This week’s Pub Corner puts the spotlight on The Sandon as Ryan Paton met general manager Daniel Claeys
General manager of The Sandon, Daniel Claeys, spoke to the ECHO about what it’s like to run the pub (Image: Liverpool Echo)
As soon as you walk into The Sandon, it’s obvious you have entered a place of rich Merseyside heritage. A pub is a sacred place because it’s where the great ideas are discussed and brought to life.
And few establishments can boast as rich a history as this 19th century building on Oakfield Road – the very place where John Houlding founded Liverpool FC in 1892. This status as the birthplace of the Reds has made The Sandon a pilgrimage destination for people from all over the world and thousands made the journey this weekend for Liverpool’s first home game of the new season.
In this latest edition of Pub Corner, the ECHO sat down with Daniel Claeys, The Sandon’s general manager, to put the spotlight on the pub’s unique story and the pivotal role it has played in shaping the city’s identity. The 42-year-old took on the role 18 months ago when he wasn’t a huge football fan.
But the incredible story behind this building and the passion it inspires within its patrons means he is now firmly converted. He told the ECHO: “My background was in hospitality running hotels and I took a break. My friend [Kate Stewart], who had the pub before, offered me the chance to get involved 18 months ago. And it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. I wasn’t that interested in football. But now I’m obsessed.
“It’s an electric atmosphere that you can’t explain unless you come here on a match day. It’s like a separate bit of Anfield stadium, a stone’s throw away.”
Not many pubs also feel like you’re in a museum, but Daniel points to the actual pub corner where Mr Houlding signed the documents in 1892 that founded the Reds as a reason that makes this place feel so different. He said: “That’s the table and chair where he sat, so it’s easy for people to come, see it and have a picture taken.
“Being the birthplace of LFC, it’s got a true meaning to Liverpool fans from all over the world. We have fans from every point of the world you could imagine that come here on matchday. It’s special to see how much it means to everyone.”
While the pub is now known for its association with Liverpool FC, it also played a significant role in the story of Everton as it was previously the Blues headquarters and where the team got changed for matches when they played at Anfield in the 1880s.
John Houlding was a brewer, who first opened The Sandon in 1870 as an outlet to sell his beers.
Interest in football was taking hold across the nation during this time and Mr Houlding became keenly involved in St Domingo’s, who used to play at Stanley Park. That team became Everton in 1879 and the businessman suggested they play their games at the field near his pub when new regulations, enforced by the football league, stipulated clubs had to move to an enclosed ground so games could be ticketed.
What happened next is now ingrained into the fabric of the city as a subsequent rent dispute prompted Everton to move away from Anfield and Mr Houlding set up another team to fill his empty stadium. A disagreement over rent has grown into something much more powerful as Liverpool’s status as a two club city is a defining feature of our region’s identity.
Daniel is proud to be a part of such an important piece of Liverpool’s story as he said: “I’m not a bar guy. I love a pub, especially an old man’s pub. With how much history this has got ingrained in it, [it makes it special].
He added: “We’ve got people coming in from all over the world and they’re coming in with the same love and passion that anyone else does. And it’s because of the love they’ve got for LFC. You can feel it in the air. It’s like a home from home. Some of these people will only ever go to one game and it’s on their tick list to come here.”
On a non matchday, The Sandon operates a function room and a wake was being held in another area of the pub on the day the ECHO visited. The strong attachment people forge with the pub means The Sandon is regularly chosen by families to bid a final farewell to a loved one and this is a responsibility Daniel takes seriously.
He said: “I take it on board massively and I do make sure a funeral is a celebration of life and every detail is done to a tee. We do a lot of funerals but it’s only because it’s where people want to end [their journey]. Especially if they’re a Red. I’m honoured and I’m touched people would trust me to do that for them.”
Daniel also never takes for granted the importance people place on the pub, as he said: “There was a guy who was terminally ill. We got reached out to by a hospice because it was one thing on his bucket list to [go to a game]. LFC kindly donated him some tickets. But on the list was also to come the Sandon. He couldn’t get anywhere unless he was in an ambulance. [His story] really got to me.”
People bring heart to a pub and this is why The Sandon remains a focal point in the community 156 years after opening. The walls inside the front of the pub are adorned with memorabilia provided by Liverpool fan Ernie Ashley and Danny is grateful for how he has been embraced by the Sandon community since he joined the pub.
He told the ECHO: “The way the regulars have taken me in has been amazing. When I started, I think they thought I was going to change everything, but I’m in WhatsApp groups with them now and become mates with them.
“I’m on first name terms with a lot of people here and it’s quite hard because there’s that many people. But they’ve just welcomed me with open arms, which is so nice and I’ll never forget that.”
Daniel was in contact with regulars in the week leading up to yesterday’s first home game and was excited to welcome them back into the pub. He said: “I can actually tell you where they sit and where they stand. Stan and his mates sit at the second table next to the stage. There’s a guy who comes who looks a bit like a Viking. I do tell him that. And he stands to the right of the chalet.
“If I want to go and let on to them, I’ll know where they are. I know where they all are. They have their own spots and won’t let anyone else go there, but I’m all for it.”
But it’s not just the matchgoing supporters that develop a connection with The Sandon as the pub’s association with Liverpool FC means fans from all over the world feel like a regular before they have even stepped through the door. He said: “It’s nuts. I went to a LFC fan festival in Norway about two weeks ago. I was representing The Sandon. I gave some fella a t-shirt and he burst out crying. He had tears in his eyes and I was just like, ‘Wow’. People are obsessed with it and I absolutely love it.”
Daniel said it’s important to channel the attention the pub gets as the birthplace of LFC into something that matters into the surrounding area. During the ECHO’s visit, the final touches were being made for a charity fundraiser to supply 300 children from underprivileged families with brand new school uniforms.
He said: “We’ve got a responsibility to do stuff like that. We’re such a big business in the area. We have to help people. You’ve got to look after the people that are struggling.”
From a base for Everton in the 1880s to briefly becoming a cinema in the 1980s, The Sandon has had many faces throughout its history. But it now wears its colours firmly on its sleeve as the outside was recently refurbished to be painted Liverpool red.
Daniel is excited to take this historic building, where the city changed forever, into the next chapter as he said: “Last year I was settling in, this year I am going all out.”
