To L8

Today's mission was expected to be mainly pictures of former pubs, and I might end up not getting many drinks if I'm too late (To L8, see what I did there?) for ones that have closed down, but we'll see...

I began by heading briefly north from Edge Hill station to check out the Durning Arms (Last visited 2023) where I was disappointed to find it is now a supermarket:

Next, southwards past the Spekeland - aka Nags Head (Never visited)

On to the Boundary (Last visited 2023) which I was pleased to see was still going strong:

I'm saving my drinking for more desirable ticks, so I skipped the Boundary and walked along Lodge Lane.  My database has eight locations on this street with just one open, what will we find today?

The Rob Roy (Last visited in 1999):

Masonic (1999):

Dart (Never):

I passed the former Grapes (1999) and the Sportsman, previously Coach and Horses (1999) without noticing.  One still extant as a shop, the other demolished and replaced by more modern construction.

Next, the Grosvenor (Never):

Finally, Chaplin's (2018) and happily it is still going:

This plain pleasant one room boozer is clean and tidy.  I was a little concerned as I entered that some tables and chairs were covered for a function of some sort, but it obviously hasn't started yet, and more cloths were being put out.

My Carling came in a glass I've not seen before, Carling branded but with a lions head with a crown badge.  Some kind of sporting organisation I think, I'll look it up when I get home.  [The answer is, of course, Premier League.]

The place was ticking over gently at half one on a Saturday, just five customers.  Footie from Manchester was on the tellies but I don't think anyone was watching.

I looked around; plain, yes, but very well cared for, everything spotless, the seat upholstery in good nick.

I moved on, leaving Lodge Lane and passing through an area of beautifully restored Victorian terraced housing.  A brief deviation to the Empress (2018) - Sadly its Beatles connection hasn't saved it:

The next pub recorded as still open in my files is the Queens Arms (2018), and lo and behold, it is:

The beautiful interior, one space knocked round the servery, is perfectly maintained.  My notes say it was refurbished last year, what a good job they've done.

The bloke ahead of me at the bar had a rum and milk!  Good grief.  Try getting that if you're not a regular!  My Carling came in a proper glass.

United went 2-0 up in the derby, only one customer was watching, is it really worth it for the pub?

Now on into Toxteth, my computer tells me the Bleak House is still going, but on a number of previous trips around here the door has been closed, so I haven't actually been in since 2003.

I passed what looks like a former pub but it isn't in my database, and then the location of the Poets Corner (2003), long gone.  Checking once I got home revealed an error in my records, that former pub was in fact the Poets Corner and it hasn't been replaced by housing as I thought:

As I approached the Bleak House (2003) my spirits rose:  It's still standing...  It still looks like a pub:

And, YES, I can see people inside.  Yippee, a really desirable tick twenty three years on.

The "busiest" pub so far, with the customer count nearly into double figures.  Racing on the tellies, no one watching.

For the third time today I have to say that the interior is immaculately maintained, I suppose that is normal nowadays - people won't go in a scruffy pub.

What next?  Plan A: A hefty walk to two more required ticks which may or may not be open.  Plan B:  A short walk to two places last ticked in 2022, which again may not be open.  I'm struggling for "required" ticks this year so I really ought to go for A.  But on the other hand the Herculaneum Bridge is an architectural gem and always good to visit so maybe B?  I dithered as I sank my third Carling.

Eventually I selected a hybrid plan.  I walked the short distance to Wilson's Tavern on plan B:

It was clearly no longer operational, so I switched to plan A and marched along Mill Street.

The Wellington Vaults (2012) is long closed:

The Derby Arms (2003) is still standing:

And the Great Eastern (2004) has disappeared:

On to the Mosley Arms (2018) which, sadly, looks to be no longer operational - I had been hopeful about this one  [Update: I am advised it is still open for limited hours, so not completely gone yet]:

Up to Park Road and the Globe (2018):

Happily this little gem is still open.  The bar side was too busy with people watching the Liverpool match, so I retreated to the "newsroom" where there was only racing on the tellies, and only two other customers.  In the historic layout of this pub, this room has a tiny hatch for service.

