Carol Ross, landlady of the Roscoe Head on Roscoe Street, has confirmed the pub is up for sale as she prepares to retire after 50 years in the trade. The freehold is listed on Rightbiz at £885,000.
Why the pub is on the market
Ross, 67, said she felt the time was right for her and her family to give up the venue, which has been in her family for over 45 years. She took over 28 years ago and won a ten-year battle to buy the pub in 2020.
Speaking to the ECHO, she said: “I am 67 years old this year and have given most of my life to the various pubs and the Roscoe Head, 50 years in total. I have given this my all.”
“I have to retire sometime, and I feel the time is right for my family and me. I will be very sad to leave and will miss all my customers, most of whom have become very good friends.”
A pub with a proud history
Ross said she wanted to “go out on a high” after the pub was recently named among the UK’s best by Time Out and voted the tenth best pub in Britain. It is one of only five pubs still listed in the Good Beer Guide, and the only one in the North.
Her parents, Nicky and Margaret Joyce, first took over the pub in 1981 when there was “no roof on the toilet, and it was outdoors”. The pub first opened in the 1830s, with origins dating back to the 1700s.
Plans for the building
The sale is being handled by Licensed Trade Associates, which notes that planning permission was recently obtained to convert the first and second floors into six Airbnb furnished rooms. The pub itself consists of a main bar, two small rooms and a tiny snug, retaining many traditional elements.
Ross previously told the ECHO: “Without a shadow of a doubt, the pub is known for its beer, always has been. It’s 50 years this year since we first got into the Beer Guide in 1974.”
She added: “It’s not just me though - it’s my mum and dad before me, it's been in our family for 42 years and before that it was the previous owners for eight years. But it feels good.”
The Roscoe Head is located at 24 Roscoe St, Liverpool L1 2SX.
