New life to be breathed into St Helens bar that shut in 2019

Bar Java on Westfield Street is to reopen after a couple secured a 10-year lease on the venue.

The venue was one of the town's most popular bars in the town centre until its closure in June 2019.

Its name will change to Eden's, with the bar’s new bosses eager to create a reputation for live music, food and a “chilled out atmosphere”.

Daniel Harvey, who is taking on the lease with his partner Shania Hackwell, hopes the bar’s covered beer garden will also prove to be a big attraction.

Venue owners involved in the social scene in St Helens town centre say the nighttime economy is still in the process of recovering from the effects of the pandemic.

Bar Java was a popular venue in St Helens and its closure in 2019 was greeted with sadness

However, this move represents brighter news for Westfield Street, with the shutdown Punch Tarmey’s also due to be relaunched as The Circus this summer.

It is understood the Wheatsheaf could also be reopened as a craft beer pub in the near future.

QUIZ: Can you name these 10 St Helens pubs?

Setting out his aspirations, Daniel, 33, said: "My and partner and I have worked in the trade for ages and decided we wanted to run our own place.

"Bar Java became available and we see it as opportunity for it to be a live music venue and to serve food as well - we're hoping to do breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We are hoping it will be somewhere nice to chill out and listen to live music in a comfortable environment.

The bar has a covered beer garden

"The sheltered beer garden is a real attraction and we'll be making some adjustments inside so that we can serve food."