Of the five pubs I had hoped to tick, four were open which I have to confess is more than I expected, so with regrets about the Moseley I think I can declare today's excursion a success.  Bleak House was especially desirable.  Time for home...

But having caught a bus in to town there's an opportunity for one required tick which has limited opening hours.  So in to Ruby Blues on Charlotte Street:

Too dark / busy for a picture, this one is from 2020.

Noisy and very busy in here, I had to stand at the counter to drink my over-a-fiver Carling.

The singer was rather good, I should say, doing sixties classics to an appreciative audience.

"It's all about that bass" says the neon, I think I've done the joke before.  The singer jumped some decades forward, to a very good rendition of Losing My Religion.

The place was really busy, I even lost my corner of the counter as people squeezed in to get served, making it very hard to write notes.

Pub of the day: Bleak House
Beer of the day: Carling
Miles walked: 3.4
Maybe coming soon: Kirkby

Everton At Home

On a cold and gloriously sunny Saturday I headed out early.  Everton kick off at 12:15, so I think it is time to collect a few ticks by the ground.  I started in central Liverpool, though, at what used to be Jurgen's and is now Moody Blues:

This half basement place has "crossed Stanley Park" since I visited Jurgen's in 2020 and is now decorated with Everton and music themes.  At fifteen minutes to kickoff it was unsurprisingly empty, I bet it was busy an hour ago.

The bar staff were struggling to get the match on the big screen, but with only two people watching I don't suppose it matters that much?  On the other hand, this could be a popular place for people who haven't got tickets, but if they don't show the match everyone will go elsewhere. And they won't come back next time.

I departed at kickoff minus five, they still hadn't found the match.  I'm guessing it's not (legally) available.  My recollection of pubs around Goodison is that most of them had the match on, but thinking more carefully that was twenty or more years ago, and more recently they just had Sky Sports News to keep us up to date.  I remember many years ago watching with an Arabic commentary, and half time analysis from blokes wearing, er what's it called ... thawb.

I strolled on towards the ground, but before I reached my next target I spotted an A-board for Fliers:

Just off the main road is this industrial unit which seems to be mainly for indoor golf but given their location it would be foolish not to advertise pre and post match drinks.

Behind the frankly unwelcoming door (I did wonder if it was closed during the match) I found a typical warehouse conversion, perhaps a bit sparse in its decor but comfortable enough, albeit very cold. I didn't see any golf activity, but there were two blokes playing pool.

Half a dozen was the sum of custom at 12:45, they will be hoping for a decent crowd after full time.

The giant and smaller TVs were showing an FA cup match at Macclesfield, which was the same one Moody Blues had found.

So far one overdue tick and one brand new one.  What else can we find?  I skipped Ten Streets Social, purely because I'd done it a few years ago, and headed into the next door Murphys Distillery which had been closed for a private party when I ticked Ten Streets.  I forgot to take a picture so here's one from 2022:

Wrong again - Here they've got the Everton match on, so clearly it is possible!  A handful of customers were mostly not paying attention, so I don't think what they paid was worth it.

This place is a very well decorated shed, I've always been fond of rough wood and corrugated iron decor.  I should also comment that it was a lot warmer than Fliers, and I actually unzipped my coat.

Everton were 0-1 down at half time by the way.  Can I get a couple more new ticks in before the post match rush? My planning this morning found two new ticks opposite the ground, so they are my prime objective.  But as I had suspected there might be, there were other diversions - places never heard of, along here and I was soon heading in to Dock Wall:

A modern shed this one, inside it actually looks like it was built last year rather than being a conversion, although I suspect not.  A large space with more people in it than the previous three calls added together.  The match was on the tellies, and plenty of people were watching it.

This shed was plainly decorated with a long bar counter along one wall.  The cement floor and painted brick walls gave it a warehouse feeling, but the warm air and animated chit-chat made it somehow more welcoming, perhaps even pubby, than all the previous places.

I watched the telly briefly.  Why aren't Everton in their normal blue?  Or is this their new colour?

