Jesmond Dene's derelict Fisherman's Lodge restaurant eyed for new repair bid 10 years after fire

The Fisherman’s Lodge, in Jesmond Dene, was once one of Newcastle’s most popular restaurants.

But, having shut down in 2013 and been the victim of a blaze three years later, the building has been left boarded up and in a state of dereliction.

After more than a decade of waiting for action to repair the damaged site, which is in the heart of one of Tyneside’s most beloved green spaces, city officials are now working on efforts to bring it back into use.

Councillors were told this week that Newcastle City Council and the Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust (TWBPT) are eyeing a restoration scheme and hope to put together a business case for the 19th century building.

The two organisations have recently partnered to save the derelict Keelmen’s Hospital and transform it into 20 affordable homes.

While plans for Fisherman’s Lodge are thought to be in the early stages, there is genuine hope of long-awaited progress.

Previously known as Deep Dene House or Heaton Cottage, the building was commissioned by Lord Armstrong and later gifted to the city along with the Dene in 1883.

Speaking at a meeting of the city council’s corporate scrutiny committee this week, Labour councillor Clare Penny-Evans said she did not want to see recently closed park cafe buildings go the same way as the Fisherman’s Lodge.

She said: “I remember the Fisherman’s Lodge and going for a posh meal for an anniversary present. Because it closed for a while it then had vandalism, then a fire, then more vandalism. Now it has got to a stage of wrack and ruin.”

In reply, council director Christine Herriot revealed that the authority was working with the TWBPT “to establish a business case for the future”.

The heritage organisation’s chief executive, Martin Hulse, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they were “looking for what the next building is” to target for renovation following the Keelmen’s Hospital.

He added: “We are working with the council at the moment and we think it could be Fishermans’ next, we are looking at the possibility.

“It is doable. It needs us, it needs intervention. It is very early stages and we always work in partnership with the local authority. That is really important. We are working with different departments to see what is needed and what is possible. These projects take years, but you have to start somewhere.”

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson added: “We understand the significance of Fisherman’s Lodge to local residents and to park users, and are speaking to parties, including the Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust, to see how we can safeguard the future of the building and ultimately bring it back into use. It is one of a number of assets we have taken back management of since the transfer of parks and allotments to the council from Urban Green Newcastle. We are undertaking a review of all the assets in the parks and want to ensure that our green spaces are places our residents can be proud of.”

There are also efforts ongoing to restore Jesmond Dene’s Banqueting Hall, which was named in 2024 among the 10 most at-risk buildings in the UK by the Victorian Society.

A new initiative, The Armstrong Project, was launched last year with the aim of protecting the decaying building so that it can one day be returned to a condition where it can fulfil Lord Armstrong’s vision of it being used for arts, literature or education purposes.