Coventry Pubs

During my time in the army I always tried to arrange my leave with a good friend who lived with his parents in Chauntry Place. We often had a pint or two in a wonderful pub next to Cook St Gate. I think it was called The Tower Tavern. I have only just discovered that that it has been demolished and replaced with some offices. Yet another fine historic Coventry building destroyed. The landlord told us tales of three murderers who were executed nearby and buried under the slabbed floor of the cellar around 1750, true or not I have no idea. He also told of strange happenings like doors openimg and slamming with no one near them, of chairs moving, creaking floorboards and things that go bump in the night. If all that is true I really hope that those spirits now haunt the homes of those of those who allowed the demolition of a fine building.... Les

Here is a postcard view from the early 20th century I don't know when it was demolished, but it's a long time ago! Cov & Warwickshire Hospital Saturday Fund (later BUPA) had their offices in Dale Buildings which was built on the site - it can be seen here in the 1970s

Hi MR, what a great place to run a pub. Like most of Coventry's true character, they knock it down!!

Thank you so much MR for that postcard picture, it brought back so many memories. I was in the armed forces from 1954 to 1961. It was still standing when I left the army... Les

Should have checked my own images better! This one tells us that demolition took place in 1963

The pub ceased trading 1915!

From the newspaper archive, it appears that Messrs Mitchells and Butlers Ltd., offered to convey the property to the Corporation as a gift and it was accepted in September, 1915. The Mayor expressed his thanks to the firm and hoped that others, from time to time, make gifts of property which possessed historical interest to the City.

That pub is a real shame. The building that replaced it is pretty characterless & run down - in fact, that whole street is a complete mess with nothing along it apart from service areas. It doesn't really go anywhere, and it's quite odd to find a city gate at the end of it. I've read that the chapel at Spon End was left to decay on purpose to make it a ruin - which is a bit stupid, as ruins still have to be maintained in order to prevent them from becoming dangerous! What annoys me about Coventry is that the Labour Party have got away with their vandalism as everyone thinks the city was destroyed during the war - not many people realise that whole areas were cleared to make way for the 'new' city and so many surviving streets and buildings were destroyed. If Donald Gibson's original plan had been implemented, everything pre-war would have gone anyway - including the street plan. Once it's gone, it's gone, unfortunately - but never mind, we have a ring road that's a real asset. Who needs old buildings and lively streets when you can get round the city centre in twenty seconds?

Hey, Flapdoodle, just think, these are the good old days for the present generation. They will only have the ring road to look at - heaven help them.

In April 1915 Mitchells and Butlers surrendered the license of the "Old Tower" in Cook Street in order to get an off beerhouse license at the premises at the corner of Brighton Street and Hastings Street as the licensing authority did not want the number of licensed houses to be increased.

Hopefully Coventry will one day have someone in charge who can see where the post-war redevelopment needs to be swept away and replaced with something more sensible. And similarly, can also see where the post-war character could be retained. Until then, we're stuck with a bunch of half-wits who think paving is the solution to the city's problems!

Someone uploaded this photo onto my facebook page 'Memories Of Coventry' of The White Lion pub, Walsgrave Rd, during demolition to make way for SKY BLUE WAY

Great sad and uber-rare photo of that time - very few Talbot Alpines around

Anyone remember the Royal Albert in Hillfields? My great-grandfather was landlord there in the late 1800s on. Not sure of the dates but my grandfather was born in 1893 and presumably lived there. He told of his father lining the pints up on the bar ready for the influx of football supporters to turn up after the match. He doesn't sound a particularly nice man - the story goes he drank the profits away! I took my grandfather (Cecil James Aldridge) back to see the place - must have been 1970/72? It was standing all alone on the corner with everything else demolished - took a photo of it but can't find it now, unfortunately! Went back a year or two later and it was gone - the whole area was flat, took another shot from the same position and still have that one, if anyone is interested?