Little city pub with the biggest heart is set to celebrate special centenary

It’s the little pub with the big heart, and Coopers Town House is set to mark a special anniversary.

It’s 100 years since the pioneering woman who gave Coopers its name took over the pumps.

And owner Jonathan Yates reckons that’s something worth celebrating.

“I genuinely can’t think of a comparable anniversary that you can make in any other pub in Liverpool,” he says. 

“When I took over last year, it was always in my head that this was something we would celebrate. It’s something special to mark.”

Jonathan adds: “There aren’t many pubs or businesses that can look back on the history that we have.”

Coopers Town House, tucked away in Cases Street next to Clayton Square, is something of an institution in Liverpool, and it was a woman called Ada Cooper who started the story when she took over not Coopers, but what was then known as The Sefton.

The Liverpool Record Office has only two licensees listed for The Sefton, Ada Wilson (wife of Jon Wilson) and then, in 1925, Ada Cooper, whose licence was endorsed on January 16.

And such was the love for Ada Cooper from her customers that they quickly began referring to their favourite watering hole as Coopers.

“Ada Cooper was something else,” says Jonathan, who also owns The Book in West Derby. “This is a long way back in time, a few years after World War I, and the world was adapting to a new normal.

“And here was plucky Ada Cooper, a rare female licensee back then, taking over what was to become an iconic location. If only she could see her legacy 100 years on.”

It was in the 1980s when Clayton Square was being created that the pub, surrounded by building work and amid the development of free houses, struggled. 

To counter this, in 1985 brewers Tetley Walker revamped the place to look like a free house and changed the name to Coopers, taking the story back to Ada herself – and while times were still difficult, they were soon to change. 

In 1987, John Hedges, a tenant of Tetley Walker who successfully ran the Empire in Hanover Street, was asked to take over an additional tenancy to preserve the licence.

With the only custom coming from building workers John put on live music with a traditional Irish folk band on Sundays to encourage trade. And its fortunes changed again.

Once Clayton Square opened in 1989, John sold his Empire tenancy and moved to Coopers with his wife Maria – who Jonathan took over from – to create a fully-fledged music venue. For the last 35 years Ada’s legacy and John’s reimagining have created a city pub legend.

“Coopers was the first pub to offer seven-day entertainment, and to develop a huge social media presence,” says Jonathan. “In so many ways we haven’t changed, but yet we’re not afraid to embrace new things.

“It’s a phenomenal place. Because of its size, you only need six or seven people in to get an atmosphere, and the staff are always there with a warm welcome, ready to listen and lend an ear. People can escape here – there’s a phrase about being Coopered. People come in for one drink – and leave hours later!

“That’s easy for me to say but it takes effort.  The team deserves the praise – because they create a community.”

Maria Azzopardi has worked at Coopers for 29 years, the last 13 as manager – husband Steve Keegan looks after the entertainment and has been there since 1992 – and says: “Coopers is one of those places where we treat everyone the same. It doesn’t matter if you come in in a tuxedo or your work gear, if you’ve got a fiver in your pocket or you’re a millionaire.

“There’s something about it.  We have a real mix of people and ages, and you can have all the cares in the world, as we all do at times, but if you come in with a heavy heart, you’ll go out smiling.

“You can come in on your own or with other people, but you’ll always have someone to talk to. I’m 63 now, when I retire I want to sit here and write my memoirs, there are lots of stories to tell.”

She adds: “This year is a big year for us, and Ada Cooper was a big deal. I know how hard it is to run a pub, imagine what it was like for her as a woman on her own then.  There was only one other woman who did it and that was Ma Egerton.”

To celebrate the centenary of Ada Cooper, Coopers is unveiling a plaque commissioned from Wirral artist Emma Rodgers to commemorate the occasion and look ahead to the next century. It will be unveiled by Coopers fan Jonny Bongo at 3pm on Thursday, January 16, and there will be a surprise guest artist there from 4pm.

The weekend of celebrations continues with surprise guest performances embodying the spirit and energy of Coopers on Friday and Saturday, January 17 and 18, at 5pm; then on Tuesday, January 21, Wasted Heroes are setting up a screen print in the back room for an hour at 3pm, with a bespoke design for people to make their own t-shirts in a centenary giveaway.

There’s even going to be a party for the pensioners who go in on Wednesday, January 22: “That’s our way of giving something back,” says Maria. “They’re the ones who help keep Coopers going. So we’re showing our appreciation.”

Jonathan adds: “We have been thinking about this centenary for a long time, and we’re going to enjoy all of the celebrations.

“Coopers has been thriving for a long time, and it’s going to outlast all of us.

“We are taking forward part of the city’s heritage, and that’s something I’m really proud of.”

For more info on Coopers Town House click here.

For more features from The Guide Liverpool click here.