New owner of the Lamb sets out ambitions

Anthony Murtagh snapped up the Corporation Street building earlier this year after it was put up for auction.

He has now set about a huge makeover at one of the town’s oldest pub buildings, with the aim of reopening the venue at the end of November.

The Lamb pub is undergoing an extensive refurbishment: St Helens Star (Image: St Helens Star)

Anthony, 45, runs family business Denis Murtagh Electrical after a temporary job with his dad’s firm became permanent two decades ago.

But the tradesman has always harboured an ambition of running a pub or bar - after completing a degree in hospitality management when he was in his 20s.

He told the Star: “It’s not the first pub I’ve tried to buy in St Helens - I’ve tried for the The Hope and Anchor (before it was knocked down), the Royal Alfred and the Cowley Vaults (and never got them) so it’s not a spur of the moment thing.

St Helens Star (Image: St Helens Star)

“The Lamb has never really got off the ground in recent years - but I believe it is - along with The Swan - one of the most historical pubs in the town centre. We’ve been told it’s 170 years old.

“I was looking into new opportunities and heard that someone was interested in buying it and turning it into apartments, so we decided to bid (to keep it as a traditional boozer).

“We want it to be up there with the Cricketers (Arms) and the Turks (Head).”

Renovating the ageing pub has not been straightforward, with crumbling plaster on walls and a leaky roof in need of repair.

But Anthony is confident The Lamb can once again become a gem in St Helens and deliver a boost for the town centre even at a time when the economy is facing the challenges of the cost of living crisis.

He added: “We can see that people want to go to good pubs.

“We’ll look to have good ales, good staff and the friendly atmosphere of a traditional British pub.”