Head to the Roscoe if you can when the pubs are open again
THE Roscoe Head in Liverpool is one of only five pubs to appear in all 45 editions of Camra’s Good Beer Guide, and is the only one in the north of England, writes Neville Grundy.
It is situated in a small side street on the edge of Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter and is less than 10 minutes’ walk from Central Station.
There are four rooms: the main bar as you enter, two cosy lounges and a tiny snug.
It is largely unaltered, and has been run by the same family for more than 35 years.
There are six hand pumps serving two regular real ales, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord and Tetley Bitter, and three or four guests, which on my visit were Empire White Lion, Big Bog Blonde Bach and George
Wright Citra, available in third of a pint measures if you prefer.
The four beers I tried were in good form.
Available on fonts were craft Shipyard American Pale Ale and Old Rosie Cider.
They offer traditional lunch time snacks, a quiz night on Tuesdays, and a cribbage night on those Wednesdays when the pub team is playing at home.
There is no jukebox or fruit machine – this is a friendly pub suited to conversation, and I found myself chatting to several strangers at the bar.
Children are welcome in one room during the day, but not dogs.
A couple of years ago, the pub was taken over by New River, a property company known for redeveloping pubs, and the landlady Carol Ross led a spirited “Save The Roscoe” campaign that resulted in a well-attended demo in the street outside and a petition that gained 2273 signatures. Happily it remains open and thriving.
Facilities include a few seats outside to the front, free Wi-Fi, a Facebook page and a website, www.roscoehead. co.uk. Address: 24 Roscoe Street, Liverpool, L1 2SX. Tel: 0151 709 4365.
This pub is a fine example of a well-run local near the city centre, and well worth a visit when you’re next in town.
This article first appeared in November 2017.
Unfortunately, the future of this pub is uncertain yet again, despite the success of the campaign referred to in the original article.
The Southport and West Lancs Camra website is at: www.southport.camra.org. uk.
For previous Camra articles in this paper, go to tinyurl. com/vis-pubs.