In the early 1800's Brandling Village was built for the employees of the Jesmond coal mines. The village consisted of two rows of terraced cottages either side of a now forgotten road called the High Street. A few years later, more substantial homes for the gentry were built on Brandling Park to the west and south.

The Collingwood Arms was added to the east end of the High Street terraced cottages and opened its doors for the first time in 1836. The cottages are long gone but the 'High Street' is the road running from the gap through the Brandling Park houses at the west end of the village through to The Collingwood.

Robert Hewlitt, the first landlord, had a great interest in naval history and so named the pub after the locally born Lord Collingwood (1750 – 1810) who was Commander in Chief of the British fleet in the Mediterranean and Nelson's second in command at the battle of Trafalgar. There is a story that the pub was actually built in the shape of a ship's helm to play on this naval connection and when you look at the balcony to the east end of the building it's not hard to see why this rumour still persists.

Robert Hewlitt, left The Collingwood Arms in 1850 and the bar went into the doldrums until 1878 when a David Martin took up the helm and steered the pub into the 20th Century.