The building now housing this pub was the headquarters of the Whitley Bay and Monkseaton Fire Brigade until 1991. It was built in 1909, at a cost of some £3,000, by William Gray of Park Parade. It had accommodation for five of the 12 firemen and their families, as well as a duty room, workshops and a stable for four horses which pulled a Merryweather steam-powered pumping engine. The fire crew later became responsible for the town ambulance, garaged behind the main building.