I marched past the actual stadium and on to the Bluehouse:

A rather well done historic warehouse conversion, this one, with lots of people watching the match, Everton are still losing.

Somewhat to my surprise, the barmaid advised me there was a ten pound minimum on credit cards, I was about to walk out in a huff when she clarified that cash was fine, and my Carling was four quid.  It's quite unusual to see a credit card minimum nowadays, I wonder why they do it.

At two o'clock, before full time, the place was doing a great trade, there were not many seats free, so clearly this operation is going well, although having said that, there will be next to no customers on a non match day - If they even bother to open.

I could see the early leavers heading out of the ground, so my plan to get away before the rush had clearly failed.  One more place I know about is literally next door so I think I must go into Terrace.  (See picture above.)

I thought this might be a giant match day hall, but it was surprisingly small.  Everton went 1-1 as I ordered my Guinness.  This close to full time  it came in a plastic glass.  Right outside the ground the place filled up as full time arrived although to be fair it never got rammed.  But hang on a moment, this is FA cup so a draw is no good, I can escape during extra time and get to Sandhills station while the match is still on.  I wonder what the early leavers do under there circumstances?  Apart from regretting their decision, I guess.

What a great crop, six locations, five never before visited and two of those I didn't even know existed.  And thanks to extra time I got away before the crowds.

Pub of the day: Dock Wall
Beer of the day: Guinness
Miles walked: 2.3
Maybe coming soon: Kirkby, Toxteth

Waterloo

I started the year on a bitterly cold Saturday afternoon, can I begin with a line from a well known Christmas song?  The wind goes right through you, it's no place for the old.

I was heading for Waterloo; as I ran through my pre-flight checklist this morning I discovered the existence of some bars of which I wasn't aware.  Could we be in for some new ones?

I started at Always & Sometimes:

This pleasant shop conversion has large windows onto the street giving it a bright airy feel inside.  Eight keg taps on the back wall but, more interestingly, two handpumps on the counter.  I selected Neptune Salthouse Blonde.  A bit bland perhaps, or is that just because I've got a cold? (Again)

The barman, one customer drinking tea and I were the sole occupants at half one, I really hope they get more later.  Perhaps if they turned the heat up it would be more popular!

The "old firm" match was on the telly, I tried to ignore it but you just get sucked in, don't you.  Rangers equalised as I watched.

After one brand new tick I think I need to walk past lots of pubs to find some more new ones, if I can...

Fifty6 was shut as it always is when I pass.

  Bodega Del Lobo was holding a private party, drat!

Finally Vanessa's was open:

Behind the small bright red frontage is a beautifully decorated restaurant bar which stretches back a long way, with much more space than the frontage suggests.

At two on a Saturday there was a fair smattering of customers, most but not all were eating.  I had a pint of Neck Oil and relaxed in the comfortably warm front room.  (There was an icy blast when the door opened.)

Eventually the other drinkers in my end of the place decided to order food putting me in a minority of one as far as drinkers are concerned.  I couldn't see how many people were in the back rooms, though.

I think that's the end of the new ones, I'll have to do a few places last visited in 2021.  Starting with the Marine:

The first "traditional" pub of the year, this one, and busier than the previous two although by no means full.  I reverted to my usual Carling here, and I was interested to note that they've run out of Guinness.

I initially selected a convenient table but then wondered why everyone was looking at me.  Behind me was a giant screen showing the buildup to a three o'clock kickoff.  I quickly moved to a more secluded table!  My head would have been obscuring some people's view.

I looked around from my new seat.  Someone has done a good job of designing the interior of this place, it is very attractive without being spectacular.

Next, how about the Alexandra?

This is a proper traditional boozer, in fact I would say it's a classic.  Busy but not packed out at half three, and I easily found a quiet corner to enjoy my Carling.

I wonder how much of the interior is historic here?  I suspect it might be none, although maybe the ceiling plasterwork, who knows.  In any case, a splendid example of a well maintained "ordinary" pub, spotlessly clean and carefully looked after.

