White Lion, Smithford Street

I think the White Lion closed around 1955. I worked as a junior sales assistant in John Manners new shop in the Precinct on two levels, and I remember the White Lion still being there. I left Coventry in 1956 and imagine it closed soon after that if not before.

Helen, Yes, and I keep forgetting I was away for three years 45-48 when the rebuilding was going on, so missed an awful lot. Also there's a lot on here I still haven't read. I know the Post Office changed sides in Smithford St, and I know we had to walk round from Smithford St behind Broadgate House to get to Broadgate, and you could not use the front entrance to The White Lion in 1950. Prof, Yes somewhere about that time, the Leofric opened, the crowd just swapped.

Steve & I just had to visit today to get our own photos of this rare opportunity. A little more has been revealed now, and our findings today make me fairly certain that Anne is correct. Not only does the curved shape perfectly echo the outside of the bay window, but the end skirts round where the doorway step once was. The newly revealed tiled entrance floor: A close-up of a fragment of external stonework of the curved bay: Finally, a great shot of the lion, taken by our Steve: It's just a pity that the old black and white photos fail to pickup this detail, making it look like this mosaic never existed! I really hope they preserve it properly. My wish would be a glass case forming part of the flower & shrub beds they have planned for the Precinct.

Rob, Brill, but doesn't it make you think it's older than first thought. Why ever did they tarmac it over, the mind boggles.

Rob, In 1940 the White Lion was in direct line with High Street, so please, where are your photo's in line with today.

Hi Kaga, I'm glad you asked! Please see the photo below - it's still in line with High Street, but nowadays we need to imagine that we can see through Broadgate House (and the digger!), diagonally across Broadgate, and on towards the south side of the Cathedral Lanes shopping centre, where once stood Martin's Bank on the north side of High Street.

Rob, thank you, but no I can't see it being in line with the cathedral. However diagonal you make it, it puts the pub in line with the Cathedral, and that is where I remember it, so I have no explanation. You had to come from between those right hand blocks to get from Smithford Street into the Precinct, yet there was the Lion right opposite the Cathedral . Looking back through old posts Dutchman explained it that way as well, could they have rebuilt the Lion, temporary in 45-6 whilst I was away, like they did with Broadgate temp shops?

Does this map help? (taken from another thread)

Perhaps it's on a ley line - "a straight alignment between an historic structure (pub) and a prominent landmark (cathedral)

The NLS Map comparison gives us the exact location between era's - I've marked the White Lion on both -

3Spires, I have a theory that originally the route from Spon Street headed towards St Mary's Cathedral and the last section of West Orchard was part of that route. The Smithford Street branch went through the smith's ford and headed towards the castle gate. I also think that the castle was built within a Saxon burh with the High Street running through it. So maybe the broad gate was even older than the castle?

Hi Kaga, Neil's photo in #18 shows it well. You can see that the pub stands in a line when looking back from the cathedral, but is angled, along with Smithford Street, to "aim" through the corner of Broadgate to join with High Street. Remember, the Precinct was built purposely to be aligned with the cathedral spire, meaning it had to cut across Smithford Street at quite an angle. If it helps, here's is a 1941 photo looking from the cathedral spire along the line later taken by the Precinct - and Smithford Street and the White Lion cut across the view as one would expect. The pub was most certainly not rebuilt or moved.

Can't recall where I got this one from so apols and credit if it was someone on here but this shows very nicely the line of Smithford Street with High Street -

It's a shame they've covered up the bricks, I thought there was a hint of wheel rut. That they've filled the edges suggests that they might not be going to lift the mosaic.

Neil, Brill, I can see it now. The White Lion was central of your top picture. Now, if you see it central of the lower picture and way behind Broadgate House then the way the blocks run to the left, opening of the Precinct, then it does come in line. The Leofric block runs way to the left. Neil, if you can imagine the old High Street, a car was where that one is by the bank pillars, young woman driving with a one year old baby on the passenger seat. A car shot from Broadgate to go down Hertford Street. She pulled up sharp, and the baby shot under the dashboard, and she screamed and went to pieces. I opened the car door, snatched the baby in my arms, sat in the passenger seat with baby, said, "It's OK, drive on". Car horns blaring on all sides and from behind, baby crying, she managed to drive round the island. I said, "Drive home". We did. I held it on my lap until she got home. Quite an experience.