WHILST SOME DEFINE THE WORD CALEDONIA AS A POETIC NAME FOR SCOTLAND, TO THE PEOPLE OF LIVERPOOL IT IS THEIR LOCAL PUB.

Not just any pub mind you, forget the predisposed thoughts of any chain pub you have ever visited. The Caledonia recently flooded the tabloids with its plea to survive and in the process captured the hearts of over 3000 people. Residents of Liverpool grouped together in a collective effort to spread the word and jot down their Hancock’s in an endeavour to keep the pub pulling pints. In a situation not too dissimilar to Mello Mello, the rising rates of non-independent businesses was nearly detrimental to the local that Liverpudlians love so dearly. Due to the response, Caledonia was saved and is currently the only alehouse that truly defines ‘the people’s pub’. If it wasn’t for every signature submitted, every article published or every radio broadcast, the brick’s in the wall would belong to someone else rather than the people who return there day after day.

Known as “The Cali” to their most avid of fans, it was a self-professed tatty and unloved mess when it was taken over by Laura. She has transformed a derelict building, empty of admiration and hope into a place where people can love and a place where the proper pub folks can call home. Despite all the qualms of losing the venue, The Caledonia stands stronger than ever and people of Liverpool visit it a lot more now out of sheer appreciation. The range of emotions one goes through after almost losing the place to it being confirmed that it was safe is quite hard to articulate. We cannot muster up any combination of text that would honour the hard work the people of Liverpool put in to reserve one of Liverpool’s best pubs. This write up is not just an appreciation of one of the most amazing places Liverpool has to offer, it is not just a profile to raise awareness for you to go down there soon, it is also a thank you and a token of admiration for the people of Liverpool whom collectively fought to keep this place going.

I think we can all agree that the sense of community is scarce in the modern world. Although current technology was designed to bring us closer together, it has sadly and ironically pushed us further away. The Caledonia is successful in revitalising that lost concept of community with its awesome ale and dead good music. If drinking a pint of real ale whilst listening to the likes of Folk, Roots, Jazz and Country is your thing, Caledonia is your next watering hole. It is the kind of the place where the string of the guitar, the strum of the banjo and the echo of the accordion takes over your body. You will find even the most timid of visitor in the corner tapping their feet to the beat, the more confident person banging their hands against the table and the regular who has miraculously simulated a seemingly regular table spoon into a contribution of the performance. It is a hard decision to either watch the artists perform or watch the locals revel in their delectation. Due to the fact Caledonia is now a free-house, they put supporting local producers and brewers at the forefront of what they do.

[text above from http://independent-liverpool.co.uk/profile/the-caledonia/]