Clark Gable lived in Kenton Bar…..

This snippet from skyscrapercity.com

MOVIE STAR CLARK GABLE LIVED HERE IN NEWCASTLE . . .

In the Kenton Bar area of Newcastle there is some very old graffiti which says "C G woz ere". "C G" stands for CLARK GABLE, the 1940s American film star, who (legend has it) lived here in Newcastle for a while!

No, there is no graffiti . . …….

 

 

But during the war (World War Two) Clark Gable was stationed in the underground complex at Kenton Bar. It is a very VERY large underground war-complex, and is full of the type of underground control room you see in old 'Kenneth More' type WW2 films, with girls moving 'P for Poppy' around on charts, etc.

In the 1970s the building with the spiral staircase in it was right in the middle of some 'Government Buildings' all built (exactly like some others at Broadway West and the big-un at Longbenton / The Ministry) as low-rise single-storey blocks, designed in "hospital ward style" to be used as that in emergencies like wars, etc.

Now (in 2010) this small building (just an 'entrance to the underground complex really) is the ONLY one remaining, as the Government Buildings have been demolished to make way for all the new houses on the Ponteland Road / Kenton Lane corner, near The Kenton Bar pub.
As I say, it is now the only one left . . where (I kid you not!) CLARK GABLE was stationed underground, for a while during the war. It is now a bit 'overgrown' surrounded by all these new houses, but at least this little bit of Newcastle Wartime History (Newcastle’s WW2 underground control bunker) has, so far, been PRESERVED . . .