Liverpool (Moorfields) - June 2022

Returning to Liverpool after a previous visit in January 2019, I was keen to visit the Lion Tavern for the first time. In a reply on Twitter, Abi said 'Heartily recommend the Lion Tavern, Moorfields. Gorgeous pub.' On the late afternoon of Tuesday 7 June, after visiting Southport, Birkdale and Ainsdale, I left the Merseyrail train at Moorfields station and headed up the road.

The former Yates's Wine Lodge building caught my eye and I stopped to try and understand why there was a circular cut out section in the frontage. Noticing my interest, a passerby commented 'Weird, isn't it' and I had to agree! [Subsequent research shows the circular section was designed by sculptor Richard Wilson for the Liverpool Biennial in 2007. There is a video on YouTube showing the circular section rotating. Turning the Place Over closed in 2011.]

The Lion Tavern

Before entering the Lion Tavern, I investigated the impressive former Exchange Station building at the top of the road and determined that there was no access for the public. Research shows that the station closed in 1977 and was replaced by Moorfields station. The Lion Tavern takes its name from a steam locomotive that was built for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway in 1838 and is displayed at the Museum of Liverpool.

Once inside, I looked for a table with the sun shining on it and found one in the angled corner of the main bar.

A few customers stood at the bar or sat at the high tables by the windows but I was able to take a photo of the impressive bar without including any of them.

A panel opposite the bar gives details of the regular cask ales and ciders served.

My first pint was POTYSIPA a 4.3% ABV session IPA from Liverpool Brewing Company which was dry and bitter. (£4 pint). It was a pleasure to enjoy this beer in a bar where conversation was the norm but where the free jukebox could provide occasional musical interest.

A while later, I was able to take advantage of the free jukebox myself to play a couple of favourite Elvis Costello tracks - Alison (146 01) & Watching the Detectives (155 02). My third and final choice was a reflection of my current state - see footnote.

Yellow Submarine from Rock the Boat (Little Crosby Village Brewery) was my second pint. The 3.9% ABV golden ale cleared beautifully. With softness and less bitterness this suited my taste better. 

The award winning pub has its own bar mats to protect the historic bar surface. When I went to find the free jukebox I took the opportunity to photograph other parts of the pub.

There are art nouveau style tiles on the lower walls of the main bar and in the passage that runs between the main bar and the other bars. Note also the mosaic style passage floor.

The News Room is the bar on the right of the entrance from Tithebarn Street and also benefits from afternoon sunshine.

A skylight provides extra natural light to the Lounge at the rear. 

The Lounge also features a map on one wall illustrated with photos including one of the Lion locomotive. For more details and photos of the historic features of the Lion Tavern visit CAMRA's database of Historic Pub Interiors.

One space that is not usually visible is the Cellar. Traditional pubs have the benefit of a cool cellar with short beer lines to the hand pumps above. (I was able to sneak the photo above when a cask needed changing.)

I couldn't leave the Lion Tavern without sampling the mild ale and having a chat with Landlord Dave Hardman, who took over the pub in November 2016. Lion Best Mild from Rock the Boat (Little Crosby Village Brewery) is a 3.5% ABV North West Dark Ale brewed with five smooth malts. Described as 'Treacle, chocolate and nutty' it was dry to my taste but recommendable, as indeed were my previous two beers.

Dave was wearing a 'We had dreams and songs to sing' t-shirt with guitar picks featuring clubs and bands including: Eric's Liverpool; The Jam; Pink Floyd and The Clash. After a chat about the beers which he is proud to serve on a regular basis, Dave agreed to pose for a photo with the summer 2022 issue of Ullage magazine. This was the first issue of the West Berkshire CAMRA magazine to be printed since Spring 2020.

Dave kindly enquired about the other pubs I planned to visit and suggested the nearby Denbigh Castle. He also mentioned the Globe as a favourite pub. Dave was rather dismissive about pubs that offered too many cask beers as beer quality declines after a few days and it needs turning over quickly for it to be served in top condition. 

The Denbigh Castle

The Denbigh Castle, 10 Hackins Hey, is only two minutes walk from the Lion Tavern, but I stopped on the way to take a photo of a freestanding derelict building at 15 Tempest Hey (see photo collage near end).

Arriving at 6pm, there is some distance from the door to reach the bar at the back and adjust to the relative lack of light inside.

There was a choice of four cask ales and after some deliberation I was very happy with my choice of Twisted Wheel Brew Co (Easter Court, Warrington) Speed Wobble, a soft and hazy 4.7% ABV Session IPA. (1/2 pint £1.85).

