Two new pubs connected by a shared courtyard opened in Liverpool last week.
The Engineer and The White Hart are on Arrad and Hope Street respectively, and both arrived with interesting themes. The Engineer opts for a mid-20th century aesthetic whereas The White Hart describes itself as a "Dickensian snug pub". On paper, they could sound like your usual flash-in-the-pan quirky newcomers but they're so much more.
I popped by The White Hart no later than 5.30pm on a Thursday to see a fully seated venue with numerous patrons standing along the perimeter. My first thought was how deeply rich, luxurious and cosy it felt. Daylight photos do the venue no justice though. It may be the addition of the crowds but you immediately want to find a spot in the corner and relax for hours with a pint in hand.
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Because of how busy it was, I was forced through the garden area and into the sister venue, The Engineer, where I was finally able to find a seat. The aesthetics are night and day as you'll hop from blood-red interiors to cold blues, metal and period trinkets. If you were to directly compare them, The White Hart has far more personality and draw. But that's not to say The Engineer isn't a beast of its own.
8 photos of The White Hart pub
Everywhere you look are antiques, trinkets and throwaway items you'd expect to see in a car boot sale. It drives home the sense of a pub locked in time but that may be due to the majority of the building remaining untouched for decades. I've no way to prove they are original features but it'd be remarkable forward planning to specifically install cracked tiles and holes in the floor.
Something that stood out to me was the clientele. There wasn't a single defining trend. Both venues were packed with students, couples, varied ages and an array of fashions. You can get sick of the same faces in your local but the venues had a constant turnover of interesting people.
7 photos of Liverpool's eerie new apocalyptic pub The Engineer
As time went by I was able to have a pint in both venues and eventually retreat to the indoor garden area. Patrons can easily make a night of bar crawling between the three as they stand strong as individual venues (although is it great they share such easy and accessible connections).
The only downside is they're not more central, and that's purely selfish. I never have a reason to be in the Hope Street area and therefore may not call in as much as I'd like. However, The Engineer and The White Hart have me hooked and I can't wait to be back.
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