Landlady Marie Woods, 74, has been the face of The Rose of Mossley in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, for 37 years. The pub, which celebrates its 100th birthday this year, has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities under her tenure.
Woods took over the pub 37 years ago with her late husband Paul, who passed away 14 years ago. She previously helped run her parents' pub, The Halfway House in Kensington, for 10 years.
A Century of Community Service
The Rose of Mossley, on Rose Lane, was rebuilt in the 1920s and reopened around 1926, though some records suggest it could have been as late as 1930. The original pub on the site, the Railway Inn, dates back to at least 1900, run by Alexander Wood with Thomas Hughes as manager.
Woods recalled: "We went to the archives and found so many amazing pictures of the pub. It was a bit overwhelming to see all the people who owned the pub before me. It looked like a tea room."
From Bowling Green to Dining Room
When Woods first arrived, the pub had "big glass windows and roundabout doors," and her dining room was once a bowling green. She introduced Sunday night bands, which remain a talking point among regulars.
"In the first year, both Paul and I said, 'Should we do a charity night?' We begged, stealed and borrowed, and raised lots of money," she said. "Every August bank holiday we've done one. When my Paul passed away, I stopped doing it for about two years. Then we decided to start it again, and for the last 14 years we've raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities."
Characters and Regulars
The pub hosts a chess club with 15 members, a golf society, two football teams, and weekly bingo run by "Bingo Brian," which is "always absolutely chocker." A group of regulars known as "the bus drivers" have a plaque for their corner seats, even though only two are actual bus drivers.
Woods noted: "They've all got their own seats they like. We have a corner called the podium crowd because when we first came here, there was a big podium in the middle of the room."
Famous Faces and a Ghostly Presence
Notable guests have included comedian Ken Dodd, Stan Boardman, Pauline Daniels, and former Liverpool footballers Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman, and Sammy Lee, who still visits with his family. "The customers never interfere with him. He comes in and has a drink, and they just go, 'Hi Sammy,' and that's it," Woods said.
The pub is also said to be haunted by a little girl who died of consumption. "When Paul was alive, he saw her one morning. She is described as wearing a tabard. We've had mediums come in who have also felt her presence," Woods said. "One of our girls came in last Friday and said to me, 'Marie, I've just seen a little girl in the toilets.'"
Community Spirit and Challenges
Woods described the community as a "village" where everyone knows each other. "I've seen all the young kids from four or five, and now they're in their 30s with their own children, and they still come to the pub," she said.
On supporting the pub, she said: "The way that the country is going at the moment it's hard because the prices of everything have gone up. I'm a tenant, so I've got a big rent, and I hate passing that onto the customers. We do well with the food, so I try to keep prices as low as I can."
