The William Stead

This Wetherspoon pub is named after a former editor of the Northern Echo, who went on to become one of the most influential men of his age.

William Stead submitted several articles to the Northern Echo, which were so well received that, in 1871, he was offered the editor's chair without ever having set foot inside a newspaper office. He was in charge at the Northern Echo for nine years, before moving on. His new journalism paved the way for today's tabloid press. One of the most influential men of his age, Stead was one of the 1,500 or so passengers who lost their lives on board the Titanic, in 1912.