Smithdown Road has long been the proud home of Liverpool's student population - and there's nothing students love more than a pub crawl.
Former students will remember the iconic ' Smithdown Ten' pub crawl which used to be a staple of student life in the city.
But what has happened to the original pubs that made up the Smithdown Ten and is it still possible to recreate the famous pub crawl?
We decided to give it a go ourselves and see how many pints are still being pulled in these much-loved old haunts.
Pub one: The Boundary
The Smithdown Ten traditionally began at Toxteth's Boundary pub which sits on the corner of Lodge Lane and the top of Smithdown Road.
It would just be plain wrong to start from the other end, so sticking with tradition we set off from here.
From the outside, The Boundary doesn't always necessarily look open thanks to the faded facade - but it's definitely still going.
Walking in at midday on a wet Thursday afternoon, The Boundary is as close to a local pub as you can get - with a small group of regulars keeping trade going.
Speaking to some of the customers inside it became clear that the days of students piling in at the beginning of a pub crawl have long gone.
Steven Menagh, 49, a regular at the Boundary, said that the demise of the traditional Smithdown Ten pub crawl is just one factor in the pub's recent struggles.
He said: "We don't get anybody coming up here any more. Students used to come in for pub crawls but they stopped coming about five years ago.
"It's sad because people walk past everyday but they never come in to the pub.
"The top of Smithdown is in need of regeneration and it hasn't been promoted in the same way as further down the road and the likes of Penny Lane.
"A lot of the investment goes down there and not here. When pubs make a lot of their money from students, is it any wonder that pubs like this are struggling when students don't come in?"
Pub two: The New Campfield
We left The Boundary and began the long descent down Smithdown Road.
The next pub which formed part of the traditional 'Smithdown Ten' was the New Campfield.
Yet, in a theme that will become common throughout this pub crawl re-enactment, the building has now been converted into student accomodation.
'Campfield House', as it is now known, sits on the former site of the pub on the corner of Yanwath Street.
While we couldn't find any information on the weekly rent for students living in the accommodation, the building is also sometimes up for short-stay rent on Booking.com.
An online listing boasts an apartment with eight rooms, a flat screen TV and a fully equipped kitchen, with the capacity to sleep 16.
Sadly our thirsts were not to be quenched here. So we carried on to the third pub on the list.
Pub three: The Newstead Abbey
The Newstead Abbey is perched on the corner of Newstead Road and is the third pub on the 'Smithdown Ten' crawl.
The pub is one of the few remaining traditional looking pubs towards the top end of Smithdown.
With a welcoming feel to it, the day drinkers at the Newstead Abbey were polite and friendly when we stopped in for a pint, with many of them happy to offer their opinions on what happened to the iconic crawl.
Norman Saddington, 70, a regular, described the pub as 'part of the community'.
He told the ECHO: "This pub is at the centre of the community here. It may not look very busy now but it's packed most nights.
"When this closes, where does the community go?
"Around the top of Smithdown and on Lodge Lane there used to be about 13 pubs but now they've all been turned into fast food shops .
"Sadly I think students see this part of Smithdown as a bit of a 'no go area' and they feel they can't walk down here.
"It's sad really because you can have a right laugh in here. It's a great place to go."
The manager of the pub also revealed that the pub's days are numbered as the owner has announced that the building will be sold.
Pub four: The Albany
Pub four was The Albany, at 100 Smithdown Road just off Holmes Street.
Like the New Campfield, it has been converted into flats.
You could be forgiven for not realising the building used to house one of the street's many drinking establishments.
There were rumours some time ago that the venue may reopen, but they came to nothing.
Pubs five and six: the Mulliner and the Royal Hotel
After leaving the Newstead Abbey, you have to walk quite a way before you find any remaining remnants of the 'Smithdown Ten' that are still open.
The next two pubs on the list, the Mulliner and the Royal Hotel, are each either demolished or have been converted for another purpose.
The Mulliner was torn down in 2014 to make way for the Archbishop Blanch School which now stands in its place.
Next is the Royal Hotel, a glorious Victorian era pub and hotel which stands on the corner of Langton Road.
But this pub, like the New Campfield, is home to the city's student population with the pub and hotel having been converted into student flats.
The charming exterior of the pub has remained untouched but is now marked with a slightly jarring 'luxury student homes' sign.
