Pubs are closing at a record rate – here we celebrate those that have battled to survive
Pig and Whistle pub on Chapel Street, Liverpool(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool’s fine offering of pubs and bars is the envy of the rest of the country. You will find great pubs across the city centre – particularly along Dale Street and dotted around the Georgian Quarter.
In the suburbs, South Liverpool can boast Lark Lane, Smithdown Road and Woolton Village’s many excellent watering holes, while North Liverpool is home to many fantastic pubs which come alive on matchdays when fans flock to Goodison Park and Anfield. Despite Liverpool’s strength and depth, pubs are under more pressure than ever before.
More than 400 of them closed across England and Wales in 2024, bringing the total number of pubs to below 39,000 – the lowest on record. There are many reasons behind the closures, with rising operating costs and changing consumer habits making it harder than ever for the hospitality industry to thrive.
However, pubs, bars and clubs can be very vulnerable to closure as a result of outside forces, such as the construction of new developments. New houses are important but often precious venues are lost as a result, taking history, culture and community with them.
Here, we celebrate six Liverpool city centre pubs who that have kept going – whether that is coming back from closures, being rescued from potential demolition or standing firm while everything changed around them.
The Pig & Whistle
Inside The Pig & Whistle pub(Image: Liverpool Echo)
The last man standing on its block on the corner of Covent Garden and Chapel Street in Liverpool city centre, The Pig & Whistle has been through a lot in its 150 years as a pub. The building dates back to the early 18th century when it was both a boarding house and a brothel.
It then became a pub in 1875 and it was named after the crew bars on ships which are commonly known as the Pig and Whistle, or Pig for short. The pub was popular with dockers and seafarers during Liverpool’s maritime heyday and it now stands alone on its section of Chapel Street, with its neighbouring buildings all demolished.
An urban legend meant that many in Liverpool long thought that was due to the Blitz. But the surrounding structures were actually all knocked down by the city council in the 1970s, leaving The Pig as the last man standing. But it was feared the pub had been lost for good in August of last year, when its doors closed.
Fortunately, licensee Bobby Dix reopened it the following month, wanting to restore it to its former glory. Bobby told the ECHO last September: “I think this place has a lot more potential than it ever realised, even when I was here the first time around. If it’s me pulling the strings and making the decisions, I think there’s a good chance that we can get it going again.
“You’ve got big hotels nearby, you’ve got huge office buildings nearby, you’ve got the India Buildings. It’s hard to make the place look open, but if you can make it look less derelict and let people know that something fun is going on here, then I think it could be back on the Scouse round of great pubs.
“You’ve got here, Tithebarn, Chapel Street, Dale Street – there are brilliant pubs around here. There’s no reason why the Pig can’t be part of that.”
The Roscoe Head
The Roscoe Head pub on Roscoe Street(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool’s CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) branch launched campaigns to protect The Roscoe Head on Roscoe Street in 2015 and then in 2020 as licensee Carol Ross battled for the pub’s freehold. In 2015, people rallied to save the pub from sale by Punch Taverns to a property development company that became Hawthorne Leisure Ltd
Then in 2020, Hawthorne Leisure decided not to renew Carol’s lease. However, CAMRA launched another campaign as Carol tried to acquire the pub. She was successful, taking over the lease in November 2020 and securing the pub’s future.
At the time, Carol told the ECHO: “I am delighted that at last, having tried for so long, I have now bought my pub the Roscoe Head, the very special historic pub that has been in my family for decades.
“I am truly elated that this has finally come to fruition. At times I thought this battle was never ending. There is only so much stress you can live with and the time nearly came for me to just walk away. But I stuck with it and I am so glad I did as I would have felt I was letting my family and customers down.”
The Roscoe Head is one of only five pubs nationwide to feature in every edition of CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide. It continues to be a favourite venue in the city centre.
The Caledonia
The Caledonia pub in Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter(Image: Liverpool ECHO)
Thousands of people from across Liverpool signed a petition to save The Caledonia when it was threatened by closure by a property development in May 2013. Chester-based Admiral Taverns had agreed to sell the historic pub on Catherine Street, which would have seen it closed to make way for construction, as it said there was not a viable business case to keep it open.
However, by the end of the month, the pub’s future had been saved. A deal was struck between property investors and landlady Laura King.
At the time, Laura said: “We will now be a free house under the terms of the new lease, so really it will be ‘business as better’. Going forward it gives us much greater business opportunities to develop the business in the way we want to. Having the security is great. The future is secure.”
People again rallied to support the pub last summer as it faced an increase in running costs. Laura wrote on Instagram last July: “This is a bit of a humbling post to write but we really need your help. Times they are biting us at The Caledonia and it’s starting to get tricky to keep the old girl afloat.
“We were hoping we could ask you all a favour. If you’re out and about please could you pop by and say hi for a drink? Or maybe add us to your pub crawl. If you’re hungry could you try our new menu? We’ve got loads of amazing, completely free, live music & events in our calendar, could you add one to your schedule?”
Customers did just that and plenty of Liverpool’s hospitality businesses rallied to support the pub. Four days later, the pub posted on Instagram to say: “What a weekend, we’re so grateful to all of you who popped in to see us. I want to say a huge thank you to my team who got stuck in and looked after everyone.”
The Belvedere
A regular in the snug at the Belvedere pub(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Another fine Georgian Quarter pub, The Belvedere is among Liverpool’s prettiest boozers. However, like the Caledonia, it was almost lost forever due to a housing development.
It was rescued from closure in 2006, however, and remains a favourite of Liverpool’s drinkers. About it the ECHO recently said: On a sunny day, sitting on its outside tables is a treat. Enjoying a few beers while admiring the elegant terraces of Falkner Street is a very pleasant way to lose a summer’s afternoon.
However, the pub truly comes into its own in winter – it is never better than during the miserable conditions we are enduring at the moment. Coming off the cold street and into its welcoming bar is a tremendous feeling.
“Standing in said bar, compactly packed in among its historic touches, etched-glass windows and wood panels, is a great place to drink. But heading to the left of the bar and sitting in the so-called smoking room snug is even better.”
Kazimier Garden
Kazimier Garden, Seel Street, Liverpool(Image: Photo by Colin Lane)
Wolstenholme Square was once the beating heart of Liverpool nightlife – home to Cream, Pleasure Rooms and The Kazimier club. The Kazimier Garden was only ever meant to be a temporary extension to the sister Kazimier venue at its rear but it outlived the club which was levelled in 2016 to make way for the residential developments now dominating the square.
The garden, which now operates from an entrance on Seel Street, is frequently included on lists of the country’s best beer gardens. It has not always been plain sailing for the venue, however.
In March 2020, as the country had been put into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, a campaign was launched to save the garden and support its staff. It was successful and remains an incredibly popular city centre venue.
Ma Egerton’s Stage Door
Ma Egerton’s Pub in Liverpool city centre(Image: LIVERPOOL ECHO)
Ma Egerton’s is one of the city’s most historic pubs. It was built in 1846 and is named after its longest-serving landlady Mary Egerton. Found on Pudsey Street, in the city centre, it has quite the storied past.
It was once the heart of a thriving creative scene in the Lime Street area and was said to have welcomed many stars from the world of show business, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Charlie Chaplin. However, the pub has also had to battle to survive over the years.
It has previously been threatened with demolition and it closed for a period in 2012 due to rising rents. However, it was kept alive and remains a popular pub for people heading to shows at the Empire or O2 Academy.
However, much of the creative scene that once surrounded the boozer no longer exists and an accommodation block now towers over the pub.