Liverpool Pub Crawl - Starting with the Romans

 

The history of public houses can be traced back to Roman times. When the Romans invaded Britain in 43 AD, they brought with them their own drinking establishments known as 'tabernae'. These taverns served as places where travellers could rest, eat, and drink. The term 'public house' emerged in the late 17th century to distinguish them from private alehouses, and the word 'pub' became the generic term. around the time of Henry VIII.

Before the 19th century, many dwellings in Liverpool, around one in seven, were involved in selling beer, a practice known as 'pot houses' before there was a rise in the establishment of large-scale public houses, often with impressive architectural designs. Several breweries in Liverpool had their roots in the early 19th century. Higsons Brewery, founded in 1780, was a prominent example and there was also the Liverpool Porter Brewery, one of the first purpose-built breweries in Liverpool on a large scale, erected at the start of Scotland Road, which appears to have been in operation at least until the 1820s. Bent's Brewery Co. Ltd, brewing on Scotland Road by 1810, later moved to Johnson Street. Cains Brewery, established by Robert Cain in 1858, also became a significant local brand, even gaining recognition beyond the city. According to Love Lane Brewery, on the eve of the First World War, the Higson business moved to Upper Parliament Street when the brewery was bought by Robert Cain and Sons as they also purchased the Walker Cains Brewery on Stanhope Street. The first recorded Higson's public house appears to have been The Stanley in Stanley Road, Kirkdale. Walkers of Warrington was established by Peter Walker when he acquired Pemberton's Brewery and the company became Walkers of Warrington in 1864. It merged with Cains brewery to form Walker Cains in 1921, and then in 1960 with Josua Tetley & Son to form Tetley Walker. Established in 1884, Yates's Wine Lodge also became a major player in the establishment of pub chains.

There was a great 'rebuilding' which occurred in Liverpool, as in many other towns across the country, at the end of the nineteenth century. The rebuilding process involved the conversion of the rather simple pub facades of early designs into facades of more substantial materials. This conversion often saw more idiosyncratic designs for each pub, that culminated in the glories of The Vines and the world famous Philharmonic, 'England’s most magnificent public house', which show pubs representing the apogee of the Liverpool pub. However the core of the 'typical' Liverpool pub was a facade modelled on elements of contemporary retail practice, in a very pronounced 'shop' form, usually on a corner. With windows which either reached to about waist height from the ceiling or came lower down, they were separated by simple pillars bearing painted decoration. The real wealth of Peter Walker & Son and Robert Cain & Sons was generated from hundreds of the more typical dockside, city centre and slum pubs and unlike other parts of the country where publicans were 'tied' to a particular brewery and the pub was run through tenancy, in Liverpool many pubs came to be under direct management, where a waged employee ran the pub. By the end of the century the majority of the Liverpool city pubs were directly managed and this was reflected in the built environment.

You can't beat a proper pub and thankfully Liverpool is full of them, with plenty in the city centre offering a great atmosphere, welcoming staff, and even some excellent pub grub in the right venue. A typical Liverpool pub review generally reflects a positive experience, highlighting the friendly staff, good food, lively atmosphere, and variety of drinks. Typical of this is Ye Hole in Ye Wall which, dating back to 1726, is known as the oldest pub in Liverpool. It's known for its historic charm, cozy atmosphere, and impressive real ale selection. It is this pub that we will begin with as we have a look at some of the pubs around the centre of the city of Liverpool which we will split into three sections to facilitate a pub crawl. 

see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2025/10/liverpool-pub-crawl-ye-hole-in-ye-wall.html