It might not yet feel like Spring, but the team at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church have re-opened their garden bar and café and are crossing their fingers for sunshine.
After their launch in 2020, the site has been growing in popularity, celebrating every summer in the skeleton of one of Liverpool’s best loved landmarks.
Dan Simpson, the manager of the bar and café in the gardens, said: “The weather is something we are constantly monitoring. At this point we should probably start our own weather app, we have that many on our phones.
However he remained confident that if the sun does ever appear, Liverpudlians will flock to one of the biggest beer gardens in the city.
“The response since we opened in 2020 has been fantastic, with last year being no different,” he said.
“We knew we had a unique and beautiful space to work with and we’re always delighted to see so many people in the gardens enjoying themselves. It’s always been a prime meeting spot in Liverpool, and in the summer months there’s nowhere quite like it.”
St Luke’s has been known locally as ‘The bombed out church’ since being targeted by the Nazis in 1941 leaving it with no roof. The lack of overhead coverage means the elements bring a range of unique obstacles for the site.
“We are an entirely outdoor venue so the weather makes or breaks us. If it’s decent, everybody’s happy. If not, there are occasions when we simply cannot open. Guiding our way through this can be tricky particularly when we have events scheduled, or on key dates.
We don’t have running water on site either, so simple things like glass washing, ice, hot drinks, toilets etc have to be outsourced at expense. We’re always on the lookout for new cost effective, environmentally friendly procedures. Everything is done with consideration for our neighbours who have been fantastic and very supportive.”
Dan spoke on the role of the community in the running of the venue:
“The whole site has had a mini makeover, with special attention paid to the gardens. Our new gardener Charlie is doing a great job. We’ve just had our annual beer festival which was a great success. Maker’s Market continues once per month as do the ever popular record fairs, and we’ve just hosted our first ever Americana music night taking place under a marquee inside the church.”
There’s an art installation going on this week which will be open to the public for free between 23 April – 3 May. Other events taking place at St Luke’s this summer include an open air cinema, theatre, poetry readings and jazz nights.
Anyone hoping to attend St Luke’s in the winter months will be left disappointed as their reliance on good weather is the chief reason the venue only opens in the spring and summer.
“We have looked at this but the costs are astronomical and not sustainable. We opened for the whole of December with a marquee in the gardens but the appetite wasn’t there. There are so many great pubs and watering holes in the area too that are blessed with roofs. We do open for one off events in the colder months but we know we’re a summer bar deep down.”
