The iconic Fox & Goose pub in Southport has celebrated its first birthday since it reopened!
One of the North West’s most historic nightspots was transformed through a substantial investment before reopening in July 2021.
But it was very nearly lost and converted into flats, with plans for the scheme submitted to Sefton Council, before it was bought by a successful local businessman who was determined to save one of the seaside resort’s favourite nightspots.
The Fox & Goose pub, on Cable Street in Southport town centre, has been visited by generations of people enjoying nights out ever since it first opened in the 1850s.
Successful local businessman Hasan Akdeniz last year led its conversion into an exciting new venue which can be enjoyed both during daytime and night-time, with lots of different rooms for people to explore, both inside and outside.
The ground floor is a superb new night-time venue with the town’s most colourful, neon-squared dancefloor; outside is an attractive beer garden area where visitors can relax and enjoy the town’s first ever shisha bar; while upstairs is a Games Room where people can play pool, table tennis, darts, or play some classic arcade games.
There is even a cloakroom available, where all belongings are safe with full CCTV coverage for £1.
The venue has been so successful that preparations are now being made to open the new BB’s Bar close by, on 20 Nevill Street – in Southport town centre – watch this space! It will be a wine and cocktail bar.
Fox & Goose Supervisor Beth Humphries said: “The first year of reopening the Fox & Goose has been really good!
“We have managed to get through the Covid pandemic in one piece and now things are just getting better and better.
“The weekends do really well, but we are often busy during the week too. It is a real fun pub now, helped by local DJ Paul Tasker.
“There is nothing like this place in Southport, when the coloured dance floor is packed with people doing the Macarena! It is like one big disco every weekend!
“We are busy during the daytime throughout the week too, thanks to everything we have got upstairs.
“We have got pool tables, table tennis, all of the old fashioned arcade games, darts, a boxing machine, and more.
“It is busy upstairs during the day, but is often full during the evenings too.
“People can just go upstairs and chill out if they feel like it. There is nothing else in Southport like it.
“Sometimes you’ll see the boyfriends heading upstairs to play pool while their girlfriends are together downstairs partying!”
During the summer months, lots of people are enjoying soaking up the sunshine as they sit outside too – although it’s still a well-kept secret in Southport.
Beth said: “A lot of people still don’t know that we have a really good outdoor beer garden at the back of the Fox & Goose!
“We are bringing the shisha back soon, which was really popular last year.
“I just love this place, but a lot of people still don’t know that this is here.
“There is just something for everyone, with an outdoor beer garden, a pub downstairs, and a games room upstairs.”
The Fox & Goose is becoming increasingly busy for the functions and parties that it stages.
Beth said: “The kids’ parties are doing really well now, they are so busy.
“We sometimes have a hundred kids in here, enjoying playing on the bouncy castle, playing party games, and everything else we have here for them.
“We are now getting people asking us if they can rent it out for kids’ parties, which we are always happy to do.”
The Fox & Goose is a very welcoming venue to everyone in the local community.
The pub has been staging special nights to welcome people from various countries, who have come to make Southport their home.
Beth said: “We host Romanian nights here, Latvian nights, Polish nights and others.
“They are really busy, they are so good.
“They all come here to get a chance to hear their own music being played on a night out, and to meet other people who have also come to Southport from their country. It is just a massive party for them. It is like one big family when everyone is in here.
“We want to organise more of these nights soon.
“We are a very multicultural team here though. I am English; the owner, Hasan, is Turkish; Bianca is Romanian; and Barbara is Hungarian.
“It is just so varied. The four of us are like family.
“We would like to say a big thank you to all our customers for supporting us during our first year!”
- The Fox & Goose is at 8 Cable Street, just off Nevill Street, Southport town centre. Phone 07436 846898. Please Like the Fox & Goose page on Facebook.
Do you have a story for Stand Up For Southport? Please message Andrew Brown via Facebook here or email me at: mediaandrewbrown@gmail.com
