The Swan, aka The Duck, is a small but deafening Garston boozer with screens placed in every possible corner, meaning when the footy is on, it can be seen every time you move your head, even with your eyes closed and nineteen feet of gauze wrapped round your face. Surprisingly, when I visited on a Sunday afternoon, the place was heaving, with ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ belting out the speakers at jet engine volume. This gave the place a sense of terrifying jollity, a slight break from the ordinary Sunday pub atmosphere of silent, crippling depression. Screens and fruit machines aside, the interior was of the good old-fashioned variety, with shelves up to the ceiling and a tiny window from the bar serving the lounge half. With their checked shorts and Primark flip-flops, the clientele simply cluttered the place up. This is a pub that is more suited to a customer base of felt caps, gnarled canes and Hemingway beards.
Anthony S.
Place rating: 4 Liverpool, United Kingdom
The Swan Inn affectionately known as The Duck to the locals — well Swans are surely far too posh for Garston — is one of the few pubs I really like in ‘the village’ and wont hesitate to call in for a drink. Not nearly as prestigious as its city centre name sake, The Duck is no less full of character — or maybe characters? Its a warm and inviting kind of place although as with many of the pubs around here the regulars will demand you keep your wits about you and a good comeback for any of the barbs and banter that will likely come your way. Like Cheers it’s the type of place where everyone knows your name — well not you per se because that would be weird and require esp or summat but they all know their names. The array of sunday league football picture around the walls and photos of years past show the place as somewhere at the heart of the local community and can either be enjoyed for a quiet pint during the week or a lively Friday & Saturady night session.