My thoughts drifted back to the last time I was here, sitting in the same corner I think, when I got chatting to a regular about how we had survived COVID.  We had both lost people - It was a difficult time and it doesn't seem like five years ago.

Pub of the day: Always & Sometimes
Beer of the day: Salthouse Blonde
Miles walked: 0.8
Maybe coming soon: Kirkby, Toxteth

2025

I recently created some software which analyses my pub database and reports on statistics, so let's have a look...

In 2025 I logged 258 pub visits.  This does not include pubs I regularly drink in, because I don't record them in the database.

Of those 258 visits, 206 were "required" (I.E. I hadn't been there in the preceding five years), just over the target of 200.  A remarkable 68 of those were to places never before visited, a mixture of brand new operations and newly-discovered older ones - That's the highest number since 2018.

In the last five years I have used 949 pubs, a little shy of the target I have set myself of one thousand.  I'm going to blame that on the lockdowns that continued into 2021 - Only four pubs visited in the first four months.

Moving on to the grand totals for the twenty-seven years I have been doing this, there are 2,090 pubs in my database, of which I have drunk in 1,586.  926 locations are now recorded as no longer operational, and experience shows there will be more that have closed but I haven't found out yet.  Sometimes it's only when I get to the door!

What's in the future?  More of the same, I think; in 2026 I will again aim for 200 "required" visits and I am hoping to get the five year figure closer to a thousand.  A trip to the new Everton stadium on a match day should net me a few new ones to get things going.  I can see 1,600 pubs visited coming fairly soon as well, only fourteen more needed.

In conclusion, may I wish a Happy New Year to all my readers.  I'll see you here or, even better, in a pub in 2026.

Huyton

Not a proper survey today, but I can't resist a few local ticks with my shopping.  I started in the Old Bank:

This is a classic boozer in both interior style and atmosphere, but it's not actually very old - opened in about 2012 I think.  Sadly, I learned from the Echo that it is to close down soon, this holiday season being their last hurrah.  The people of Stockbridge Village and Page Moss will then have no pubs left.  A regrettable loss indeed, this is a fine example of a friendly local pub.

At half one on a Saturday afternoon one can see why it is no longer viable:  Just six regulars plus a pub blogger keeping the place ticking over.

Next, a fairly short walk took me and my shopping bags on to the Oak Tree:

It was significantly busier in here than in the Old Bank, but still pretty quiet for the last Saturday before Christmas.

This splendid 1920s (?) building houses another traditional locals' boozer.  Little remains of the original decor inside, but it is still pleasantly done out.

Of course it spent some years as a Wetherspoon but they didn't do very well here in lager town and gave up fairly quickly, before trying again in central Huyton a few years later, where they were, and are, much more successful.

There was some disconcerting shouting, worrying until I realised he was cheering a horse on in a race on a telly I couldn't see!

Finally, the way home goes past the Swan, so let's get a tick there as well:

Another classic building, this one dating from the 1950s I'm going to guess, but it could earlier?

Both the Swan and the Oak Tree were last ticked on the day before the first lockdown closed all the pubs.  I remember the landlady in the Swan was putting up Mother's Day decorations, little did she know that they would be shut down by then.

Anyway, back in the real world I entered to find a very nicely done pub, just as before.  It was pretty quiet with only a handful of regulars scattered around the place, but in the other (bar) side was some kind of function from which I could hear a hubbub of chatter.  The way between the two sides of the pub was closed off.  I don't know what it was, but it is good too see a pub making money (I hope) from events.

Other regulars came in, even here in the quiet side the place was ticking over.

Pub of the day: Old bank
Beer of the day: Carling
Miles walked: 2
Maybe coming soon: Kirkby

Birkenhead Odds and Ends

I elbowed my way through the pre-Christmas crowds in town and made my way to a much more peaceful Birkenhead, where I started in the Glen Affric Taproom:

I had wondered if this place would be full of parties, but happily there were only four or five customers fifteen minutes after opening.

