Yet more Pubs

 

This is the Cock and Bottle on Picton Road, Liverpool, pictured in the 1960s The window to the right of the pub was once a door and the bricked in space above it was a window. This formed the smallest house in Liverpool for many years until these alterations were carried out.

Yet another pub - and Woodbine Willie

 

OK, so this is not a pub, but it is part of Liverpool’s musical heritage. Once Great George Street Church, it attracted major speakers to its pulpit including the famous Woodbine Willie who Mum heard there in the 1920s. Later on the church was to become a major arts centre for the area- The Blackie - Great Georges Community Cultural Project.


Woodbine Willie, born Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy in 1883, was a charismatic parson who made religion live for many of the soldiers in the First World War. Intensely disliked by the conservative majority in the church he would begin his lectures with comments like "I know what you're thinking - here comes another bloody parson..." Using language and examples to which his listeners could relate he popularised religion in a way that few had done before. (Sound familiar? Didn't Jesus do that with his parables!). Born in Leeds of Irish origins he became an army chaplain at the outbreak of the war and is said to have personally given away nearly 9 million cigarettes during his tours of the trenches. He even won the Military Cross for his (unarmed) action under fire.


In 1929, although he was sick, he went to Liverpool on one of his many preaching engagements and died there on 8th March. As his body was being taken across the Mersey by ferry, somebody stepped forward and laid a packet of Woodbines on his coffin.

Liverpool pubs

 

The Phil – almost as famous as The Philharmonic Hall opposite!
It seems that some of my pub and pub sign photos are in demand. I’ve had a couple of folk contact me asking if they can use them in various ways. Most interesting was a request from Brett Lashua, a researcher with the University of Liverpool, working on a project that is mapping some of the places of significance to Liverpool's popular musical heritage. Working in partnership with National Museums Liverpool and English Heritage, he's creating interactive digital maps for an exhibition on Liverpool's popular music called "The Beat Goes On" -- opening at the World Museum Liverpool on 12 July 2008 (through November 2009).


Here are some more town centre pubs from the 1960s though how many of them had music I’m not sure. Certainly O’Connor’s used to have poetry readings and folk like Roger McGough, Harold Hikins, Adrian Henri and the like could be found in there.


The Vines on Lime Street was known locally as The Big House. Like the Phil the gents toilets in this pub were a magnificent display of ornate architecture and had to be seen to be believed.



The Crown, another Lime Street pub.


I cannot recall the name of this pub in Hackins Hey. Was it the Hackins Hey itself?



One of a few Yates’ Wine Lodges around town. They did not have a good reputation and one was well advised to keep out of them in those days.


The Old Post Office - near Bluecoat Chambers. I have some of the out of town pub photos still to be scanned in but I shall do a posting on them at some stage.