An iconic pub with hidden tunnels to the Albert Dock has undergone a huge transformation.
The Baltic Fleet orginally operated as two different pubs when it first opened on Wapping in 1851, just across from Liverpool's waterfront. Both pubs are thought to have merged into one in around 1901 in a striking building that's designed to look like a ship.
Today the Baltic Fleet is run by dad and daughter Simon and Rosie Holt and their family including mum Julie and son Charlie. Rosie said her dad didn't have much money when he got the keys to the building 26 years ago, but he had plenty of ideas of what he could do with it.
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One of those ideas has now become a reality with the first floor of the pub having undergone an extensive renovation. Rosie, 23, told the ECHO: "My dad is always thinking of ideas. He bought that pub as a bit of a dream.
"He didn’t have money when he bought it. I think the pub is quite iconic. It needs a lot of love and a lot of money."
Simon, 55, started making tweaks to the pub during the coronavirus pandemic, with the outside courtyard proving a big hit with punters. As a Grade II listed building, any alterations made to the pub had to adhere to strict regulations.
But with a stud wall having been added to the first floor during the 1980s, the family were able to knock this down to gain more space upstairs. Rosie said: "We took the inside wall out and the difference is incredible. It’s opened up the whole area.
"Although we actually had the first floor renovated, it’s made a difference to the whole pub. We’re all made up. The feedback we’ve had is incredible as well."
The renovation means punters can now also enjoy drinks upstairs with stunning views looking out onto Albert Dock. As a pub once frequented by Liverpool dockers, the Baltic Fleet has a rich history which can still be seen in many of its original features.
Rosie said: "I think it's kept do many of the traditional aspects. It's raw brick inside the pub and there's a lot of history with the cellar and the tunnels."
The tunnels that run underneath the pub were once used by sailors to get to and from Albert Dock. They're no longer accessible due to health and safety reasons but the entrances are still visible.
Over the last 26 years, Simon has watched area surrounded the pub change around him as new developments have been built. Rosie said: "When he bought the pub it was in a very different position that it is now.
"There was no flats around it and the Baltic Triangle area didn't exist as it does today."
After turning 18, Rosie said she started getting more involved in the pub as the Baltic Triangle area started growing around it.
She said: "My dad is a very traditional man. I knew all of the things he wanted to keep and there was certain things I could tweak ever so slightly.
"I think naturally with both our visions and ideas of how I saw the pub and how he saw the pub, we ended up with this combination of both his perfect pub and my perfect pub."
As a free house the Baltic Fleet previously brewed its own beer up until eight years ago, when Simon decided to close the brewery due to the demands of the job. Rosie said the decision was "bittersweet" but it now means the pub can focus on serving a wider variety of beers and supporting local businesses in the area.
The pub now sells different craft and cask ales each week from pales to stouts, all from local breweries. And as of last week, Rosie's brother Charlie has opened a food van called 'Baltic Eat' in the pub's courtyard which will sell burgers at weekends.
Rosie said she now plans to focus on bringing out the best of the pub which is now "thriving."
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