Mapping Memory by National Museums Liverpool

Transcript for Dennis Pyper

Dennis: "Yes, The Custom House on the corner of Mersey Street and Canning Place. It was run by Nelly Flannigan, well known in the city and to everybody and all the licensees and they called her the Duchess of Canning Place. What a name! Fantastic."

Interviewer: "You said she was well known, why was she well known?."

Dennis: "Well, she was a character, she really was. If she didn’t like you you wouldn’t get served. It’s as simple as that, you wouldn’t get served. The first time I actually entered this place, even though I did eventually go in there later, because we originally drank in the Flying Dutchmen and now and again we’d venture over to The Custom House. I got a pint, looked at it and there was a fly in the top. So I say ‘excuse me there’s a fly in my beer’, she said ‘OK’ and just pours it out and then tops it up! So that was the last pint I had in there for a couple of months; I was rather annoyed at the time."