LIVERPOOL’S unique pub culture will be celebrated in a special Capital of Culture project.

Dozens of the city’s public houses are being asked to play their part in 2008 by take part in Around the City in 80 Pubs.

The project aims to explore and promote those things which make Liverpool pubs so special, including their architecture, traditions, music, games, food – and, of course, beer.

Landlords across the city are being urged to get involved.

Pubs which register their interest in the project will be featured in a brochure due to be launched in April.

It will kick-start a five-month programme of activity, culminating in September with a two-week festival to coinciding with the Camra Real Ale Festival and the city’s Heritage Open Days.

Council leader Warren Bradley, who is also deputy chairman of the Culture Company, said: “Liverpool is renowned the world over for the character and hospitality of its pubs – they’re an integral part of the city’s heritage.

“Our year as Capital of Culture will be a great time to celebrate pub culture and highlight the integral role pubs play within their communities.

“It’s also an opportunity to look at how pubs have evolved to cater to new tastes and appeal to new audiences, so there’s plenty of room for rap and karaoke as well as darts and real ale.”

Organisers are keen to ensure a wide geographical spread for the project, so applications are encouraged from suburban pubs along with city centre venues.

catherinejones@liverpoolecho.co.uk

80 pubs in 5 months, about 4 a week. Thats a challenge but I'll be up for that:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

It's a great idea Kev! I remember doing something like that down in Kent when in the Army, The pubs all had printed cards of their Pub Signs, which you could obtain from the bar, after ordering a drink, and we had to see just how many cards we could collect. I managed about 20!! but that was after two weeks!!! Perhaps the organisers could arrange something similar!:Smiliz_Kingz_PDT_13

I picked up a flyer for this last night, the full programme will be made available in April.

I heard somebody say that Prescot has more pubs per square mile than any other town in england, I know it does have a lot from my own memory, what a great title to hold if its true..... just thinking it may have more pubs per head of population, however thats still a good title, anyone got any solid info

It may be by per head of population Shoney as I seem to remember a drunks behaving badly type documentary and it was based on Nottingham city centre and it was claimed that they have more pubs than anyone and the chief of police was bemoaning the fact the council's licencing committee were taken to court over refusing one on a 'need' basis and lost which opened the floodgates for more.

Here's another bit of (useless?) information about Prescot.
It was one of the few places in Victorian times that didn't have a theatre, or even a music hall, which is why the quite recent claim that it had a theatre in Elizabethan times is IMHO more wishful thinking than fact.

Liverpool's legendary public houses are throwing open their doors in September for a unique, two-week celebration of the city's pubs and pub culture.

'Around the City in 80 Pubs' is a new festival for 2008, co-ordinated by the Liverpool Culture Company. It aims to explore and promote those things which make Scouse pubs so special - architecture, tradition, music, games, food - and, of course - beer!

Look out for a special brochure about the history of Liverpool pubs, coming in April.

Pubs who would like to get involved in the knees-up should contact Ian Jukes at the Liverpool Culture Company on 0151 233 6394.

'Around The City in 80 Pubs' comes to Liverpool on 19 September. Watch this space for more details.

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Kev, I hope this is included,The Vines must be one of the best looking pubs from the outside in Liverpool, I`ve never been inside it.

I have been i loads of times during the 1990s. Nice building.

I've been in 7 just today. The Vines (Big House), pictured above, was once run by boxer Alan Rudkin and the black fella Big Jake used to work the doors when we used to go. The back room is massive and had big paintings on the wall, worthy of the Walker Art Gallery. They'd stamp your hand if you went the bog cos you'd have to go outside to the corridor in the main pub. Passed there today in fact, great memories, great pub, an ornate Victorian Gin palace, and these days Gregs dad, you wouldn't be too old yourself to take a tipple as it's mainly over 40s on the friday karaoke night with many looking at least twice that age ;) - especially the women.

Pity the beer is rubbish in there.

Mind, we have probably the best collection of pubs in the country. And we have a load which serve very good ale as well, and loads of them are in the city centre.

I've been in 7 just today. The Vines (Big House), pictured above, was once run by boxer Alan Rudkin and the black fella Big Jake used to work the doors when we used to go. The back room is massive and had big paintings on the wall, worthy of the Walker Art Gallery. They'd stamp your hand if you went the bog cos you'd have to go outside to the corridor in the main pub. Passed there today in fact, great memories, great pub, an ornate Victorian Gin palace, and these days Gregs dad, you wouldn't be too old yourself to take a tipple as it's mainly over 40s on the friday karaoke night with many looking at least twice that age ;) - especially the women.

I remember a couple of years ago,there was a story in the"Echo", that one of those paintings was sold at auction,for about £25,000!:shock:

I await with interest the list of pubs which will be participating. For an non-scouse who actually visits the Liverpool pubs ona regular basis it will be great to see which non city centre pubs are on the list. My favourites at the moment are the Baltic Fleet (understated but wonderful beer) and The White Star - just 2 from a long list.

About 30 years or more ago someone had the idea of a charity pub crawl. The suggested route was from the Dingle, finishing in O'Connors on Hardman St. Nobody thought to count the pubs until it was all set up and the organisers travelled the route leaving stamps behind that the crawlers would get on their cards when they visited. There were 19!
Very, very few got a full card stamped. Wouldn't surprise me to find some are still trying to complete the route.

O'Connor's was the first pub in the city I was taken to as a raw youth from the north end. I remember there was someone spouting poetry in the corner (Brian Patten?) and someone tried to sell me weed in the bogs! I was quite impressed.

I guess the Philharmonic, Ye Cracke (before they wrecked it) and Peter Kavanagh's will feature large in the route. All three regular haunts of mine when I lived in L8. Kavanagh's was a wonderful place when poor John Meakin was mine host.