Oldest pub’s roof destroyed in fire
THE thatched roof of the region’s oldest pub was destroyed by a fire. The Scotch Piper, a 700-yearold hostelry on Southport Road in Lydiate, went up in flames at about 3.30pm on Tuesday.
Fire crews were called to the scene and battled the flames for around four hours before bringing it under control at around 7.30pm.
Firefighters used an hydraulic lift to shoot water down into the thatched roof. No one was injured.
Roy Copplestone, bar manager at The Scotch Piper, was the first to discover the fire.
He described what happened, saying: “Basically I left the pub out of the back door, going to fetch a barrel of beer to change the barrel over.
“I noticed the thatch was on fire around the chimney stack.
“I alerted two members of the public to phone the fire brigade, then scaled onto roof.
“The two gentlemen passed a bucket up to me and I tried to control the fire until the fire brigade arrived.”
Jamie Green, premises supervisor at The Scotch Piper, said he only took over a few weeks ago after the previous licensee left.
The owners of the Scotch Piper, pub chain Admiral Taverns, said they were aware of the fire and that members of the public had been evacuated.
It is understood that the thatch itself was destroyed in the blaze but the building, which has been there since 1320, and the roof structure was saved.
The Scotch Piper is thought to have been first used as a pub in the 15th century and has survived many fires before, including one fairly recently.
As well as its traditional roof and whitewashed walls, it is also famous for its real ales, featuring in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide, and in 2015 was named Liverpool CAMRA’s Community Pub of the Year.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue said: “We were called at 3.25pm and crews were alerted 54 seconds later. They were on scene at 3.33pm.
“Three fire engines have attended the incident, together with a Combined Platform Ladder.
“The fire involved a thatched roof, approximately 25 x 5 metres in size.”