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The Old Tavern’s manager Tommy Powell serves customers(Image: Colin Lane\/Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\nOne customer told the ECHO that the neighbourhood pub pours ‘the best pint’ in the area<\/p>\n
09:27, 19 Jul 2025Updated 11:09, 19 Jul 2025<\/p>\n
The Old Tavern’s manager Tommy Powell serves customers(Image: Colin Lane\/Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n
Adam Marnell comes from a family of publicans. \u201cMy auntie used to run The Arkles up in Anfield. My dad\u2019s uncle had three or four bars in town – he had The Lisbon at one point,” he explains, adding: “I think it\u2019s always been there and was an itch I had to scratch.”<\/p>\n
And he did. Founding The Old Tavern on Prescot<\/a> Road, Old Swan during the coronavirus pandemic, Adam says that the bar offers “something different” to an area which is dominated by pub chains such as Greene King and Wetherspoon. Sat in his pub, which he owns with business partner Bob, Adam spoke to the ECHO<\/a> about the venue’s origins and what makes it unique.<\/p>\n Just after 2pm on a Tuesday, there’s already a few customers enjoying an afternoon pint courtesy of The Old Tavern’s manager Tommy Powell, who’s behind the bar, in conversation with the daytime crowd. One shouts out that the pub pours “the best pint in the Swan,” adding: “They go down very well. The more the merrier!”<\/p>\n The Old Tavern first opened its doors in the months after lockdown, in the same unit that previously operated as a real ale bar called The Ale House.<\/p>\n Opening a bar at a time when the industry was on its knees came with obvious risks, but Adam says the local response was encouraging from the outset, adding: “It was tough, but we had a lot of people in. Because it\u2019s something a bit different to the likes of the Masons, The Black Horse and Wetherspoon, I think it\u2019s become a bit of a niche in Old Swan – something a bit different.”<\/p>\n That niche has been carved out with a blend of quality drinks, regular entertainment and a conscious decision to make the venue more inclusive. Adam said: “We play live music every Friday and every other Saturday. We\u2019ve brought a quiz in now, on a Tuesday. It\u2019s going from strength to strength really.<\/p>\n “We also cater more toward the female sector than the other pubs, I would say – cocktails, wines, spirits.” He jokes: “A husband can come with his wife and she\u2019ll be happy to sit there and have a drink.”<\/p>\n Adam, a project manager by trade, hadn\u2019t always planned to go into hospitality, but says he saw an opportunity to bring something new to the area. He said: “We were looking at areas outside of town. We thought it\u2019d be nicer to bring something to an area that hasn\u2019t got something like this.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1752959061_159_0_The-Old-Tavern-in-Old-Swan-Photo-by-Colin-Lane.jpg\")
The Old Tavern(Image: Colin Lane\/Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n