The Ship (pub)

The Ship is a historic pub in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Redcar and Cleveland, England. The pub dates back to the late 18th century and is the oldest pub in Saltburn as it was part of the old fishing village before the town was developed on the other side of Skelton Beck, upon arrival of the railways in the area. It was historically used for smuggling, as it is adjacent to the North Sea, and the building is now a grade II listed structure.

History

The Ship public house (sometimes called the Ship Inn) and the adjacent Ship House, are the only two surviving buildings left over from what is known as Old Saltburn, the fishing village on the right bank of Skelton Beck that predated the town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The history of a pub on the site dates back until the 1500s, and the oldest bar in the pub is one that adjoins the wall next to the road.. The pub was used frequently by smugglers, and in the late 18th/early 19th century, the pub landlord, John Andrew, was known locally as the "King of the Smugglers", the pub being used as a base for his smuggling empire.

When John Andrew arrived in Saltburn, the Ship was not the only pub in the small hamlet, other pubs included the Seagull and the Nimrod. Until 1881, the pub also doubled up as a mortuary for the village, and later the expanded town. The bodies of those who had drowned and washed up on the beach were stored in the pub pending a post-mortem.

Besides being known for smuggling, there is a path at the rear (landward) side of the pub which leads to the Saltburn to Whitby section of the Cleveland Way. The pub, and the beach in front of it (to the north), were both used in 2015 for some scenes in the ITV drama Dark Angel about Mary Ann Cotton.

The pub re-opened in August 2023, with its own fish and chip stall and a renovated beer garden overlooking the North Sea. The building is a grade II listed structure.

References

Sources

• Scott-Wilson, Chris (1983). The History of Saltburn. Saltburn-by-the-Sea: Seaside books. ISBN 0-9508631-0-6.

External links

• Greene King webpage for The Ship