July 2008 Archives

NO POOL. NO JUKE BOX. NO FRUIT MACHINE. NO FOOD.

To put such a sign at a pub entrance could be considered the commercial equivalent of placing a shotgun under the chin and blasting your brains out.

But there it is in gilt capitals on a bold red sign outside The Volunteer Canteen pub, in Waterloo. There is a post-script underneath which emphasises that there is PLENTY of good traditional beer to be had.

And, indeed, there is at this marvellous little boozer tucked away in Waterloo, a convenient goalie's drop kick away from the station one way, with the balmy sand dunes t'uther.

ONCE in a while, the Pub Column stumbles on an alehouse with which it immediately falls in love, a traditional British local where good ale and conversation are the watch words.

And its discovery was all thanks to faithful PC companion Lady Penelope of Pensby, who has a knack of being able to track down some of the best boozers in her Wirral homeland.

Indeed, no sooner had the information "Find quintessential ye olde pub" been punched into her data banks, we were off in FAB 1 to arrive soon afterwards in the ancient village of Greasby and the Coach and Horses pub.

Now, when we say ye olde, we mean very ye olde.

AS THE rest of Liverpool city centre reinvents itself, on Knight Street one place is unearthing its past and keeping hold of it.

The Grapes pub has been a favourite for some time, and especially since it was taken over by husband and wife team Anna Slater and Paul Agoro, in February, 2003.

Anna, originally from Herne Hill, sarf London, and Liverpool lad Paul, decided to take the plunge and move into the pub business after returning from a stint as teachers of English in the Chilean city of Iquique.