The chance to visit pubs like these on a Tuesday has the advantage that there is a good choice of seating and no queues at the bar!

The spacious pub has an exposed brick wall, some interesting decor and contemporary lighting. 

Subsequent research shows there is also a downstairs bar used for events and that sport is shown on screens in the pub. It is the second pub to be opened by the Small Hands company after the Bridewell.

Before leaving, it was nice to have a quick chat with Francis who kindly agreed to pose with another copy of Ullage magazine which I had brought with me from Newbury.

Other pubs 'North of Liverpool Central'

The photos above were all taken in June 2022. I had previously visited the White Star (Cavern Quarter) and Crown Hotel (Lime Street) in 2019 but only had time to take fresh photos on this visit. One pub that I sadly failed to revisit this year due to lack of time was the Ship & Mitre. This was a pub recommended by Mark Geeson that can easily be reached from Moorfields by walking up Dale Street.

Footnote

The third free jukebox play at the Lion Tavern was: Canned Heat - On the Road Again (heard earlier in the day at the Masons Arms, Southport).

Liverpool / Crosby 2019 - Saturday 12 January

A dull and windy day on Saturday 12 January again started with breakfast at the Lime Kiln with a group of CAMRA friends drawn mainly from Surrey and Sussex.

Breakfast at the Lime Kiln (Wetherspoon)

We took over the same front area of the ground floor as on Friday. Most of the group would follow Jon Gadd's plan to travel by train to Southport and work back towards Liverpool in stages visiting mainly micropubs.

However, my day would only need a one area Saveaway day ticket (£4) loaded on my Walrus card as Blundellsands & Crosby would be the furthest north for my travels on the railway line to Southport.

Liverpool Mountain (Ugo Rondinone) sculpture outside Tate Liverpool

Before heading to Crosby a return to the Pier Head area was involved for a visit to Tate Liverpool between the river Mersey and the Albert Dock.

Supermarket trolley outside Peter Kavanagh's - featured in 'Anomaly Strolls'

A highlight of this visit was a bizarre video by South Korean artists Moon Kyungwon and Jeon Joonho - 'Anomaly Strolls' - that features a supermarket wire trolley propelling itself along the pavements of Liverpool and includes exterior and interior film of Peter Kavanagh's pub in Egerton Street.

My next destination, Crosby beach, can be reached by Merseyrail train from Liverpool to Waterloo. However, to see a bit more of dockside Liverpool first, I caught a 500 bus south, past the Baltic Fleet pub and Brunswick dock, to Brunswick station in Toxteth before catching a northbound Southport train via Liverpool Central and Bootle to Waterloo.

The walking route along South Road to Crosby beach from Waterloo station passes The Queen's Picture House, a Wetherspoon pub in a former cinema.

A footpath leads to the beach past a marine lake and through sand dunes.

A strong wind was blowing grains of sand from the beach towards me and few people braved these conditions unless they had a dog to walk or an interest in seeing Anthony Gormley's Another Place installation of multiple identical cast-iron life size naked figures spaced out across the beach and into the approaching sea.

Back in the shelter of local streets, my route heading north towards Blundellsands & Crosby station passed the Corner Post Micro Pub, 25 Bridge Road, which was shuttered and closed at 1pm.

Stamps bar

To save time I caught a bus inland to Great Crosby to find Stamps bar / brewpub.

My first half pint of the day was Stamps Brewery Flying Cloud, economically priced at £1.50.

As it was busy downstairs I carried my beer upstairs to the spacious and light room with a variety of mirrors on one wall. The montage of musicians faces next to the window reflects the regular live music events held at Stamps bar.

Liverpool Pigeon

A five minute walk south on Liverpool Road leads to the Liverpool Pigeon micro pub at 14 Endbutt Lane. Blackboards in the window give details of beers available and forthcoming. Another blackboard includes the text of Proverbs 31.7 'Let him drink and forget his poverty and remember his misery no more'. A green band across the windows shows that German and Belgian beers are available here as well as real ale and cider.

A Double Diamond 'works wonders' tray, in the left of the front window, is one of a larger collection of tin trays displayed on a wall inside.

At the rear bar a blackboard gives full details of the available cask ales with the ABV clearly displayed. My first half pint was 4% ABV Mallinsons Rakau Nelson which was pale and dry.
Before leaving I enjoyed my second half pint, also £1.60, even more. The hoppy Blackjack Beers Pale Ale from Manchester's Green Quarter was again 4% ABV.

