The Albert and the Lion

JD Wetherspoons are set to open another of it outlets this time in Central Blackpool practically next to and under the iconic Blackpool tower.

The Albert and the Lion will be its second pub in the resort after The Auctioneer which is sited in Lytham Road South Shore.

Conversion work is now well underway and they hope to have the old Pricebusters building which sits on the corner of Adelaide Street West and the Promenade right in the shadow of the Tower open and trading by Friday July 2nd 2010.

Around £60,000 is being invested into the conversion and 40 jobs will be created in the town. As with most Wetherspoons pubs it will have one bar and be juke box and music free with strategically placed plasma screens sited around the seating areas for the viewing of sports and other hi profile events.

As with most Wetherspoon pubs this will be children friendly and will offer the usual competitively priced dining options and drinks. No doubt they will also continue their tradition of supporting the real ale industry by offering guest beers at various promotions through the year.

The siting of new pubs in Blackpool town centre has of the last few years been subject to strict regulatory checks due to an imposed saturation policy. Blackpool is seen as the party capital of the UK and as such as a huge influx of visitors over weekends through the year looking to party in the numerous pubs and clubs that litter the centre of the resort. Sadly some of these visitors do not exhibit their best behaviour and some pubs and clubs were seen to be exacerbating the problem by offerings cut price drinks promotions and the like which only fuelled the bad behaviour. This behaviour was impacting upon the traditional family trade in the resort who were staying away from the centre of town over weekend periods when the Stags and Hens and party offering was in town. The council then employed a saturation policy to ensure any further applications for licensed premises could be scrutinized and conditions set.

Wetherspoons of course present a family offering and as such are to be welcomed into the centre of the town where they can provide a much needed family dining option.

Finally it has always puzzled me as to how Wetherspoons decide on the names for their pubs and after a little research I was able to discover why this one is to be called the Lion and the Albert. In 1932 a poet by the name of Marriott Edgar put pen to paper to write poem. It went thus:

Albert and the Lion

There’s a famous seaside place called Blackpool, That’s noted for fresh air and fun, And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom Went there with young Albert, their son. A grand little lad was young Albert, All dressed in his best; quite a swell With a stick with an ‘orse’s ‘ead ‘andle, The finest that Woolworth could sell. They didn’t think much to the Ocean: The waves, they was fiddlin’ and small, There was no wrecks and nobody drownded, Fact, nothing to laugh at at all. So, seeking for further amusement, They paid and went into the Zoo, Where they’d Lions and Tigers and Camels, And old ale and sandwiches too. There were one great big Lion called Wallace; His nose were all covered with scars - He lay in a somnolent posture, With the side of his face on the bars. Now Albert had heard about Lions, How they was ferocious and wild - To see Wallace lying so peaceful, Well, it didn’t seem right to the child. So straightway the brave little feller, Not showing a morsel of fear, Took his stick with its ‘orse’s ‘ead ‘andle And pushed it in Wallace’s ear. You could see that the Lion didn’t like it, For giving a kind of a roll, He pulled Albert inside the cage with ‘im, And swallowed the little lad ‘ole. Then Pa, who had seen the occurrence, And didn’t know what to do next, Said ‘Mother! Yon Lion’s ‘et Albert’, And Mother said ‘Ee, I am vexed!’

Then Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom - Quite rightly, when all’s said and done, - Complained to the Animal Keeper That the Lion had eaten their son. The keeper was quite nice about it; He said ‘What a nasty mishap. Are you sure that it’s your boy he’s eaten?’ Pa said ‘Am I sure? There’s his cap!’ The manager had to be sent for, He came and said ‘What’s to do?’ Pa said ‘Yon Lion’s ‘et Albert, And ‘im in his Sunday clothes, too.’ Then Mother said, ‘Right’s right, young feller, I think it’s a shame and a sin For a lion to go and eat Albert, And after we’ve paid to come in.’ The manager wanted no trouble, He took out his purse right away, Saying ‘How much to settle the matter?’ And Pa said ‘What do you usually pay?’ But Mother had turned a bit awkward When she thought where her Albert had gone. She said ‘No! someone’s got to be summonsed’- So that was decided upon. Then off they went to the P’lice Station, In front of the Magistrate chap; They told ‘im what happened to Albert, And proved it by showing his cap. The Magistrate gave his opinion That no one was really to blame, And he said that he hoped the Ramsbottoms Would have further sons to their name. At that Mother got proper blazing, ‘And thank you, sir, kindly,’ said she. ‘What, waste all our lives raising children To feed ruddy Lions? Not me!’

Blackpool

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