“It’s just a sea of people from 9pm until around midnight – it doesn’t end”
Inside the venue at 11pm(Image: christopher megrath)
A city centre Wetherspoons shifts from a typical chain pub by day to becoming one of the area’s busiest bars by night. While students dominate the Concert Square nightlife scene, a long-standing cornerstone continues to draw them in just as much as the big clubs.
Most of us know The Lime Kiln as your typical pub for a pint and bite to eat. To students, it’s a cheap start to the night with giant mirror balls, dance anthems and hundreds of people. During Freshers week, it’s almost impossible to move inside.
Jenny Edwards, 37, from West Derby, has been with the company for more than 18 years, overseeing venues across the region. Four years ago, she took on the challenge of managing The Lime Kiln to see what it truly takes to run such a major venue.
Jenny told the ECHO: “I always thought it was a nice pub. I applied for it and I was a bit nervous because I know how busy it can be.”
“Busy” is an understatement because The Lime Kiln is packed with hundreds of customers as soon as 9pm rolls around. When the DJ arrives to play his set – a rarity in the company – the neon lights shine and “Disco Spoons” comes to life.
The queue to get in stretches down the street(Image: Matthew Fletcher)
Jenny said: “The capacity is 966 and we basically nearly fill that every night. It’s crazy. It’s just a sea of people from 9pm until around midnight. It doesn’t end.”
Disco Spoons is one of the very few sites across the country to play music. The atmosphere and lighting, not to mention the giant mirror ball suspended in the air, make the name all the more fitting.
Jenny added: “People know us as Disco Spoons. The only people who call it The Lime Kiln will be (how it’s known to) our day-time customers. I don’t think most students actually know us as anything else.
“All the staff love [the music]. When they’re not working they’re in having a drink and enjoying themselves. Everyone has a good time but it can get exhausting.”
Jenny Edwards at the Lime Kiln(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Despite customers as far as the eye can see from the bar, staff also have to juggle mobile orders and running plates to tables. The Wetherspoons app remains active throughout the night no matter the capacity, with almost every table in the building active.
Jenny said: “We have a structured team and put loads of staff on during events like Freshers so everyone can be served quicker. The majority of tables are still on until we close and you get people ordering food and drinks all night through the app.
“So, when the venue is at max capacity and you see how busy it gets, we’re still making our way through the crowd to give people their drinks.”
Although the task at hand may seem daunting, the energy keeps staff on their toes. Jenny added: “You kind of get into the swing of things when the music is playing and everyone’s having a good time. It’s hard not to.
Jenny Edwards (centre) and the team at the Lime Kiln(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“It’s still a lot of work and you’re non-stop sometimes but it’s not actually as stressful as it might look. Everyone is out to have a good time and you can feel that behind the bar, too.”
Despite the crazy nightlife, The Lime Kiln boasts a close-knit community of regulars who call in during the day.
Jenny added: “There are people who come in all the time just to sit and have tea or talk.
“It’s completely different during the day. We get a lot of older regulars and families but once 9pm hits it’s totally different. That’s when the students take over.”