Doctor Duncan's, a historic pub on St John's Lane in Liverpool city centre, has built a reputation for its craft beer and welcoming atmosphere, but its story stretches back over 120 years. The building first opened in 1901 as the Pearl Assurance building, designed by renowned Liverpool-born architect Alfred Waterhouse.
Today, the pub is known for its characterful surroundings, selection of beers, and loyal community of regulars. General manager Kai Lye has helped shape its identity over the past three years.
From Office Jobs to Pub Management
Kai, 29, originally from London but now living in Toxteth, spoke about her journey into the pub industry. She said: "I'd always worked in offices and had a string of bad office jobs, and I just thought, 'screw this, I hate it', so I thought I'd get a pub job just to see me through until I found something else. But then it turned out I was quite good at it, so I stuck around, and I've been working in pubs for eight years now."
Her first job was at The Grange in Ealing, London, a residential pub where she learned a lot. She moved to Liverpool around four and a half years ago. When Cains started to reopen in 2022, she began working as a supervisor behind the bar at Cains Brewery, but the brewery stopped about eight months later.
Kai left the company, then returned, and was asked to move over to Duncan's, where she has been general manager ever since. She described the role as "very intimidating at first," but the company gave her everything she needed to make the pub work.
A Building Designed by Alfred Waterhouse
Kai expressed fascination with the pub's history. The building was opened in 1901 as the Pearl Assurance building, designed by Alfred Waterhouse, who also designed the Natural History Museum, Manchester Town Hall, and what is now the Radisson Red Hotel at Lime Street station.
She noted that Waterhouse, a Scouser, put a lot of effort into what is now St. John's House and the tiled room, which is the show-stopping room in the pub. That room was originally designed as the waiting room for the insurance building to demonstrate the company's wealth, and the whole room is handlaid.
At some point in the 90s, the building was split, with the upstairs becoming The Earl of St. John (where Duncan's is now) and the next-door unit. Downstairs became Rockford's, a wine bar/club. Later, the Earl of St. John and Rockford's shut, and the space was split into three units: Tso's Chinese restaurant, the rotating restaurants next door, and Dr Duncan's, which has remained.
Building a Craft Beer Reputation
When Kai started at Duncan's, it "wasn't doing very well" and was a normal run-of-the-mill pub. But she and her assistant manager, Romeo, started around the same time and were left to do their own thing. They began buying craft beer and getting the beer they wanted to drink. Over the last couple of years, they have built a name for having nice beer on tap.
The pub was named after William Henry Duncan, the UK's first Medical Health Officer. An unusual event involved wooden graduate boards on the front of the bar, donated through a scholarship programme Cains did with a school in Waterloo. Two women came in and said, "Oh, I went to that school. That's my name on the board."
Last year, during the Labour Party Conference, the Japanese ambassador Hiroshi Suzuki, who went viral for taking his Paddington Bear around everywhere, visited and posted a picture in the pub.
Community and Regulars
Kai loves that everyone in the local community is there to support each other. She said: "We get birthday cards from our locals, and they support us. If there's anything we're talking about with them and they can help, they will."
She described the pub as "a little home away from home," a comfortable space where you can choose to talk to people or sit in your corner. Despite not being in a residential area, they have a "ridiculous number of regulars."
Kai said: "We have so many people that come in that we see once a month, twice a week, every day, and they're all absolutely lovely." She added that they get people from all walks of life, including brewery workers, area managers at Tesco, and people who attach phone lines.
What Keeps People Coming Back
Kai attributes repeat visits to good beer and the warmth of the team. She said: "Everyone's very friendly, and we're always up for a chat, and we love talking about the history of the pub. We get a lot of tourists who come to the football games, so we'll get a lot of Liverpool fans that come from abroad."
The best-selling drink is Madri or Guinness, but the local bitter is also popular, currently called Skinful by Beartown, though it is about to change. Another popular option is a cask ale called Intdoctrination, a traditional pale ale.
Kai mentioned that she has had a "spooky vibe" in the cellar at night, though she doesn't believe in the supernatural. A customer once showed her a family photo with a ghostly figure on one image.
On supporting local pubs, Kai said: "Just by going out. Even if you're coming in and just buying one pint, go out, play games with your mates, talk to your local bartenders. There's a record number of pubs shutting down now because of money. You don't have to spend a million quid and have a full night out, just pop in on your way home from work and have a pint. It really does help."
