13 Rice Street
City Centre
Liverpool
L1 9BB
0151 709 4171
Traditional Town Pub, 2* Heritage Pub
The Cracke is one of those Liverpool pubs full of stories that are based on fact but have evolved over the years into urban myths. The pub started life as the Ruthin Castle in 1852 in a cottage on Rice Street, and at the time consisted of just the one room (photo 1). This is now the historic front bar with its copper topped counter and space for only 10 people (photo 3). Its small size led to the pub being dubbed “Ye Cracke” and by 1892 this had become its official name.
A few years after opening the pub was extended at the back in to create an additional two rooms. One was the main bar with a separate bar counter and fittings from the 1960s or 70s (photo 6). The other is the “War Office”, a tiny snug created by glazed wooden screens with fixed seating and space for only one table (photo 2). The name dates from the Boer War in the 1890s when the room was used to post news and host discussions about the conflict.
Beatles John Lennon and early bass player Stuart Sutcliffe were students at the nearby art college and often went to the Cracke after (or instead of) lectures. Sometimes the War Office was used for tutorials with John and Stuart by enlightened arts teacher Arthur Ballard. But maybe the best John Lennon and Cracke story is about the evening he spent here with future wife Cynthia before heading off to Stuart Sutcliffe’s nearby flat for their first night of love. There is assorted John Lennon memorabilia in the pub but my favourite is the tounge-in-cheek blue plaque on an outside wall (photo 5).
As the etched windows on the doorway shows, the pub was once supplied by local brewer Houldings (photo 4), and owner John Houlding was central to another Merseyside legend. Everton FC fell out with Houlding over the rent he was charging for their football ground, and when they left he founded Liverpool FC.
The Cracke has a colourful history, but what is the pub like today? It’s a popular drinkers pub serving three changing cask beers from all over the UK. The pub has an old Bass lantern hanging outside and in July 2024 Draught Bass was reintroduced. This may well become a regular beer.
As well as the rooms mentioned above, the pub has a newer large room next to the main bar which has drawings and photos of old Liverpool, and a painting of a battle, which may be Waterloo. Outside is a pleasant paved beer garden, one of the few to be found in Central Liverpool.
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