Originally a cottage with a blacksmiths shop next door, The Swan began life as an “ale house” in 1842, consisting of a sitting room, parlour and bar area (men only). Its owner, John Whitfield Thompson, sold it to Newcastle Breweries in 1897 where the site was demolished and then re-built as the present “Swan Inn”. It was opened up again on Christmas Eve 1899 by Mr George Reay (landlord) as a beer house.
Village rumour has it that Bertha, who was George Reay’s daughter and took over the pub after his death, is a ghost in the pub as her saying was always “I will never leave this pub”. And for many years, villagers referred to the ‘Bertha Reays pub’, rather than ‘The Swan’.