the closed-down building, it sparked huge excitement with followers on The Dubliners' Facebook page saying they can't wait to visit and recalling Julie's heyday. From the seventies onwards, the club at at 12 Close was at the centre of Quayside nightlife for years.
Now The Dubliner, which hopes to open on June 9 in time for The Blaydon Race and Sam Fender's show at St James' Park, will be giving the building a new lease of life, with the aim of capturing the look of a traditional Irish pub and the kind of atmosphere the Temple Bar area of Ireland's capital city is famous for.
Dan initially had the idea for the bar while on holiday in Dublin and he wants to recreate the traditional look with flowers on the exterior and an intimate feel inside where there will be a stage for nightly live music, with first performers including singer-songwriter Dan Elliott who will be coming over from Ireland to add an authentic flavour of his own.
And The Dubliner also will be out to please its customers with a menu featuring hand-made pies by local chef Paul Churnside whose savouries have won top prizes at the British Pie Awards. This is Dan's first bar and he is working "around the clock" he says ahead of the opening.
With a video update of his plans on social media, his brick campaign continues to gather pace and by Thursday his video had 650,000 views on TikTok and 35,000 likes. See his video on TikTok here and to buy a brick, or take up other options of buying a T-shirt or pre-ordering pints, see The Dubliner's website here.
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