You can see the licensees at the time inside
A rare photo unseen for years offers a glimpse inside a now demolished Liverpool pub as it looked in the 1980s. Earlier this week, the Liverpool Echo took a look back at the now demolished Mount Vernon pub, on the border of Kensington and the edge of the city centre.
A “lovely” pub where generations of customers had “boss nights,” for decades locals and students alike headed there for a pint. Located on the corner of Mount Vernon Road and Irvine Street West, many will remember it stood out on the street for its distinctive shape.
When it was demolished in 2017, it was one of the city’s last remaining ‘flat iron’ pubs. But the pub was pulled down to make way for a billion pound development.
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The ECHO recently rediscovered photos capturing some of the final days of the Mount Venon pub and when it was reduced to rubble. But we’ve since delved deeper into our archives to find this rare photo, unseen for decades, of the pub almost 40 years ago.
In the photograph, courtesy of our archives Mirrorpix, you can see licensees Vivienne and Eddie Cooper in April 1985. Many will remember the pub here, at a time when it had recently been restored.
The image was taken to illustrate an article about journals – then more than a century old – that were found below an old bar removed during the refurbishment of Mount Vernon Hotel. A copy of the licensed Victuallers Gazette and Hotel Courier, dated September 18, 1880, probably gives a rough estimate of the age of the now lost building at that time.
Offering a glimpse into what the bar area looked like in the pub in the 80s, many will remember The Mount Vernon as it looks here. It’s now been years since the building was demolished.
Liverpool council had developed plans to create Paddington Village on neighbouring land that was once home to Archbishop Blanch school – and the Mount Vernon pub site also became part of that development. In the last seven years, a range of buildings have been completed.
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This includes the towering Spine building – home to the northern HQ of the Royal College of Physicians and the Pandemic Institute – and a new Novotel hotel. But many still remember the days of the Mount Vernon pub in the area.
ECHO readers recently since shared their memories of the lost pub on social media, with many saying it was a shame to say goodbye to it. On our Facebook page, Anna G Jane said: “Was a lovely little pub.” Jenny JGfitness Grady wrote: “Some boss nights in here.”
Rich Hughes said: “some messy nights in that gaff. Vodka Archers.” Vicki Livingstone commented: “Loved going in there after work for drinks.”
Rico WS O’Sullivan posted: “Some cracking buildings lost forever.” Ann Williams said: “My husband worked in the pub, Tommy x.”
And Peter Allan posted: “Awful shame.” In November 2017, the pub was demolished to make way for the £1bn Paddington Village development.
