Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Having been in lockdown for ages I have been searching for ideas for a bit of research. The latest for study has been the Custom House. The subject noted above is the title of a painting by Atkinson Grimshaw and I think it is held in the Walker Art Gallery. We have just a small print and also have maps from the time. In spite of searching the internet street directory that is available and the Grimshaw web site I have been unable to find when this picture was painted and the street number of the wine, spirit and ale shop depicted on the opposite corner of what I think must be Canning Place. If anyone knows the painting and can answer these questions I would welcome their help; and did the corner shop/pub have a name.

Thanks. Peter

Hello Peter, very glad to hear from you, is this the correct painting?

The Compass & Anchor was at 1 Canning Place, on the corner with Strand Street. (Luke Warren in 1894)

Apparently the painting was 1886.

retiringtype and bert - thanks for your notes; it is good to see that you are both still about and continuing to beaver away for us. The print of the custom house has been on the wall for some 25 years but it is only now that I have discovered that it shows the Compass and Anchor. I had always thought that I was looking for a traditional pub; to find it was a substantial inn came as a complete surprise. When my great grandfather James Wilson married his third wife Mary Close she was the proprietor. To the best of my knowledge they left some 2 - 3 years after they married in 1875. The date on the press cutting is not clear; could I have it again please. I think they moved to a premises in Byrom Street and then to the Coach and Horses at 51 Scotland Road. Again I have been looking for a traditional pub but it may be that this was a substantial inn also. Perhaps no surprise that I was unable to find much in the old pub photographs.
You know that any info you can find for me about their adventures would be most welcome.

Thanks and do keep safe and well during the current crisis.

Peter

The newspaper cutting is from February 1884. The lease had commenced in 1880.

It's not an uncommon print, in fact I believe I have a small one of the same, and also a couple of others of the area. If you are interested I can scan and post for you to see, but I do feel you may have seen them around anyway.

Hello Mary

Thanks for the offer. We have the Custom House looking North and Dockside at Liverpool 1886 in addition to the 'looking North. Would love to see anything else.

Any idea how I might find a picture of the Coach & Horses or at least find how substantial the place was?

Peter

Try the Engineer's photographs at the Record Office https://liverpool.gov.uk/libraries/arch ... y-history/

Alternatively there are a number of Facebook Groups where people hold a lot of photographs and if they have what you are looking for they are happy to share.

Gores directories may list it under different headings and so give clues about whether there were rooms and perhaps the where the coaches went to from there.

I have a copy of a ‘City of Liverpool Licensing report Book’ for 1909. It shows that the Compass and Anchor, 1 Canning Place, had two entrances to that street and one to Strand Street. An annotation shows it traded until 1932. It was managed for Mellor & Co, brewers. It had535 sq ft licensed drinking space and 5 rooms for domestic purposes.

The same book has no No.51 Scotland Road, and I could not see a Coach & Horses among the dozens listed for Scottie Road.

Hope this helps.
D

Various directories,

51 Scotland Rd,
1881, Richard Richmond, Spirit Vaults
1894, Jas Stanton, Wine and Spirit Vault.
1900, William Henderson, Victualler.
1911, Furniture dealer

1906 map, corner of Bevington Bush and Scotland Rd, above arrow on map.

I only have Volume 4 of A Pub on Every Corner, Freddy O'Connor (2001) but it seems that this should have been the one to give any information or photographs, if there had been one. Unfortunately no photograph was listed but under the heading of "Other pubs on the West Side of Scotland Road"

51. Globe, pre-1840's, later a BH and Brewer and, from the 1880's the Coach and Horses, junction of Edgar Street/Bevington Bush. Listed to a furniture dealer 1912.
Police Report 1892: The back door of the shop adjoining opens into the yard of the public house, the backyard of which opens into an enclosed entry, into which the back doors of four private houses open. When the entry door is closed the police have no access to the rear of the licensed premises.

Sorry these scans may not be very good, I didn't want to take them out of their frames so I did the best I could. Thanks for these to our forum member VicMar1 who gifted them to me. I don't know the names of them either.

Number 2,



Number 3,

Shipping on the Clyde,

I hadn't realised one of them wasn't Liverpool

I haven't found painting 1, the other 2, though similar, there's a good game of spot the difference to be had.

https://www.wikiart.org/en/john-atkinson-grimshaw

The two domes in 1 make me wonder

Not the same but also has 2 domes, Humber Docks, Hull.

Ohhhhh!!! well fingers crossed I still have two of Liverpool

Daggers, Bert & Mary - Many thanks for all the bits and pieces. Plenty to get the teeth into. Peter