MONS memories

FORMER REGULARS RECALL MUCH-LOVED PUB IN ITS HEYDAY

- By PAUL MCAULEY

SITTING on the corner of Breeze Hill is a pub caught between nostalgia and possibility.

Thousands pass The Mons each week, and for many, the now closed and boarded up pub means much more than brick, glass and railings.

It is a place where generations have crossed paths: dock workers unwinding after long shifts, families celebrating milestones, friends dancing the night away, and, like Annee Woods, lovers locking eyes for the first time.

The 70-year-old, from Bootle but living in Melling, met husband, Jerry, at The Mons "many moons ago", but this isn’t the only reason she cherishes the space.

The former social worker told the ECHO: “We started going to The Mons when we were just kids. I was about 14 the first time I went. We would spend our nights at the youth club until my cousin Carol and I were told about The Mons by my older brother, Ged.

"We finished a sponsored walk during the day for my school, the old Maghull Grammar School, and then we decided that was the day we would grab something to eat, go home, get ready and head out. It was a Sunday, and we were all in our gladrags. It was amazing inside; so glamorous, and you were inside this massive hall. It just blew us away. It became a regular spot for us.

"We always got a lemonade each and danced the night away. No matter the day, The Mons was always open for you - there was always a dinner dance happening.”