{"id":630541,"date":"2025-12-13T18:15:42","date_gmt":"2025-12-13T18:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/630541\/"},"modified":"2025-12-13T18:15:42","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T18:15:42","slug":"coronation-street-pub-last-chance-to-get-pint-in-one-part-of-merseyside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/630541\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Coronation Street’ pub last chance to get pint in one part of Merseyside"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Old Bank is the latest pub to close its doors in Merseyside\"TheThe Old Bank in Page Moss(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The Old Bank pub in Page Moss is set to close and it\u2019s far from the first Merseyside pub to shut its doors this year. I decided to have a drink with the locals and ask them what they thought about it.<\/p>\n

Old Bank regular Chris Guy, 70, has dropped in for his daily visit. Chris looks after his wife, so when he comes to Page Moss<\/a> to do his shopping<\/a>, he\u2019ll pop in to The Old Bank<\/a> on his way home to say hello to everyone, have a bit of a chat and then catch the bus.<\/p>\n

Chris says: \u201cThey always make you feel welcome in here. I live in Stockbridge Village and every pub is closed down over there now. I\u2019m an ex-soldier and there\u2019s lots of old veterans that come in here and we have a conversation, and then with other people who come in, everyone seems to know each other and we\u2019ll let on and say hello.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter doing 14 years in the army, I came out and I used to be assistant manager in the Barley Mow in Stockbridge Village, and then had my own pub in Wales, so I know the game inside out and I know what the pubs are going through.<\/p>\n

\"ChrisChris Guy, 70, is a regular at The Old Bank(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce this goes it will be a crying shame, because we\u2019ve got nothing around here now, especially for people of a certain generation who rely on places like these.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Farmer\u2019s Arms has gone, The Eagle\u2019s gone, The Bluebell\u2019s gone, The Hillside\u2019s gone, everything around the area has closed down. If you look about in here now and watch the people popping in, there\u2019ll be nowhere for them to go, that they can get to, there\u2019s nowhere to have a pint around here anymore, catch-up with people and have that little bit of community connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI grew up here and when I was younger, you could walk from pub to pub to pub and enjoy yourself, but that way of life seems to be dying out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which represents more than 20,000 pubs in the UK, said it expects 378 pubs to close in in 2025, continuing a long trend resulting in approximately 15,000 pubs closures in England, Scotland and Wales since 2000.<\/p>\n

According to research commissioned by the BBPA, one in three people surveyed said they, or someone they know, have experienced increased loneliness as a direct result of losing their local pub.<\/p>\n

\"AA mural tribute to the 97 people who lost their lives in the Hillsborough disaster(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The data also shows two out of three people see pubs as \u201cvital\u201d in the fight against isolation, and highlighted how 60% are concerned about pub closures in their area, and 70% consider the pub \u201cimportant\u201d or \u201cvery important\u201d for their area\u2019s social life.<\/p>\n

Chris adds: \u201cThe landlord Linzi and the staff, I don\u2019t know how she does it to be honest. Look at what she\u2019s done here for Christmas, the parties she organises, the effort she puts in. Even now, as they\u2019re planning to close, it would be easy to give up, but they\u2019re still putting so much in, and it\u2019s for the benefit of the customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re trying to make it the best Christmas and New Year, because there\u2019s nowhere else for these to go once Christmas is over, people are going to struggle and you\u2019re not going to see these people again.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll that type of community will fade away, and it happened in Stockbridge Village when we lost The Harvester, we lost The Thatcher, we\u2019ve now lost The Ploughman and what else have we got?<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this goes, the community goes, and I mean that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"OldOld photo of The Boundary Pub on the border between Huyton and Dovecot(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Announcing its closure at the start of December<\/a>, The Old Bank\u2019s landlady, Linzi explained the decision was down to personal circumstances, posting a heartfelt message on Facebook<\/a>: \u201cEvery smile, every shared story, every toast raised in this pub has been a reminder of the power of the Huyton<\/a> community. Closing this chapter is bitter sweet for us as a family.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the doors will soon be closed, the memories of all those we have lost, the laughter, the celebrations and the quiet moments of comfort will stay with us forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are no concrete plans on what the The Old Bank building will be turned into, but there is little hope it will be retained as a pub. Naturally, there is a profound sadness about the loss of such a much-loved community hub, but also a desire to focus on the positives.<\/p>\n

