When a much-loved pub calls time and closes its doors for the last time it's always a sad occasion.
As well as a place to meet friends for a drink, good pubs are important social hubs and have a strong relationship with their customers, with many long-serving landlords serving generations of families.
Liverpool, of course, is not short of a good pub or two, but like the rest of the country a great many pubs - especially traditional boozers - have now closed.
READ MORE: 30 photos show what life was like in Liverpool in 1972
Back in 2015, the Liverpool ECHO spoke to local historian and filmmaker, John Harrison, who was brought up in Dingle to talk about some of Liverpool 8's best-remembered pubs that are no longer around.
John told the ECHO: "At one time there was a pub on almost every street corner and they were the lifeblood of the local community – a place to go to celebrate births, marriages, good news, a funeral wake, or just to socialise with friends over a few pints."
John runs a local history Facebook group called Memories of Liverpool 8 as a place for its members to share old photographs and memorabilia and connect with old friends and neighbours.
He spoke about some of the pubs the area has lost and how some of them got their nicknames.
The Dingle on Park Road
John said: “This was known locally as Jessie Appleton’s after a landlady. It closed in 2005 and is now Thomas Porter funeral directors.”
The Peacock Inn
John explains: “This used to be on the corner of High Park Street and Park Road and was the first tavern to open in the Toxteth Park area in 1625.
“The building was originally a house belonging to one of the workers of the Molyneaux family when Toxteth was a Royal Deer Park.
“The inn had a chequered past with both Roundheads and Royalists billeting there during the Civil War. It was closed and demolished in the 1890s.”
The Mersey Beat
Located on Park Street and built in the 1960s, during the thriving Merseybeat era, John says the pub had to close down in the 1990s due to subsidence.
The High Park
This pub closed around 2005. Talking about its history, John said: “In the early to mid 19th century the rich merchants moved from the overcrowded city centre to the rural area of the Dingle and set up homes on High Park Street, the highest point of the area. They were called the Rich Knobs, hence Knob Hill. It’s now Craven’s Funeral Directors.”
The Farmers Arms
Situated on Park Road, The Famers Arms closed around 2005. John said: “The back room of the pub was used for Country and Western acts.
“Ricky Tomlinson, as Hobo Rick, was a regular performer and the room was laid out like a Wild West saloon – that’s why it was nicknamed ‘The Ponderosa’. A block of flats is now on the site.”
The Grecian Hotel
This pub, situated on Upper Hill Street, closed around 1982.
John said: “The reason it was known as The Snakepit is because the regulars used to play dice in the back room of the pub – and getting just two ones is known as Snake Eyes, hence the nickname. I love this story.”
Join our Liverpool memories and history Facebook group here.
The Flat Iron
This was at the junction of Mill Street and St James Place and closed around 1974.
The Flat Iron name is due to the wedge shape of the building itself, with its design inspired by the original Flatiron building built in New York in the early 20th Century with its shape resembling a cast-iron clothes iron.
The Pineapple Hotel
The 19th-century coaching inn and pub finally closed its doors in 2017 and was turned into flats. Why it was named after a tropical fruit, more akin to a cocktail bar, is a bit of a mystery.
However, according to a historical notice placed in the Liverpool Daily Post, it has been known as the "Pineapple" since at least 1869, when its owner, Mr Joseph Asbery, was required to auction off the building due to financial difficulties.
The Mount
This pub used to be on the corner of South Hill Road and Beloe Street and closed around 2008.
John said: “It was known locally as The Sixie because it only used to open six days a week.
“Everyone thought it closed on a Sunday for religious reasons because the Orange Lodge held great sway, but that wasn’t the case – one of the past landlords bought a six-day licence because it was cheaper than a seven day one!”
Do these awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Sefton Arms
This was on the corner of Windsor Street and Upper Warwick Street and closed around 1971.
The Volunteer Arms
Situated on Park Place, this closed around 2005 – flats are now on the site.
The Berkley Arms
This was on Upper Stanhope Street and closed in 1982.
The Poets’ Corner
This was on Park Hill Road and closed in 2008.
The ECHO has launched a 48-page Christmas nostalgia supplement in print. It's perfect as a stocking filler and yours for just £2.50. You can order a copy here.
