Coventry Pubs

I don't know if anybody's mentioned a pub I once worked in, the Acorn at Potters Green but I lived in Ambleside just off Ringwood Highway from 1959 until 1978 and worked there for about 3 years. It was a very strange design with car parking underneath, a first-floor main bar and an open plan staircase up to the second level where a lot of after hours drinking was carried out, I know that because I was often asked to man the bar until the early hours of Saturday and Sunday morning, It was a Watney's pub, the beer wasn't very good but there was always a good crowd in at the weekend. When I worked there, there was a barmaid called Aggy Davis who with her husband ran the Walsgrave WMC for a while then went on to run the Ansty WMC, she was a bit of a character and had seen it all in her time, which was the best qualification you could have for working at the Acorn in those days.

Hi Frances, according to the Real Ale Rambles site, the Three Shuttles was indeed named in homage to Coventry's weaving industry.

I certainly remember the Acorn. It was actually the first pub I ever visited for work purposes, accompanying an inspector on my second day working for Weights & Measures in 1972. It was indeed a strange shape inside and out and I remember parking underneath it in my colleague's Land Rover. I did occasionally go for a drink there, usually after a night class I used to do at Henley College every Monday. As you say, the beer wasn't much good but there was always a decent atmosphere in there. There was an air hockey table there too which we would play on in quite keenly contested games. I don't recall going there after about 1980, I would guess. I know it closed many years ago and believe it has now been demolished. When would that have been?

Living very close to the Acorn I became a regular accompanied by my black mongrel dog, Sally, who enjoyed the walk and the bag of crisps. Having a job that meant that I would possibly be away from home for a few days. This didn't deter Sally who would take herself for a walk then call in the Acorn for her crisps. Aggy would open the crisps which Sally would eat before going home. On my next visit when returning home I'd see Aggy and square up for the crisps. Have some fond memories of the Acorn, but must agree the beer was not the best, personally I settled for pint bottles of Guinness at 1 shilling and 10 pence.

SueL - you should have a look at the topic City Centre Pub Crawl - you'll find all the establishments you mentioned there.

I'm sure I drove past The Peeping Tom a few weeks ago and metal gates were up all around the place/car park. Fear it may have served its last pint and meal.

The pub at Tusses Bridge was simply called the Castle, a few yards from the side of the pub they had stables that could take between 15 and 20 horses at a time, so there was always a pong to go with the beer, we kids could get a penny a bucket from gardeners for the dung. But Alex Jackson that lived a few doors from us, was a odd job man, could turn his hand to anything, walked into the bar, and started to have a go at the owner of one of the horses. "That bl@@dy big bay horse of yours, I swear he hates me, he turns his head and rolls his big white eyes at me." A couple of the regulars egged him on "Go on Jacko, tell us about him". "You go up beside him and the wall, he moves his feet and leans on you against the wall, fair takes the wind out of you, and when he's not leaning on you he tries to stand on your feet." "Perhaps he fancies you, Jacko" and every one laughed. In those days, everyone knew each other for all of their life, for they hardly moved out of the street. Harry Smallbones, another regular, he was as hard-headed as he was hot-headed, he ignored advice, criticism, or verbal abuse, nothing would make him change his mind. He was honest, kind hearted and well liked. Harry was simply dressed in a rare fashion, his baggy-balloon trousers came up to his chest, held up with braces, but fell short in the legs about six inches short of his ankles, his black hair streaked with grey, but Harry when bought a drink would stand up and sing "Inka dinka doo" and take-off Schnozzle Durante to perfection.

Kaga. I think you will find that the pub at Tusses Bridge was The Elephant & Castle. The name is not visible on the earliest photo but the pub sign is clearly an elephant & castle. The other pics show or refer to the E & C and the final one shows it boarded up.

Ok but Kaga is correct. All locals just called it the Castle.

Yeah OK Norman Conquest. On the Foleshill Road, The Wheatsheaf, The William IV and The Three Horse Shoes were locally called The Sheaf, The Willie and the Shoes or Oss Shoes.

My family (Simpsons) used to live in Bridge cottage opposite the pub, I remember when I was a kid going over to the outdoor and buying crisps, they were kept in a large tin I think they were Smith's and they had a little blue bag of salt in the packet.

Derrickarthur, thank you, but paulguy had already posted those pictures, could have been on the Slough topic, and morgana had posted the photo of the old Bridge for me when I first joined the forum. Ronnie Sephton was about 4/5 years older than me. One time his old man was under a lot of stress, as he had not heard from Ronnie for over some months, and was dreading in case he got the telegram 'killed in action'. And as he had a pub full of forces members.

The listing of Coventry Pubs 1912 shows several establishments run by possible family members, T E Hands, Henry C Hands, Arthur Hands and Herbert R Standbridge. If anyone who comes across this post and can furnish any further details, it would be much appreciated

Here's a photo of building in progress on the former Dolphin site which I took a couple of weeks ago