Caledonia saved!

The Caledonia, Catharine Street, Liverpool

Great news: it looks as though people power has triumphed for a change. As I reported on 28 April, Admiral Taverns sold the Caledonia pub in Liverpool without any warning that it was up for sale, giving Laura King, the licensee, 28 days' notice to give up her job and home. This prompted a petition which has been signed by more than 3000 people, and steps were taken to register the pub as an ACV, an Asset of Community Value.

However, the new owner, who still wishes to remain anonymous - am I being too anxious in finding this slightly worrying? - has renegotiated the terms, agreeing the pub can stay open with Laura still in charge for five years, with an option to stay indefinitely. The pub has operated continuously as licensed premises since 1838, and was a dead-end dive until Laura took it over in 2010. By sheer hard work, she has completely turned it around and it has become well-known, not just for decent beer, but also as a music venue; it was even shortlisted for live music venue of the year at the inaugural Liverpool Music Awards last November.

You'll find more information on the Liverpool Confidential website. Looking back at a few of my recent posts about pubs and breweries, it's nice to be able to write something positive for a change.