Distinctive Copper panels from the Man in the Moon pub are up for auction
A piece of Moon memorabilia will be up for grabs at a down to earth price in a Tyneside sale.
Three large, finely-worked copper panels showing cosmic scenes once adorned the wall of the 1970s Man on the Moon pub in Princess Square in Newcastle.
Now they will be sold at an Anderson and Garland auction in Newcastle on May 31, with an estimate of £300-£500.
The artist-created panels were inspired by the first Moon landing in July 20, 1969.
They were removed from the pub when the premises were stripped out and ended up at the Washington headquarters of architectural metalwork and high class staircase makers Clifford Chapman Metalworks.
The copper panels were inspired by the 1969 Moon landings
But the panels had been painted black, and it was only when the paint was removed some time later that the quality copper workmanship was revealed.
They then hung on the walls of the company workshop for 25 years. The company went into administration in February and the panels are now for sale.
David Sanger, who was company operations manager, said: ”The copper frieze was removed from the Man on the Moon pub when it was refurbished over 30 years ago. At the time they had been painted black to fit in with the colour scheme of the bar.
“They sat in the stores of Clifford Chapman Metalworks until one day, looking for something to do, one of the finishers decided to polish one of these up and revealed the copper finish underneath the paint and discovered the detail in the artistic work.
“As everyone was overwhelmed with the artistic skill it must have taken to do this it was showcased at the workshop for the last 25 years. Unfortunately with the company coming into administration it is time to find it a new home. “
The Man on the Moon later changed its name to Jubilee 77.
Tyne Bridge Publishing produced a series of books on life in Newcastle in the 1950s, 60 and 70s, based on the memories of those who experienced the decades.
In the 70s volume, titled All Right Now, The Man on the Moon is remembered.
“The pubs were full of old people – except for the Man on the Moon, which was regularly full of underage people,” wrote Roland Finch.
“Curiously, it changed its name to the Jubilee in honour of national celebrations of 1977.”
Joan Pattison remembered: “Anyone could get served a warm lager in the Man on the Moon. You could navigate the stairs, no easy task with a maxi pinafore and clogs, and into the gloomy, smoky lounge – they couldn’t tell if you were 14 or 40.”
Vanessa Histon wrote: “We’d start at the Man on the Moon, downstairs, dark and a bit of a dive.”