Review

Down-to-earth and full of rowdy scousers, this former 19th Century ship's chandlers is named after the great shipping company: The White Star Line, which operated over 120 ships and had existed for 89 years until it merged to form the Cunard Steamship Company in 1934. The walls in The White Star are not covered in pictures of The Beatles, unlike other pubs and bars in the so-called 'Cavern Quarter', preferring pictures of The White Star Line's ships. The main picture on the wall depicts The White Star Line's most infamous ship: Titanic.

Behind the etched windows, which look in from the pedestrianised Rainford Gardens, this is a typical antiquated pub with lots of original fittings. The horseshoe-shaped bar is surrounded by an iron footrest and overlooks the large, single booth at the front of the pub. The glass-rack above the bar is suspended from the pressed-paper ceiling by twisted copper columns, and the cornice of the pub is pure Victoriana. The most unique feature in the pub are the radiators, on which the iron is sculptured into ornate columns and figurines. The floor in The White Star is an original tiled masterpiece, and the brass light fittings in the window resemble Alien eggs.

Due to the number of prostitutes working in Liverpool in the second half of the last century, most pubs disallowed single women; consequently, ladies' toilets weren't provided. The upstairs ladies' toilets in The White Star have only been available for about fifteen years! Beyond the central staircase is the quiet and innocuous back room, the highlight of which are the nameplates of The Beatles on the chairs - the pub's only concession to the Fab Four (apart from the cabaret version of Michelle, which graced the pub with its dulcet tones).

A plethora of plaques outside The White Star denote its eagerness to twin itself with every other pub in the world. There are two pubs in Norway that are twinned with The White Star, one in Oslo, the other in Telemark, and there's a third pub in Prague that was twinned during the 1996 European Championships.

Review by mr_psm