Shore road Belfast
The first time I met Norrie Sharpe, the popular owner of the Tudor, was way back in 1968, when he and his brother Jack were the proprietors of The Talk of the Town in Bridgend. At that point in time I was running a voluntary organisation called Belfast Entertainment Network, which provided live and weekly radio shows to the Borstals and hospitals. Some Swedish tenor (whose name I have forgotten) had just won Hughie Green’s Opportunity Knocks show on TV and the Sharpe Brothers were quick on the ball in booking him for their cabaret. When I rang up Norrie and asked him for permission to record our Swede, he didn’t hesitate in saying Yes. It was formerly called The Electric Bar (the first bar in Belfast to have its own generator), then, they changed the name to Jack and Norrie, and finally to its last name, Talk of the Town. The two brothers must be given full credit for being the pioneers in bringing live entertainment in a big way to Belfast. For two glorious years, many big international stars were brought over – names like Frankie Vaughan, Guy Mitchell, Dickie Valentine, Karen Kay and Des O’Connor, to name just a few, and the MC for those two wonderful years was none other than Roy Walker. It was only after the bar was bombed in 1970 that Roy decided to have a go for the big time over in England, and look how well he has succeeded.
The Tudor Lounge, formerly called The Telstar, is over 160 years old. In the late ’80s it was an old hostelry with 8 bedrooms and I believe, there was an old horse trough at the front, so the horses could quench their thirst while their masters partook of something a little stronger within.
Norrie was a builder in his own right for over 20 years, and when he bought the old Telstar it was badly run down. What you see now is all Norrie’s handiwork. Stand back and have a good look at it . . . its small, ornamental brick wall with white railings, white walls broken up cleverly by black wood squares, plus two hanging signs with an image of Henry VIII on them. This has to be one of the most attractive bars in the North. The interior of the bar will not disappoint – Tudor-style throughout all bars, with cartwheel lights and attractive balustrades, various red upholstery curtained stalls, mahogany cabinets, and look out for an antique love seat. In 1987 The Tudor won the Bowring Martin Cut Glass Trophy, proudly displayed behind the bar, for Best Pub and Food Award. The Oak Room upstairs is every bit as nice as the Tudor lounge downstairs. Commanding the centre of the Oak Room is a large, attractive, open-ended Achill Island stone fireplace. It is a very pretty room indeed, although the cream-painted wrought iron dividers jar a bit. Another bar, The Tavern, is the public bar to the right of the building. Again Tudor decor completes the picture.