Eric's

Lock yourself away for a few hours, with a pint of ale or a bottle of German beer in one of the old cells at The Bridewell. A relatively new venture from some of the city’s favourite publicans, this pub is here to stay and provides a great place to go for a beer whenever you’re in town, whether you want to sit in the cells with a quiet pint during the afternoon, or come for the busier evenings and weekends with a big group of mates.

The Vibe

What we like best about The Bridewell in this current incarnation (and we hope they stay here for many years to come) is the fact that it is extremely friendly and run like a ‘proper’ local. The team behind the new Bridewell will be well-known to pub-goers and real ale drinkers in the city, having been in charge of popular city centre pubs Thomas Rigby’s and The Fly in the Loaf for many years in the past. Now, they are focusing on creating a prime, city centre location into the local you don’t expect to see in town. There is a wide range of beers (both on cask and bottled), wine, gin, rum, and cocktails.

It doesn’t take long before all the staff know your name and what you’re preferred drink is (and this is nothing to do with how often we frequent the establishment!). There is something great about receiving a handshake from the landlord whenever you enter a pub. It is only a little thing, but it helps you to feel part of things, and more likely to come back with friends and family, and to recommend to others. We certainly do with The Bridewell, and the fact that you can sit in a cell, with the original brickwork and cell doors in place to add to the novelty, adds to the wonder of a visit. It is also a pub where you can watch all the top Premier League and European matches in the football, as well as big rugby matches in both codes. There are television screens in some of the cells and in the main room at the bar. 

The History

The building itself is unforgettable, an old Bridewell that was originally built around 1864 and was used for cells that covered the marine area of Liverpool. The prison cells were used as a place to give overnight stays to the thieves, vagabonds, and prostitutes who would frequent this part of the city. A magical and haunting venue for a pub, The Bridewell was an active police station until the 1930s, and was then a prison for conscientious objectors during the Second World War. Later on, it became a recording and rehearsal space for Liverpool musicians, such as Frankie Goes to Hollywood, in the 1980s. The Grade-II listed building was also once visited by Charles Dickens, with a plaque outside dedicated to this visit. In recent years the building has been home to pubs, restaurants, and speakeasy-style cocktail bars, but it feels completely at home as a good old-fashioned pub with a friendly team behind it, and more importantly a good selection of beers.  

The Price

After a period of testing out different prices for the cask beer on offer, all the real ale on offer is now priced at £3.30 a pint, which is about average for the better city centre pubs. The extensive range of German bottled beer is priced at the £5.50 mark, and they also have quite a few low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beers that only cost around the £2.50 mark.