552 The Pilot Boat, Magazine Brow, New Brighton. This pub is actually a few years older then 'The Magazines', which is only about 75 yards away. Over the years it has also been known as 'The Pilot', 'The Pilot Boat Hotel' and 'The Pilot Boat House' to name a few. The reason is simple - they used to keep the pilot boat there until a boathouse was built on the other side of Magazine Brow. The pub takes a Magazine Brow address, not a Mariners Road address - simply because it didn't exsist when the pub was built. (Note if you are checking address records - Magazine Brow was re-numbered in the opposite direction at one time). The land that is now Mariners Road and the newer properties adjacent to the pub were once a boat yard. This can be seen from the photo below, which in turn is part of a larger picture that has been cleaned up. The photo seems to have been taken about 1928. The car is beleived to be a Rolls Royce. A boy in breeches and cap stands by the car, while a girl in what looks like her Sunday Best walks over to him. The photo was obviously taken from within the boat yard, where the boat in the foreground is being worked on. The building with the castled corners bearing the words "Jones' Boat House Hotel" was the new part of the pub then - the original being the smaller building attached to it, but nearer the camera. This old building carried a dated builders stone above the door, bearing the dates 1747 and 1876 - probably when it was built and subsequently modified. The original old pub building was demolished in the 1960's to provide a modern extension to the main building. In 2010 it was extensively refurbished and re-opened just after Easter. The work included a new bar, a new kitchen, all new carpets and lighting, and redecorating throught. It has new secondaty double glazing on the inside, thus retaining its leaded glass windows.
