This pub in Liverpool's Dale Street was a bit of a mystery to me. I looked in my various pub name books and could not find any explanation of the name. There are plenty of pubs named after ships in Liverpool - well, there would be wouldn't there. And the city has a cathedral and therefore a bishop and therefore a mitre. But what on earth was the connection?
(Note the mitre on the wall above the sign)
The explanation turned out to be quite simple. The name was a composite of the pub's two previous names - The Flagship and The Mitre. Before the pub was built, around 1935, the site was home to a coach-house and reference to this can be seen in the foyer as you enter the building.
Sometimes presumed mysteries can surprise us with their simple explanations - I like it!
ReplyDeleteNice that the history and name have stayed. Here in the U.S. things are completely washed new again every few years.
ReplyDeleteI like that it is on Dale street. Is that a man's name or a woman's name to you? I have a step mother and a brother named Dale, it causes confusion!
ReplyDeleteDale is not a common forename in the UK but when it is used it is usually male, Kay. I suspect the Street was named for being in a dale - a valley, especially in northern England
DeleteAs in the Yorkshire dales! :-)
DeleteGlad you got to the bottom of that one. Small mysteries like that can haunt me until i figure them out!
ReplyDeleteHoly cats - I Googled "ship mitre" and there are a MILLION websites about Wirral and that pub! It's famous!
ReplyDelete