Peter Kavanaghs Public House is situated in Egerton Street,
Toxteth close to Upper Parliament Street. The pub was built in the nineteenth
century and was taken over by Peter Kavanagh in the 1890s and he named it, 'The
Grapes'. The layout is a typical northern one of a drinking lobby with rooms at
the front and rear of the building, both are served from doorways to the
servery and have remained virtually unaltered. Situated at the end of a terrace
of houses dating from 1840, the pub, originally 2 Egerton Street, was rebuilt
in c.1877 and has a cream and burgundy tiled façade added in c.1920.
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| Peter Kavanagh's, Egerton Street, L 8 ©Jelles Ffonk |
In 1927 the Rialto ballroom opened nearby on Upper
Parliament Street, with no alcohol on sale its customers would head off to the
Grapes, this increase in trade for the pub meant that in 1929 Peter Kavanagh
was able to buy the pub on a 99 year lease from Liverpool council. He drew up
plans for exterior and interior alterations to the pub and subsequently added,
number 4 Egerton Street, initially as a beer store. In 1964 he altered it to
make a new lounge bar, with a servery being installed; also new ladies and
gents toilets were added. The pub was carefully extended into 6 Egerton Street
in 1977 when the lounge bar servery was removed to insert a staircase giving
access to the new trading area. The alterations however have not impacted on
the 1929 scheme. Peter Kavanagh was licensee from 1897 until his death in 1950
and at 53 years service this makes him one of the longest serving licensees in
the country. He was also a successful businessman, designer and alderman.
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| Peter Kavanagh's, Egerton Street, L 8 ©Jelles Ffonk |
The pub features murals by Edinburgh born artist Eric
Robertson (1887-1941), which were painted in 1929 when Peter Kavanagh was
altering the pub, one based on scenes from Dickens for the front room and
another based on the work of Hogarth for the rear room. The eleven feet long
one in the front ‘Pickwick Room’ is a variation on a scene from Pickwick Papers
and the thirteen feet wide one encapsulating several scenes, all of which
depict some form of drinking and merriment and has led to the name of ‘Hogarth
Room’. Also in the front room is a mural
being a variation of the Tony Weller ejects Mr Stiggins scene from ‘The
Posthumous papers of The Pickwick Club’ and two other murals situated either
side of the fireplace. A door at each end of the servery provides service to
drinkers in each snug. The pub features an amazing collection of bric-a-brac including
old radios, model cars an old alligator skin and even a bicycle.
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| Peter Kavanghs ©Barchick |
Pubs
come and go and many have disappeared from the Liverpool landscape forever, but
having survived 162 Years Peter Kavanaghs is likely to be around for a long
time yet
Robert F Edwards