In a break with my normal procedure, I ordered halves of two of the thirty-ish keg offerings.  One was a superb chocolate and hazelnut porter, the other an incredible blood orange IPA which tasted more like fresh orange juice than a beer.  The friendly barman asked if I was going to make a chocolate orange beer by mixing them;  I resisted, although that might have been rather wonderful.

Eventually I dragged my attention away from the excellent beer and looked around.  As with almost all brewery taps this is the corner of a warehouse.  Somehow it seems more pleasant than most, though.  The seating is mainly in comfortable booths, the seasonal decorations were restrained and tasteful.

Next, I had a look at the beer menu on my table.  Having met my target for pub ticks for this year, I could just stay here all day and try lots of other tempting brews; a cherry sour, a pineapple lager, and a 7.2% hazy IPA caught my eye.

But no, it's my duty to head out into the cold in search of beers nowhere near as good, in pubs not ticked in the last five years...

So, on to the Lion.  My pre-flight checks had resulted in a question mark for this one, the internet didn't want to give me any useful information and Google maps had deleted it altogether.  So I wasn't overly surprised to find it long closed.  Perhaps I should have stayed in Glen Affric!

Anyway  my next target was Molly's Chambers which was open:

This cellar bar was sadly deserted at two on a Saturday, no wonder they don't open earlier in the week.

I had a pint of (real) Budweiser and sat on a comfortable bench seat.  Like the related Swinging Arm this place is aimed at live music, I had a great view of the (empty) stage.

I monitored the TV screens, to learn about future gigs here and at the Swinging Arm.  So I learned that their own lager House Band is brewed in Belgium by Huyghe who make Delerium Tremens.  I also noted that the excellent Partial Eclipse are back on 8 Feb next year.  See you there?

Next, a long walk to one other required tick, but first a quick check of the Blue Bell:

Closed as expected, so on to the Cavendish:

Despite looking like a shop conversion from the front this has much more of the atmosphere of a traditional pub inside, and it's got three or four times the customers of the last two ticks combined.  A plain split level interior with lots of cheerful regulars drinking lager, watching racing, playing pool, and so on.  In other words, an excellent, successful, locals' boozer.

I wonder why this is the only pub in this part of Birkenhead overdue for a tick?  For some reason I didn't come here when I did all the surrounding places last year.

What next?  Ideally I should take a long walk to the Bidston to confirm that it is closed.  Second best is a slightly shorter walk to the North Star to finish off the required ticks.  The lazy option is to head home now.  On reflection, as I've got to go nearly half way to the North Star to get a train home I might as well do option two...

The North Star:

A bit dark for a photo by now.  Another classic locals' boozer, clean and tidy as they all are nowadays, with plenty of friendly regulars in at four on a Saturday.

I relaxed in a quiet corner to sink my Carling.  Christmas decorations were at just the right level, not over the top.

Two women were playing darts. They had some kind of display to do the sums but I think they were ignoring it and using proper arithmetic to decide who won.  I always found subtracting 17 and 1 and 12 from 501 to be the hardest part of the game - Of course, if your score is 180 the sums are easier but I never got anywhere near that!

As it should be, the background music was intermittently drowned out by cheerful chatter, this is the soundtrack of a proper boozer!

Time for home!

Pub of the day: Cavendish
Beer of the day: Glen Affric I Can't Believe it's NOT-ella
Miles walked: 4.2
Maybe coming soon: Don't know

Thornton and Crosby

On a very grey - but remarkably warm considering the overnight frost - Thursday afternoon I took a long bus ride from Liverpool to Thornton.

What a depressing journey:  We passed nineteen pub locations, some were missing, some were still extant, none were open, before finally passing Swifts which I was pleased to see appears still operational.

On a more positive note, I didn't spot any pubs closed that I expected to be open.  And the weather changed from grey to sunshine by the time I reached the pleasant suburb of Thornton.

I walked past the Grapes and on the the Nags Head:

Oh dear, not a good start:  The handpumps appeared to be off and there was no one serving.  I stood for at least five minutes while a queue of people built up by the till.  (This is a British pub, we don't queue!)  Eventually a cheerful barmaid turned up and, after processing one person from the queue, served me my Carling.  I'm not sure if she knew how long I'd been there or it was just luck, but I think that was the correct sequence.

