Tina Rutter was described as a ‘charming, funny person’
Christina Rutter, better known as Tina to her close friends and family(Image: Supplied)
Tributes have been paid to a legendary Liverpool landlady who died last month. Christina Anne Rutter, known to those close to her as Tina, worked in several of Liverpool’s pubs and clubs over the years.
Tina, 72, ran The Coffee House pub in Wavertree for decades before stepping down 14 years ago. She was originally from Kensington but lived above the pub while she worked there and moved to Childwall. Paying tribute, her close friend Lily Spry, 58, who lives in New Brighton, told the ECHO she was a “salt of the earth Liverpudlian”.
Lily met Tina when she went to work at the Coffee House in the 1980s. She said Tina’s life is “interwoven into the tapestry of Liverpool’s pubs and clubs” from the 1960s onwards.
Tina had her training in the pub game at The Vines on Lime Street, one of Liverpool’s most loved pubs and known to many Scousers as The Big House.
Tina then worked in Tiffany’s nightclub where she met her husband Harry, who worked as a doorman there.
Lily said: “She had a very happy marriage of 50 years with three children. She ran quite a few different pubs. Her family is from an Irish background. She was just a perfect host and was renowned for parties she’d throw.
Tina, right, with close friend Lily Spry(Image: Supplied)
“Tina was a charming, funny person. If she met you tonight and you told her something, she’d remember it when you saw her again five years later.”
Lily said that Tina was in her element at The Coffee House, where Lily worked in the 1980s and again in the 2000s. Lily said: “When she ran the Coffee House, it was the most popular on the high street. Even on days off, we’d come in and drink together anyway. If it got busy,we’d jump behind the bar. We were like one big massive family.
“She was of the old-type, stalwart landlady of years go by, old school, when the local really was the local and the landlady knew every single thing about someone’s life.
“Before the internet, if someone hadn’t been seen, they’d make sure they were okay. She used to arrange big days out to the races. It was like one big massive extended family. There are dozens and dozens of marriages that came from people meeting in the pub.”
When Lily was getting married, she headed to Southport registry office for a low-key wedding ceremony but Tina had a surprise up her sleeve.
Lily said: “Tina and my other friends organised my entire wedding without me knowing. The wedding was supposed to be secret but they arranged for two coaches to go to Southport. When I arrived at the registry office, the stairs were lined with friends. They even got behind the bar later on when it got busy.”
Tina worked in The Coffee House, Tiffany’s and The Vines(Image: Supplied)
Tina was a true Scouser but remained close to her Irish roots too. Lily said: “Her family were Irish and she loved all things from the Emerald Isle. She was very proud of her roots and kept strong connections.
“Paddy’s Day was always a big celebration and Wild Rover being one of her favourite songs. She was always at her happiest when she could look around her and see everyone having great craic.”
Lily said Tina “passed away after a long battle with cancer which she faced incredibly bravely”.
Given Tina’s popularity, Lily is hoping for a “massive turnout” at her funeral on Monday. She said: “Tina was very well known for making people welcome. She was so hardworking. After retiring from The Coffee House, she went to work for an estate agent.
“She had such a huge personality and they really are a dying breed, people like that. She was a salt of the earth Liverpudlian without being coarse. She never raised her voice, yet she could command a presence.”
A funeral notice published in the ECHO last month said: “Tina is going to be sadly missed by her family and friends. The funeral service is to take place at Christ the King Church on Monday, January 5, 2026 at 10am, followed by a committal at Springwood Crematorium.
“Family flowers only please, if desired donations to Bowel Cancer UK. For any other information please contact Desmond L Bannon & Sons Funerals Directors, The Whitehouse, Broadgreen Road. 0151 228 2272.”