Historic pubs recognised with listed status - Expert Comment
Famous Liverpool pub "The Phil" has become the first Victorian purpose-built English pub to be given Grade I listed status by Historic England. Ten other historic pubs have had their heritage status upgraded following recent inspections to include further information about their important historic interiors.
Professor Beat Kümin, who studies the history and role of inns, taverns and alehouses, said:
"This upgrading of historic public houses is very welcome. As hubs of social exchange and service centres they have played a towering role in towns and villages for centuries.
"The Phil in Liverpool dates from a period of great urban and industrial expansion and dazzles with its elaborate furnishings.
"Abroad, of course, the 'pub' is almost synonymous with English conviviality and here greater official recognition helps to support landlords at a time when they face stiff competition and multiple challenges.
"It is particularly pleasing to see drinking houses from different regions and periods included in today's announcement from Historic England, as the hospitality trade underwent countless transformations since the Middle Ages: from medieval pilgrimage hostels via early modern alehouses to the coaching inns of the eighteenth century.
"Now the challenge is to strike the right balance between preservation and further evolution of premises to keep them vibrant and relevant for the future."
7 February 2020