The Gate House

This Wetherspoon pub is part of the Forum Centre, which occupies the site of the gatehouse to a medieval friary.

The 'Forum Centre', where this pub stands, occupies much of the area behind the buildings on High Street. Its name draws on the town's Roman past. High Street, itself, is part of the Roman road which later became the Great North Road. After a day at the races, wealthy visitors turned their attention to cards and dice. At first, parties met to play cards in taverns and private houses, but it was not long before gaming rooms were opened. The largest and finest of these was the Subscription Rooms, opening in 1825, with as many as 1,000 subscribers. The High-Street entrance to the Subscription Rooms was erected on the site of the main entrance to the House of Carmelites. A deed of 1609 refers to the Priory's Great Gatehouse. Excavations carried out in the mid 1970s reveal that 'the brick and stone footings of the Subscription Rooms were cut through those of the Bay Ho