With a knowledgeable landlord, a well chosen beer range plenty of seating and no music system, Merseyside's first micro pub would turn out to be my favourite on the day.
A one mile bus ride further south down Liverpool Road took me back to South Road for Waterloo station.

Trap & Hatch

The Trap & Hatch at 130 South Road opened in October 2016.

The pub dog greeted me on arrival and appeared to have a favoured resting place in between greeting new arrivals!

I enjoyed a half pint of Cross Bay Brewing Co Sunset Blonde (4.2% ABV £1.70).

The upmarket micropub with craft beers and two cask ales has a flat screen showing a video loop of a blazing fire. Tables are made from chunky planks of wood and timber planks also features in the bar front. Music on the sound system included Jimmy Cliff's The Harder They Come and the Doobie Brothers Long Train Runnin'. The Trap & Hatch is big enough to host live music on Saturdays.

Stamps too / The Waterpudlian

Stamps too in Waterloo is a sister pub to Stamps in Crosby. (In February 2019 the name was changed to The Waterpudlian). It is situated almost opposite Waterloo railway station at 99 South Road. A blackboard outside lists live music acts for Thursday - Sunday nights.

The free table I found inside, near the window, had a view of the low stage.

My half pint here was Liverpool Pale Ale from Liverpool Organic Brewery. A customer at the bar was listening to a football commentary which was audible to all nearby. Pop music was also playing on the sound system. Mark Geeson texted me from the Grasshoppper micropub in Stockport to say that the barman there had recommended a visit to the Volunteer Canteen near Waterloo and Crosby beach.

The Volunteer Canteen

This meant that my third and final pub stop in Waterloo was the Volunteer Canteen. It was in a residential area, half a mile away at 41 East Street, three streets inland from the coast. The light was fading as 5pm approached.

The Volunteer Canteen is a multi room community pub with plenty of interesting features inside. From the central bar with stained glass panels, I ordered Rock the Boat Brewery Dazzle, brewed in a 16th century wheelwright's workshop in Little Crosby village.

There is no fruit machine, pool table or juke box. Dogs are welcome at the pub and there were several in the dimly lit main room where I found a free table. Horse brasses adorn the top level of the dark wooden panelling. Table service was available in this bar.

A blue plaque records that the Volunteer Canteen is included on CAMRA's National Inventory of historic pub interiors. There are plenty of posters and old pictures, including some of the Liverpool Overhead Railway, in the rooms and passageways of the traditional pub.
Mark texted me again to say his group was on the way to the Volunteer Canteen so I replied that I would rendezvous with them briefly at Waterloo station on my way back to Liverpool. There would just be time for me to greet them before boarding the 17.40 train towards Liverpool and Hunts Cross.

The Welkin, Cavern Quarter, Liverpool

Jeff Evans had recommended a visit to the White Star pub in Liverpool's Cavern Quarter. After walking there from Moorfields station via Stanley Street I would delay my visit until after coffee at the Welkin, the nearby two storey, glass-fronted Wetherspoon pub.

The White Star

Brass plaques on the exterior of the White Star mention that the pub is twinned with bars in Norway (Skien and Grimstad).

Inside, I ordered a pint of Bass from the island bar, a choice that GBG pub blogger Martin Taylor would surely approve of! Unfortunately it was served in a John Smith's glass and was relatively costly (£3.80).

The White Star was busy but there was a table free in the back room and more tables became free later when the above photo was taken.

This room is famed for its 'Beatles seats' marked with individual brass plaques and with framed Beatles memorabilia above. The story is that this is where the Beatles would meet their first manager Allan Williams 'The man who gave the Beatles away' to receive their payments for playing at the nearby Cavern Club.

There are many interesting items relating to the White Star Line on display in the pub.
While I had been 'nursing' my pint of Bass waiting for Mark and others to join me, a text informed me that the group had split with some going from Moorfields station to the Ship and Mitre and others to the Lion Tavern. Mark and Trevor eventually arrived at the White Star at 8.45pm.

The Head of Steam

After a walk of a third of a mile we ended the evening at Liverpool's Head of Steam, Hanover Street, conveniently close to our hotel.

The beer I enjoyed here was Jester from Neptune Brewery of Maghull, Merseyside, with its distinctive trident logo. Neptune Brewery beers are unfined and brewed for cask, keg and 440ml cans.

The Head of Steam is spacious inside and some internal walls are decorated with industrial scenes to make the space appear even larger. We would return to the Head of Steam the next evening.