From renowned rock venue to a gourmet menu

6th February 2015

Locals are frustrated by the opening of an Italian restaurant in a County Durham pub, where Led Zeppelin once played.

By Bethan McCoy

Before: The Argus Butterfly before new ownership © vintagerock.wordpress.com
After: The newly refurbished Tree of York Road

This week Peterlee saw the opening of Martino’s Italian restaurant, inside of The Tree of York Road, which was once The Argus Butterfly. While many occupants of the County Durham town are rushing to try the food at the new gastro pub, the latest image is causing some frustration. Some locals feel that their pub has been taken away from them, since the ownership has been passed from pillar to post over the years.

Led Zeppelin once played at The Argus Butterfly in the 1970s, which is a ‘claim to fame’ for a small and underprivileged town, and some believe this is a part of history that should not be taken away.

Football failure

The local football team, Peterlee EBG, would drink in The Argus Butterfly after matches and most other days also. They were forced to fold when the new owners took over and wouldn't support them, as they hand no funding or a pub to play from.

22-year-old Luke Wallace, who lives next to the pub and played for the team, spoke to Digital Journalism about the problem, "I feel as though the owners are discriminating against class. It's not right that they've told us they don't want our sort in when there's lads who've been drinking in there for years." 

One of the old regulars invites friends to his house where they bring their own alcohol, rather than visiting The Tree of York Road, in spite of the changes made by the new owners.

Alan Jones, who did not wish to be filmed, told us, "The owner's views have been spread just through word of mouth, but with a cocktail list and dress code I think it's obvious we aren't welcome there for a good drink."

Peterlee has an unemployment rate of 5% and is known as one of the worst places to live in the UK. Jones explained, "They're expecting us to be something we're not just to be allowed in their restaurant. Everyone around here is working-class. We need a good old-fashioned pub, not somewhere we feel like we can't go without getting judged."

Positive change

The pub describe themselves as a, "Friendly local serving quality beers, wines and spirits along with unpretentious pub-food every day of the week." The food served is of a higher standard than regular 'pub-food', with most locals we spoke to describing it as 'posh'. However, there are some locals who believe the pub's new image is a positive development. 59-year-old Olwen Hunter told Digital Journalism, "In all the years that I've lived in Peterlee that pub has always been an eyesore and attracted rowdy alcoholics. I can understand that the footy team is suffering and people feel unwelcome, but it's important to see the jobs it's creating. It's nice to see a bit of class come to an area that gets nothing."

Whether or not the owners are discriminating, the pub is currently more successful than ever, with nearly 4000 likes and a 4.5 star rating on it's Facebook page.