A Fab Day Out In Liverpool....

This famous city by the River Mersey has much of interest and is always worth a visit, as I was reminded once again when I was there recently with some friends and colleagues....

The other Monday I and a group of colleagues from the Grayston Unity and Meandering Bear bars in Halifax went on a team day out to Liverpool, following in the grand tradition of previous visits to York and Manchester. The trip was a thank you from owners Michael and Jess for the efforts following the end of another busy gig season at the neighbouring Piece Hall, which brings in significant extra trade for the pubs, bars, and other businesses in the town. It was also an opportunity to bid farewell to some of the younger members of the team who are about to start or return to university, or are moving on to pastures new.

Most of us were on the 1017 train from Halifax, although a few more joined us when we changed trains at Manchester, with one of the group even travelling through from Newcastle. We all arrived together though, arriving at Liverpool Lime Street Station at just after 12. Recent trips have included a distraction from the pubs and bars that take up the biggest part of the day, and so today we were heading out on an open top bus journey around the city, taking in many of the landmarks of this iconic place. So we headed off through the city streets towards Albert Dock where we were being picked up by the bus. The trouble was that it was drizzling quite heavily which prompted one or two who had dressed for better weather to purchase umbrellas. We arrived at the Dock, and it wasn't long before a bright red open top bus pulled up and we climbed on board.

On board and ready to go! (Photo: Hannah Head)

Despite the drizzle, amazingly the fabric seats on the bus were remarkably dry, presumably made of some highly water-resistant material, although the sides of the bus needed a wipe down with one of the little pink towels that were handed round. We were welcomed on board over the tannoy by our hostess who was sat in the dry down below. The journey began, and we passed a number of iconic buildings; the former head offices of the White Star Line who owned the ill-fated Titanic, which is now a hotel, and the so-called Three Graces; the Royal Liver Building, complete with the famous Liver Birds, the Cunard Building, and the Port of Liverpool Building, and then had a look at the ferry terminal from where the famous Mersey ferry departs for the Wirral. Our journey took in the Cavern Quarter which passed the end of Mathew Street which is home to the latest iteration of the Cavern Club, where the Beatles made their name, and then it was on past the city's Walker Art Gallery, the iconic Radio City Tower, the University area, and the Catholic Cathedral (also known as Paddy's Wigwam due to its design) with its 4 bells (christened locally as John, Paul, George, and Ringo). Rather appropriately it lies it lies at one end of Hope Street with the stunning redbrick Gothic Church of England Cathedral at the other.

The bus had various stopping points en route where you could hop on or hop off, and so it was on Hope Street where we alighted to begin the serious business of the day. Our stopping point was the Philharmonic, one of the best known pubs in Liverpool and one of a handful of Grade l-listed pubs in the country. To many, with its cavernous interior with dark wood panelling and traditional furnishings it is almost a place of worship like the cathedrals that bookend Hope Street. It is certainly a place you should visit at least once if you get chance when you are in Liverpool. The opulence on display - plasterwork, mosaic, mahogany, copper reliefs, large fireplaces, and stained glass - reflect that when it was built Liverpool was a very wealthy commercial centre, with the Phil - as it is known locally - a place where the local businessmen and their well-to-do middle class clients could congregate and do business. In terms of its interior, many say it is rivalled only by the nearby Vines and the world-famous Crown in Belfast. The pub was built about 1900 for the Robert Cain brewery by local architect Walter Thomas. And so we entered into what was an upmarket version of a northern drinking lobby, off which other rooms radiate; there were two side rooms entitled Brahms and Liszt, with a larger room occupied mainly by diners called the Grande Lounge into which the 16 of us had drifted and whilst we were not eating in there - one of our group even producing some home made buns at one point - we were made to feel welcome. This grand setting even hosted an unadvertised free gig from local boy Paul McCartney a few years ago, which drew large crowds to the Phil once the word got round, although only a lucky few were able to get in to see him perform!

The Philharmonic is run by the Nicholsons Pub Group who have a number of historic public houses all over the country within their portfolio, such as the Scarbrough in Leeds, the Victoria Comet in Newcastle, and the Old Contemptibles in Birmingham. That does mean their beer choice is somewhat restricted to what is featured on the Nicholsons list; the house pale ale is brewed by St Austell, as was the pint of Tribute I ordered after the free glass of prosecco we were entitled to when we arrived as passengers on the bus journey. The beer was an ok 3 on the National Beer Scoring System scale, but as has struck me before when I've called in here, it should be an extraordinary pint as befits the stunning surroundings, which as well as the amazing woodwork and glazing in the pub itself also includes the spectacular Adamant ceramic urinals in the Gents toilets, manufactured by Thomas Twyford and Son at the Cliffe Vale Potteries in Hanley....