Val has worked behind the bar at The Old Bank for ten years, and it\u2019s clear she has a very close connection, not just to the pub, but the customers and her colleagues.<\/p>\n

Val says: \u201cIt\u2019s a community pub, we\u2019ve seen people come and go, including those who\u2019ve sadly passed away over the years, as you see with the \u2018Memory Tree\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Val is referring to a tree at the back of the pub, which has baubles hanging on it with the names of former patrons who have now passed away.<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cThat\u2019s important because it shows respect and shows that we remember, and that people are not forgotten, and that\u2019s what this place is all about.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Memory Tree at The Old Bank which pays tribute to former regulars who have passed away(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want people to feel welcome here, because everyone can have a bad day, but coming in here, they will have people asking them if they\u2019re ok. People talk to us and we talk back, there\u2019s a bit of banter, and people feel a bit better, because we are like a family and we care for each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere\u2019s an example, which is my best and saddest memory of this place. I lost my partner Mark in March 2024, he was just 57 when he passed, and we had the wake here, and Linzi done everything for us, I couldn\u2019t have done it without her.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we come out of St Luke\u2019s Church, and pulled up outside here, all the customers were outside and they started singing \u2018That\u2019s What Friends Are For\u2019 by Dionne Warwick. That\u2019s my fondest memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen Lindsay got me this pendant, with Mark\u2019s handwriting engraved on the back, and I wear it every day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis place means an awful lot to me. I\u2019ve lived around here all my life, so I know the majority of the customers and their families, and that\u2019s why I call this place the \u2018Coronation Street pub\u2019. Lindsey would be the Bet Lynch, which tracks because she loves a bit of Leopard skin.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut seriously, when I think of this place, I think of Linzi because she does so much, she is a giver, not a taker. We\u2019ve got big plans for the Christmas and New Year and the goodbye which we\u2019re calling \u2018The Last Dance\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s for the customers, to make a memory for them, and there won\u2019t be a dry eye to be seen, including me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe Old Bank in Page Moss<\/p>\n

Addressing some of the general concerns raised about pub closures in Knowsley<\/a>, a council spokesperson told the Liverpool ECHO<\/a>: \u201cWe understand the impact of pub closures within local communities \u2013 they provide social hubs and their decline reflects changes in consumer habits and the hospitality sector nationally.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur role as a local authority is around the premises license to sell alcohol, rather than the operation of premises, but recent statutory guidance includes a focus on considering the wider economic benefits of a license application which has been welcomed by the licensing trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Knowsley, a key priority for us is to ensure there are vibrant and inclusive spaces where people can come together and we have significantly invested in our town centres to support this including the delivery of the Shakespeare North Playhouse (which has attracted and created Shakespeare-themed bars in Prescot<\/a>), along with the shop front improvement project which is helping to attract operators.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are continuing to work with our partners to encourage new investment in hospitality, leisure and community spaces that are aligned to the community\u2019s needs, with the ultimate aim of creating vibrant places for people to meet and socialise.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Old Bank will continue trading as normal until New Year\u2019s Eve when a big night of festivities are planned. An update will be shared at a later date when the Old Bank will cease operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Old Bank is the latest pub to close its doors in MerseysideThe Old Bank in Page Moss(Image:…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":630542,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[748,124933,1700,393,4884,16552,41030,179,15650,163563,11653,456,44876,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-630541","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-christmas-events","10":"tag-economy","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-great-britain","13":"tag-huyton","14":"tag-knowsley-council","15":"tag-liverpool","16":"tag-liverpool-pubs","17":"tag-page-moss","18":"tag-premium","19":"tag-real-lives","20":"tag-stockbridge-village","21":"tag-uk","22":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115713628692921690","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=630541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/630541\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/630542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=630541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=630541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=630541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}