91. The Quarry Inn

Any pub situated at Quarry Corner, the famous vantage point of the Tourist Trophy race that thrilled thousands in North Down before the tragedy that brought it to a close, could be expected to honour the race circuit in its design or theme, but how many would have done it in the style and excellence of the Quarry Inn?

Since its relatively recent construction the purpose-built inn has established an enviable reputation for its standards of comfort, service and cuisine that makes it the number one choice for an army of professional and business people, as well as a popular local pub for the people of this flourishing village that has now become a suburb of greater Belfast.

The Quarry Inn is almost exactly on the site of the renowned old grandstand that you can see in some of the black and white photographs of 40 years ago when the fastest cars of the day rounded this dangerous corner with thousands of spectators lining the roads. The scenes, faces, machines and incidents of this most exciting of races are featured in the inn, especially in the finely engraved window glass pictures of the laurel-garlanded heads of the best-known drivers in the race – C. Penn Hughes, Bira, Seaman, Kaye Don, Nuvolari, S. C. Davis, Brian Lewis.

The Trophy Lounge and the Corner Bar Saloon all pay tribute to these reproductions of an old map of the course from an original programme, photographs of spectators, of the dash from the pits, of a crash at the corner, and on one wall of the Grandstand Lounge a large artistic mural of part of a chassis, springs, wire wheel, piston and radiator all welded together.

Chequered panels above the bar area also echo the racing car world, as does the specially woven Youghal carpet with a steering wheel design and the initials AB – the Allen Brothers who own the Quarry Inn. With its own large car park and attractive landscaping the Quarry Inn combines the best of modern comfort with the flavour of the thirties. The Conservatory sets the standard to be aimed for by any pub wishing to add on this increasingly popular feature.