The End of an Era: How Everton's Stadium Move Crippled Local Pubs
The Winslow Hotel pub, which had served Everton players, managers, and devoted fans for an incredible 140 years, closed its doors permanently last month. This historic establishment, standing directly in the shadow of Goodison Park's towering Main Stand, could not survive the economic devastation caused by Everton Football Club's relocation to a new stadium two miles away.
A Final Farewell from Everton Legends
On Saturday, January 24, former Everton center-forward Duncan Ferguson made a poignant visit to The Winslow, handing licensee Dave Bond £1,000 to put behind the bar for one last celebration. Ferguson was joined by numerous Everton legends including former captain Alan Stubbs, 1995 FA Cup winners Graham Stuart and Joe Parkinson, 1987 League champion Ian Snodin, and 1980s hero Kevin Sheedy. Each took turns on the microphone to share memories and bid farewell to this iconic establishment.
"It was a brilliant gesture," said Bond of Ferguson's contribution to the final gathering.
A Pub Steeped in Everton History
Established in 1886, The Winslow's history became inextricably intertwined with Everton FC when the club moved next door six years later. The legendary Dixie Dean was a regular drinker during his days living on Goodison Avenue. Norman Greenhalgh, a member of Everton's 1939 championship-winning team, became landlord in the 1950s.
The pub witnessed countless historic moments. After Mike Lyons won his first Merseyside derby at the 21st attempt in 1981, he led the entire team across the road to celebrate at The Winslow. Joe Royle visited for a pint after his first match as manager yielded a derby triumph in November 1994. Tragically, Brian Labone, captain of the 1970 League title winners, collapsed and died on his way home from a supporters' function at the pub in 2006.
More Than Just a Pub
The Winslow served as home to the supporters' club for a period and hosted an open meeting for fans to plan protests after Everton received a Premier League points deduction in November 2023. When broadcaster TNT interviewed manager David Moyes in the pub before last April's televised fixture against Arsenal, Moyes noted that his father had been a regular during his first managerial spell at the club.
Inside the Howard Kendall Bar, a flag bearing the name of the late Kevin Campbell hung above the former striker's favorite seat. After Bond, an Irishman and lifelong Evertonian, took over the pub following its 2014 reopening, he transformed it into an Everton shrine with walls adorned with photos and artwork by Thomas Regan of the Everton Heritage Society.
The Economic Reality of Relocation
Bond's most vivid memory involves Abdoulaye Doucouré's goal against Bournemouth that saved Everton from relegation in 2023. He recalls being in the office upstairs when the wave of noise from the stadium hit the pub, allowing him to run downstairs and watch the goal "live" on TV with drinkers at the bar.
However, the economic reality became stark after Everton's move. Bond attempted to sustain business by offering a 90-seater coach service to the new stadium for the first handful of games, with entertainment in the pub afterward. With interest limited to around 25 supporters, he "couldn't keep it going because we weren't making any money."
Though Everton's women have eight WSL fixtures at Goodison this season, Bond estimated that customers for women's fixtures brought in no more than 5% of the profit a men's match would generate. Where he might have sold 3,000 pints in a day previously, now "they're coming in, families with kids, and having one or two drinks and that's it."
Reflecting on the closure in an interview with ITV's Granada Reports, Bond stated: "Once we lost the Everton fans to the degree that we did, the soul left this building."
A Broader Crisis for Local Businesses
Other pubs in the area are struggling similarly. Bond warned: "I think eventually a lot of businesses will go under. The pubs predominantly are suffering because, let's face it, it's 40,000 people on a matchday ... we were so dependent on that."
While Bond has moved on to run an Everton-themed bar called Dixie's on Dickson Street near the new ground, The Winslow now stands empty. Across the road, the awning on the exterior of Goodison Park's Main Stand carries the slogan "A new era." But for the historic pubs and businesses that grew alongside Everton FC for generations, this new era has brought economic devastation rather than renewal.
