Coopers Town House is a true Liverpool institution which proudly reaches a very special centenary on Thursday January 16th, opening up a full weekend of celebrations.
Little has changed over the years and decades in the red-daubed venue tucked away in the city centre. It’s quite possibly the Liverpool institution, known as a sanctuary for those seeking escapism, a place of community and continuity, with many regulars and fascinating characters, but equally new faces are always welcomed.
It all started when Ada Cooper became the licensee on January 16th 1925, which is displayed on a plaque next to the bar. And as part of the centenary, local artist Emma Rodgers has been commissioned to create a new plaque to go alongside the old one in the venue and look ahead to the next century. It will be unveiled at 3pm on Thursday 16th January by Coopers fan Jonny Bongo, with a surprise guest artist from 4pm.
The weekend of celebrations continues with surprise guest performances embodying the spirit and energy of Coopers on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th at 5.00pm. Then on Tuesday 21st, Wasted Heroes are setting up a screen print in the back room for an hour at 3.00pm, with a bespoke design for people to make their own t-shirts in a centenary giveaway. And finally, there’s the Pensioner’s party on Wednesday 22nd January.
Jonathan Yates, co-owner of The Book in West Derby, has recently taken over Coopers with a promise not to change the venue’s heart and soul. He says:
“It’s a cliché to say this, but you never really own a pub like Coopers. You are essentially the latest custodian of this fabulous place, because the pub was here long before any of us. In the last 18 months we’ve decorated the front, invested in the cellar, the upholstery, the air-con and more, but made sure that the people, the staff, the entertainers and the customers don’t change. It’s the people who make Coopers, they always have and we can’t wait to celebrate with them over four fantastic days in January.”
It was Ada Cooper, born in 1870, who started the story, when she took over not Coopers but what was then known as The Sefton a whole century ago. Incredibly, Ada had re-married to Robert Cooper on Jan 5th 1925 and took his surname – and just 11 days later she was granted the license. The patrons swiftly adopted Ada’s surname rather than the official title for their beloved watering hole – an affectionate, Scouse way of showing their love for Ada, taking over what was to become one of the city’s most iconic locations. If she could only see her legacy now, a hundred years on.
Fast-forward to the 1980s, and from Ada’s original stewardship The Sefton continued to see great trade. During this decade, Tetley Walker was part of Allied Breweries and dominated the pub scene in Liverpool having acquired pubs through the acquisitions of Tetley’s, Walkers, Ind Coope and Allsopp’s. Prior to the 80s, pubs in Liverpool were mainly brewery-owned but this period saw the rapid development of free houses. To counter this, in 1985 The Sefton was developed to look like a free house by the brewery and the name was changed to Coopers, bringing the story back to Ada herself. But the concept initially failed; when much of Cases Street was demolished in 1986 to make way for the Clayton Square development, the remaining section opposite Central Station effectively became isolated from the city centre for the next three years, adjoining a huge building site. So the first iteration of Coopers struggled.
Then in late 1987, John Hodges, a tenant of Tetley Walker who successfully ran the Empire in Hanover Street, was asked to take an additional tenancy at Coopers rent free to preserve the licence. John’s plan was to develop Coopers as a music-themed pub, and unite the community in the area together in the new-look area. This was his masterstroke.
Once Clayton Square opened in 1989, John recognised the opportunity that this high footfall provided. And as a result, he sold his tenancy in the Empire to concentrate on developing Coopers as a unique music venue and moved into the pub with his wife, Maria and family. Here the legend of Coopers as a fully-fledged music venue was born. And for the last 35 years, Ada’s legacy and John’s inspired re-imagining of Coopers has helped create this enduring legend.
Jonathan adds:
“From the moment I became the latest custodian, the centenary of Ada Cooper becoming the landlady here was firmly in our plans. Coopers was first described to me as the little pub with the big heart and since Ada Cooper’s day, the closeness and bonding remains over 100 years later. At the same time, Coopers isn’t a relic to a bygone era; the last couple of years we’ve developed the social media presence of Coopers. The pub evolves to stay relevant, but never strays from its roots.”
You can follow Coopers on Instagram @cooperstownhouse