This is a pleasant plastic dining pub run by Greene King (Aren't they all?).  A large open space around the l-shaped counter.  There were a fair number of groups dining, I was the only drinker I could see but there could be more round the corner.

Now there's something good to see:  A poster advertising the switch on of the Thornton Christmas Tree lights.  And it's in December, isn't that wonderful!  I'm getting mighty tired of Christmas in November - I was in a pub last weekend, not in Merseyside and I can't remember where it was, which was in non stop Christmas songs mode.  Aaaagh!  In contrast, here the muzac is normal and the decorations are very subdued.

Next, back to the Grapes:

Another standard dining pub, this time under the Sizzling brand.  And what did I find at the counter?  A bloody queue.  One harassed bloke was trying to handle multiple food orders ("There's a forty minute wait") and pouring drinks.  Not very good.  I decided not to make his day worse by asking if any of the cask ales were on, and just had another Carling.

Rather busier than the Nags here but there were plenty of empty tables.  Goodness knows how they'd cope if the place was full, they were clearly struggling already.

Obviously I'm not the manager of a chain of pubs, but I would think that people that have to wait ages for a simple pub meal will go somewhere else next time, or just eat at home.  That's what you get for letting accountants run your business.

My chosen table was near the end of the counter where the regulars congregate, no joining the queue for them.  All were on Carling, I think, I didn't see any cask pulled.

That's Thornton complete (As far as I know) so now it's a long walk to Crosby.  To the best of my knowledge I don't need any ticks in the centre (Except Frankie's and that doesn't open until five on Thursdays.) but there are two pubs not visited since 2018 in the area, so I headed for the Endbutt:

This attractive two sided pub was almost completely empty, just a handful of customers.  I decided to risk the Speckled Hen, the only cask ale, but it came out mostly air and froth.  "Looks like it's gone" said the friendly barmaid/landlady, "would you like something else?".  I plumped for Carling, of course, but she said "Have you tried Level Head?  Have a taste."  So I did and it was hoppy and fruity, perhaps in the style of Neck Oil but maybe not as sweet?  Good, anyway, so I had a pint of that.  At £6.05 it wasn't cheap, I wonder how much Carling would have cost me?  Anyway, it is very good to find bar staff taking an interest and suggesting things their customers might like, rather than just pouring.  Or, if I'm being more cynical it was a good example of upselling!

Level Head, a Greene King brew of course, came in a peculiar glass, conical but wider at the base than the top, I rather like the feel.

Another walk, still circling Crosby centre, took me to the Edinburgh:

This pub is something of an historic gem, the back rooms are served via hatches in the bar back, the servery has ancient-looking woodwork.

I went in the bar side so I could see the handpumps, oh yes they've got White Rat, at last some decent ale!  And it was.

Quite a few regulars were creating a background of chatter but as far as I could see the lounge rooms were mostly empty at half four on a Thursday.

I had considered visiting the nearby not-yet-required Coop, ticked only last year, if I hadn't had any decent ale, but after the wonderful White Rat I decided to just head for home...

But wait.  I had to walk past the footie ground, where there is a bar called 1894 Bar & Bistro, and it looks like it is open.  We can't skip a brand new tick.

It was totally dark by now, so no photo I'm afraid.

In here I found a plain comfortable one room bar with about four customers.  No Carling so I finished with a Guinness.

This bar is part of the Marine football ground but clearly it's open when there isn't a match, so it definitely gets to be in the guide, and is a welcome new entry.

More customers came in as I enjoyed my beer, not exactly busy but maybe covering its costs on a quiet non-match evening.

Time for home, I think.  There may be a gap in reports here, I have no less than three "Christmas get-togethers" in the next ten days so while you can rest assured I will be spending a lot of time in pubs, I probably won't be blogging them here!

Pub of the day: Edinburgh
Beer of the day: White Rat
Miles walked: 3.3
Maybe coming soon: Undecided