We moved on to the other side of Hope Street across Hardman Street, where further down is another famous Liverpudlian church, St Luke's, better known as the Bombed Out Church, which was hit by air strikes from the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, and has been left as it was. We passed the Liverpool Philharmonic concert hall and at a cafe bar called Papillon, we turned down Falkner Street, a street of fine restored Georgian properties reflecting a more prosperous side to the city. We came to a short cul-de-sac, Sugnall Street, on which was situated the Belvedere, a small but perfectly-formed two room pub which was a new one to me. We walked into the room to the right where an old guy was enjoying a quiet pint, our arrival prompting him to seek refuge in the other room. A guy with a beard and glasses behind the bar calmly got on with dispensing our orders as if it was normal that every Monday afternoon a group of 16 would walk in. There were four handpumps on the bar dispensing a couple of beers from Ossett and one each from Salopian, and Redwillow. However I'd spotted a beer from Polly's on one of the taps, and so I went for two thirds of Postcards From Space, a 5.3% hazy pale typical of this excellent North Wales brewery. Most of us drifted outside as the sun was finally making an appearance. I really liked the Belvedere, which is attractively decorated throughout, and it is a place I look forward to visiting again next time I'm in the city.

The Belvedere; small but perfectly formed

We drank up and headed down to another pub a short distance away which I had been to before. Ye Cracke is a characterful pub just off Hope Street on Rice Street with several rooms, with a surprisingly large beer garden out the back. There is a small bar as you go in with a bank of unused handpumps on the bar, a little snug with red leather upholstery called The War Room, a further room beyond that, the central room containing the bar which is quite a large space, and another room beyond. There is a connection with the Beatles here, too. John Lennon used to call in for a drink sometimes, and there is a plaque on the wall to the Dissenters, a pre-Beatles group he was in with Stuart Sutcliffe, the band's original bass guitarist. I went back to cask here with a pint of Fab Four, a 4.4% pale ale from local brewers Rock the Boat. Despite the apparent Beatles connections from the name of the beer and the pump clip displaying silhouettes resembling the band, the Fab Four in question are the UK hops used in the brew - Pilot, Cascade, Target, and Admiral. It was ok, but a bit thin considering the ABV and somewhat lacking in flavour (NBSS 2.5). The pub is still one you must visit at least once though.

Ye Cracke, Liverpool

It wasn't far then to the next pub. This was one that I'd particularly enjoyed on my previous visit a couple or so years previously. The Grapes on Roscoe Street is an old pub dating back to 1804 which has been refurbished, extended and tastefully decorated with a veritable forest of potted plants outside and brightly painted walls and artwork within. The sign outside still displays the name of a long-lost local brewery, Mellors. The pub features a number of separate drinking areas around a central bar with a hidden upstairs roof terrace where we all took our drinks once we had got served. I went for a beer from another local brewery, Neptune, whose beers are always worth a try. I think we were drinking one called Sea of Dreams, a pleasant 4.2% hazy pale which was in fine form (NBSS 3.5). Neptune beers are regularly available on one or more of the 8 cask lines, along with a number of keg lines, with the range regularly offering beers from Liverpool and nearby. It was another enjoyable visit to this friendly pub and I thoroughly recommend a visit here. A word of warning; there is another Grapes in the city on Mathew Street which does not cater for discerning beer drinkers.

The Grapes, Roscoe Street, Liverpool

After the Grapes we moved on from the more traditional places to more modern bars. We walked down to an outdoor drinking bar called the Kashmir Garden sandwiched in a space between two high buildings which I'm sure on a pleasant balmy evening with the right music playing would be a great place to chill out, but for some inexplicable reason this afternoon it was like a wind tunnel, which was completely different to any of the weather we'd had all day. There were a few keg beers from the likes of Northern Monk and Tiny Rebel, and I got a 4.3% pale from another local brewery, Carnival, which was ok, though the name escapes me. We left, the mysterious wind dropping as soon as we got out on the street. and we moved on to another more modern bar called Jacaranda, which was situated on Slater Street. Here a few of us grabbed a drink and wandered downstairs where a number of artists were taking part in an open mike event in what was a nice little venue. Music is very much in the DNA of this place, and back in the 1960's the Beatles and other Mersey bands played here, and it has hosted the first gigs of many local bands, whilst upstairs there is a record store. The bar had a number of craft ales  and I seem to remember I had one from Verdant, whilst the place is very much geared up for the cocktail market. It was pleasantly decorated in a cool retro style with bare brick walls, parquet flooring, large mirrors, and high-backed stools in front of the bar, with the whole scene bathed in sympathetic lighting.

Time was moving on, and so we all headed to a Middle Eastern restaurant a few streets away for some very welcome food to soak up the liquid consumed over the course of the day. Some of us left straight after the food and made our way back to Lime Street to catch the 1954 train home, whilst the majority decided to stay in the city and go for the next one, which ended up being delayed for an hour between Liverpool and Manchester. Despite that inconvenience, it seemed that everyone had had a thoroughly enjoyable day out in what is one of the finest cities in the land....

Follow me on twitter/X: @realalemusic