Luxury Student Homes has been managing former pubs as student housing since 2013, when company director Neil Colquhoun picked up the keys to The Royal.
The Smithdown Road ale house was one of Liverpool’s most iconic pubs, with a stunning ornately tiled facade and gas lamps.
After closing its doors to customers in 2012, the property remained on the market for over a year before Mr Colquhoun decided to “take a punt” on it.
Mr Colquhoun paid just £140,000 for the building but ended up spending over half a million pounds converting it into three three-bedroom flats.
Many people might bemoan the death of the local as well-loved pubs get turned into flats - but Mr Colquhoun renovated the listed building to an exceptional standard when no one else was prepared to take it on.
Speaking to the ECHO in 2017 , Mr Colquhoun said there were initially some “negative comments” about converting the pub into flats: “It had been on the market for a year and no brewers took it on to reopen it as a pub.”
“Because of the location and because of the quality of work that we do - we really go to town on our investments with high end finishes - of just under 100 properties that we manage this is probably the most popular.
“It’s quite cool living in a former pub.”
Pub seven: The Woodcroft
Then there's the former Woodcroft pub which is now the Landmark Indian restuarant.
Next to the Smithdown Aldi, the former pub is known for its eye-catching colour schemes, having been painted both pink and it's now a distinctive shade of blue.
Still popular with students after a curry night, it serves a purpose for the city's student community - just in a different format.
Pub eight: The Willow Bank Tavern
The next pub on the crawl that's still open in its original form pub is the Willow Bank Tavern, across the road from the Smithdown Asda.
Now under the ownership of Greene King, the pub is one of the few surviving members of the original crawl.
The pub's cosy interior, live sports and reasonable drinks prices mean it still holds a place in the hearts of our city's students.
It's not just a student pub, and whatever time of the day or night you pop in you're guaranteed to find a real mix of customers, but this feature on the Smithdown Ten is definitely still going strong.
Pub nine: Kelly's
No Smithdown pub crawl, student or otherwise, would be complete without a stop off at Kelly's.
Fully, and formally, known as Kelly's Dispensary, this pub is an absolute Smithdown institution and it's always busy with students.
Cosy, welcoming and always full of customers having a laugh, this old fashioned pub is still absolutely thriving.
Kevin McArthur, 37, manager of Kelly's and co-founder of the Smithdown Road Festival, remembers his days as a student and how drinking culture on Smithdown has changed in recent years.
He said: "I think the problem for the pubs at the top of Smithdown is that the area is seen to be a lot rougher down there.
"I would say that the traditional pub crawl hasn't died. It's just changed. Students now tend to do a bigger pub crawl which isn't so pub focused.
"Smithdown now has a lot of new venues that do both food and drink and offer people more variety than a traditional student pub crawl."
The difference between the top and bottom of Smithdown Road is plain to see as you make your way along the crawl.
While the Allerton Road end of this student street is filled with new bars, restaurants and cafes popping up, the Lodge Lane end still has a long row of boarded up shops facing the cemetery.
While some investment is starting with new businesses springing up closer to The Boundary, and a thriving international supermarket, it comes in stark contrast to the buzzing student scene at the opposite end.
Pub ten: The Brookhouse
And finally how could we not mention the famous terminus of the Smithdown Ten - the institution that is The Brookhouse.
Situated by the junction with Greenbank Road, the Brookhouse is hugely popular with students who pile in for pub quizzes, cheap meals and pints in the vast outdoor seating area.
If you've done an entire degree in Liverpool and not spent a substantial amount of time in the Brookhouse, you've gone wrong somewhere along the way.
This is the pub that would mark the end of the crawl, with many poor souls having fallen away before before making it.
It's continued success highlights the value of student nightlife to local businesses on Smithdown.
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With so many of the former pubs on the crawl either demolished or turned into student housing, it's great to see remaining venues like this still playing such a huge part in students' experiences of the city.
Each of the surviving pubs along the crawl serves its own purpose, with some pulling pints for a loyal client base and others welcoming each new wave of students every year.
While some are struggling the face of changes on this famous street, others have gone from strength to strength.
Drinking habits, favoured venues and student nights out may have changed over the years, but one thing remains the same - Smithdown Road is a great place to get a pint.
