New businesses are opening on Liverpool's Regent Road, a street once packed with dockers and pubs, as owners report a change in fortunes despite continuing challenges.
In its heyday, the pubs on Regent Road were full of dockers streaming in their thousands from the northern dock system. That began to change in the late 1900s as the shipping industry evolved, jobs were lost and people moved away, leading to many once-bustling pubs standing empty for years.
River & Roads Cafe and Bistro
Nicola Russell, owner of River & Roads Cafe and Bistro, told the ECHO: "I worked on the dock for 18 years, so I got to know a lot of people. A lot of lorry drivers didn't have a place to go overnight. So I decided to open this place for them, and they all come here of a night."
Much of her custom comes from workers at the S. Norton and Co metal scrapyard, food products supplier Cargill and Bulk Powder Terminals. Nicola, 51, said: "A lot of the lorry drivers park around here overnight, so they finish at about six o'clock. They all come in for their tea of a night. A lot of them don't drink, so they'll only have a soft drink or a shandy."
Nicola previously worked as a freight operations advisor at the now closed P&O Ferries freight and import storage yard. She said: "River & Roads is just somewhere they can go and speak to people, because it's a lonely job being a lorry driver. They can come in and connect with us. We all have the time to speak to them, have a conversation with them, and make them feel welcome."
The Bluehouse and Hot Wok
Just down the road, Ben Carberry co-owns the Bluehouse with his business partner Paul Brown, and also has shares in the takeaway next door, Hot Wok. Having previously operated the two firms near Goodison Park, Ben moved his businesses to Everton FC's new home before work had even begun on the stadium.
Despite only being open since the start of Everton's first season at the Hill Dickinson, the bar has become more than just a matchday drinking spot. Ben said: "It can be chaotic, but it's enjoyable. It's just become a little bit mad for us, the way that we've got the matchdays, which has got one room layout, and we've got three weddings booked in next year, numerous parties, for which then we have to flip from being a matchday venue to a more suitable events venue. It's just constant work in there."
Ben added: "We've got more of an input in what's happening in the area, because we get to meet people from Environmental Health and things like that, that are trying to improve the area a lot more when they're calling in."
Historical significance and ongoing issues
Regent Road, often called the Dock Road, became hugely important from the 1850s onwards as the city's docks grew in significance for the country's trading relationships. From the end of the 19th century it was full of warehouses, shipping offices and pubs, but as the docks declined towards the end of the 20th century, the area changed significantly, with warehouses and other buildings lying derelict until regeneration efforts like the Titanic hotel.
Tom Helm, owner of T&L Autos, one of the longest serving businesses, said those furthest away from the new stadium are forgotten about. He said: "The constant spillages of oil affecting this area up to Millers Bridge, Derby Road. No one cares. We've got to do a two-mile detour because of oil spillages from the big companies."
"Every other week, there's a spillage. As far as Regent Road is concerned, this bit doesn't exist."
On July 20, the ECHO reported lane closures on Derby Road. At the time, a Sefton Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of a hazard on the highway on Balliol Road. There are lane closures on Derby Road and eastbound road closure of Millers Bridge. We encourage motorists to find alternative routes through Bootle until the carriageway is cleared. We have dispatched our specialist cleansing teams to remove all materials to ensure the road is safe to reopen as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, just off Regent Road in the Sandon Industrial Estate is the food manufacturer Eccelso, open since 2010. Hugh Roberts, 69, who works there, remembers visiting the area during its heyday. He said: "When I was a kid, I remember the wagons, like the big long wagons full of big bales of cotton. We used to go around and pinch it for a bit of rag doll. I remember all the ships in the docks, you could go from different ship to ship."
"I remember dad used to work at the docks, there were 40,000 dockers, and it was packed. You could tell they were dockers by their dirty flat caps, raincoats and pushbikes. I remember the docks being booming, absolutely packed."
