Police station once home to Charles Dickens, now serves cocktails with a double shot of history!

For those unfortunate few, one too many cocktails can end with a night spent in a cell – but who’d of thought there’d be a police station that you can visit, to get your cocktail fix! Furnival’s Well, of Campbell Square, Liverpool, offers a truly unique experience. Once home to the infamous Charles Dickens, this building used to have a very different purpose – a jail for Liverpool’s 19th century ruffians.

Preserving all of the incredible features from the buildings past life, and making a virtue of them in everything from the bar’s layout and décor to the cocktail menu, is really what sets this wonderfully old fashioned speakeasy apart from the rest.

But why name it Furnival’s Well?

Furnival’s Well is the first real history lesson and probably the biggest – if also one of the most subtle – nods to the building’s unique backstory. Charles Dickens, who visited the old jail back in 1860 when he was doing his research for The Uncommercial Traveller, lived in London in Furnival’s Inn at the time he was penning The Pickwick Papers.

So, combine Furnival’s with the ‘Well’ of the Bridewell and the name’s obvious when you think about it.

And, although there’s a plaque outside to commemorate Charles Dickens’ connection – today he might struggle to recognize the building. Keeping the original cells, along with the huge metal doors that once kept law-breakers locked away in Victorian times,  now they’re used as private booths for a new kind of resident. With exposed brick, and original outdoor features that give a nod to the buildings heritage, the drinks also pay homage to the vast history, thanks to some clever menu work by the owners.

A quick browse of the cocktail list will reveal a very historical class divide, but there’s no shame if you’re more ‘Seeking Fortune’ than ‘Rich & Prosperous’, it’s all just a matter of taste. From Slum-Dwellers, to Common Grasps, and Compounds suitable for groups to share – the menu provides historical content which is both interesting, and really, really tasty!

The list contains some very potent concoctions, most of which you won’t find in any other cocktail bar – making Furnival’s Well a refreshingly difference cocktail experience in a time where porn star martini’s and frozen strawberry daiquiri’s rule supreme.

Don’t see something you like the look of on the menu? Then they suggest you have a word with the friendly bartender and he’ll rustle you up your favourite.

VIVA Verdict: Everything from the building, and it’s features/history – to the super helpful, friendly and easy-on-the-eye bar staff, who are more than happy to bestow some intriguing historical facts on you in-between cocktail orders, this venue really is a one of a kind and I would highly recommend if you’re ever in Liverpool, to check out Furnival’s Well – you won’t be disappointed!

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