The Vines pub on Lime Street has fully reopened after a section of its ornate ceiling fell onto customers. The incident happened shortly before 6pm on Thursday, August 27, when a two-metre stretch of coving collapsed into the lounge bar area.
Customers inside described hearing an “almighty crash” as the ceiling came down. One woman told the Liverpool ECHO she had just sat down with her drink when she heard the loud noise. “The girl on the next table kind of moved back, and then there was this almighty crash, and the ceiling fell. Two of the girls were sat underneath it and they got hit. Everyone jumped up and knocked all the drinks over. Glasses were smashed. It was wild,” she said.
“When you look up, it all looks like it's about to fall apart. There's cracks everywhere and peeling and stuff.”
Customers moved after collapse
The affected area was closed off following the incident and customers were moved to another part of the pub. One of the women struck by falling material was left with marks and bruising to her back.
The Vines has now issued an update on the condition of the building, saying the damage was “not as bad as first feared”.
Pub says damage 'not as bad as first feared'
A spokesperson said: “A heavy ornate two-metre stretch of coving fell, but the rest of the ceiling and ornate plasterwork has been secured and made safe. The section of coving that came away will be replaced in consultation with heritage experts. All areas of The Vines are back open to the public.”
Following the incident, a spokesperson said the pub was “very upset” that an “important element” of the coving in the lounge bar had collapsed into a public area. They said: “Fortunately no one was significantly hurt. We will investigate why this happened. Possibly due to water ingress that wasn’t clearly evident. We don’t know the exact cause but are working to preserve the heritage ceiling and protect the public. The majority of The Vines remains open.”
