It is set to reopen as a new concept
The Peacock on Seel Street, Liverpool city centre, 2008(Image: TRINITY MIRROR COPYRIGHT/REACH CONTENT ARCHIVE)
A Liverpool city centre pub that was “effortlessly trendy” has shut its doors – however it is not all bad news. For around 20 years, Seel Street’s Peacock, which forms part of St Peter’s Square, has been a go to place for nearby office workers, students and more.
The venue opened back in the 00s, but earlier this week, the Liverpool ECHO reported how the site as we knew it has closed, but that it is preparing to reopen in the coming weeks as a new concept. Instead, customers will soon head to 49-51 Seel Street to find the Crooked Crown.
Throughout the years, the Peacock hosted various student-themed nights and was also known for being a budget-friendly night out, offering cheap drinks and a lively atmosphere. As the building is about to begin a new chapter, we wanted to take a look at life at Peacock in its early days.
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Back in 2008, Liverpool ECHO reporter Greg O’Keeffe visits the then new Peacock bar in the city’s “clubland quarter.” On October 21 that year, he said: “The latest addition to the quietly-thriving St Peter’s Square area of Liverpool had been gossiped about for months.
“Ever since the scaffolding went up I’d heard the new venue was going to be everything from a straight-forward third Heebie Jeebies, to a new club (turns out that was half right, the owners are opening a new club further down Seel Street soon). So when The Peacock opened with little fuss or fanfare and turned out to be a relatively normal bar there was a chance some people were going to feel vaguely under-whelmed.
Inside Peacock on Seel Street, 2008(Image: TRINITY MIRROR COPYRIGHT/REACH CONTENT ARCHIVE)
“But as with all the best bars, it’s that lack of pretension or gimmicks which actually bodes well for the Seel Street venue. From day one it acquired a trendy word-of-mouth vibe which meant The Peacock was pleasantly brimming with a varied crowd – from laid-back, cool types to older drinkers when I popped in for a few beers one Saturday.”
Many customers will remember the first time they visited Peacock and in its early days one of the “main pulls” of the venue was the “superb music.” Greg continued: “And, as with everything else in the bar, the music rotation wasn’t trying too hard to be cool.
“It just was. It’s that effortless trendiness which spreads to the friendly staff and certainly greets you on the first floor bar where drinkers are swathed in red and black light.
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“The walls are tastefully decorated with a cityscape image of Liverpool at sunset on one side of the room and St Peter’s Square from the other. It’s what you’d see if the windows weren’t blacked out. I’m not quite sure why this works but it does.”
Brilliant photos, courtesy of our archive, capture what Peacock looked like in its early days. From the décor to the bar and seating areas, many customers will remember the site as it looks here.
Back in 2008, designer Alfie Torres said they wanted the venue to be a place where “everyone is welcome.” He previously told the ECHO: “The Peacock isn’t a cocktail bar – we are a pub, a boozer.
This is how the venue looked in early days(Image: TRINITY MIRROR COPYRIGHT/REACH CONTENT ARCHIVE)
“You won’t get any VIP sections here. We do happen to make amazing, flavourful, interesting cocktails, though.
“The Peacock is sort of modelled on London city centre boozers I’ve drunk in and enjoyed but with its own unique Liverpool bits. Ever since I’ve been coming to Liverpool six years ago, the greatest thing is that you can go into a nice bar and see a scally in a track suit next to an older fella, then there’ll be a girl in a silk dress with immaculate hair, and then a student.
“Everyone’s welcome and it’s open to all. That’s how we want it here.”
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In its early days, customers could enjoy everything from draft and bottle beers for £2.40 and a small cocktail menu with drinks starting at £4.50. There were also £5 pizzas made in a pizza oven imported from Italy.
Set in an exposed brick bar complete with armchairs and wooden benches, Peacock has long been a rite of passage thousands of students who call Liverpool home or nearby office workers heading there for a drink or a dance. And while it is the end of an era for Peacock, the space is preparing to reopen in the coming weeks as a new concept known as the Crooked Crown.
Many memories were made here(Image: TRINITY MIRROR COPYRIGHT/REACH CONTENT ARCHIVE)
The ECHO will be bringing you all the details about the new venue as and when possible including a first look. Philip Gillesipe, from JSM’s Pub Invest Group, the company that owns the venue alongside the likes of McCooley’s and Victoria Street’s Heaven, told the ECHO: “After 20 years and some brilliant nights here, we’ve decided to close the doors on Peacock.
“We are opening up again with a new look, reflecting the changing hospitality scene in the city. Many people will have brilliant memories of Peacock from the last few decades but we’re excited about the new venue Crooked Crown and the possibility of making new ones there.”