Coventry Pubs

Happy days indeed MrD-Di Very interesting to read your memories of Silk Disco & Jim Twyneham, at the Plough and the Humber, so as you say, the Bear must have been its next location. As I recall, they started to run a 'heavy metal' disco there on Fridays, in early February 1974 (I can remember an advert in the Coventry Evening Telegraph), I think they subsequently expanded it to include Saturdays, and even ran a 'Motown' disco for a few weeks on Sunday nights, again at the Bear. This would have been later on in 1974 though. Interesting that Jim Twyneham's day job at that time was working at the Vehicle Licensing Office in Greyfriars Lane - that certainly explains the '5ILCO' personalised number plate! I did know that he was the PA announcer at Coventry City FC in later years. Lunch time drinking was certainly alive and well in the 80s! In addition to our 'Monday Moans' at the Hawthorn Tree, I recall Friday lunch times at other pubs local to MF in Banner Lane, not always within Coventry's boundaries (The Brickmaker's Arms for example), and others including the Unicorn, the Poacher's Retreat (formerly the Standard I think), the Bell and the Peeping Tom. A gang of us from MF used to go Ten Pin Bowling at the Forum on the Walsgrave Road, once a week after work (again in the mid-80s), and I can remember us always going for a drink in the Walsgrave pub afterwards.

Spent many Sunday lunchtimes in the Styche (Styvechale Arms) with Jim and several Sky Blue players (Cross, Craven, Ramsbottom, etc) - never saw his car number plate, though, 'cos he only lived a few doors away, along Kenpas Highway

I lived in Green Lane! Small world indeed

More food (or drink!) for thought there. The Brickmaker's Arms was an occasional haunt for me. They used to have a quiz there sometimes and, back in my serious quizzing days, it was easy money. I actually visited there a few months ago on the way home from Warwick, first visit in about 20 years, and they still have a proper public bar and decent beer. The Peeping Tom at Burton Green was the first pub I ever went in for lunchtime drinking from work. My first job was at the Highways Depot in Tile Hill and I was a temporary clerk there. Sometimes the contactors would take the boss out for lunch and he would get me to go along in case I was needed, although I never was. Plenty of free food and ale though. Not been in there for over 40 years, is it still there? The Walsgrave was a regular weeknight venue as they often had live bands on. It was all a bit basic but the music wasn't bad and the beer was ok. I believe it all stopped when they decided to make it a carvery type pub. I've noticed you have mentioned some restaurants on another thread and some of those are old haunts too. It sounds like you need to come to one of the forum breakfasts where you can share all your memories with ours!

Wow, SueL, all of them pubs you have mentioned I can honestly say throughout my lifetime I have used every one, I also attended Tile Hill College and studied horticulture in the early 70s and used the Newlands at lunchtime (happy days), I have very good memories of the Locarno and the Top Spot, these would be the last places I would end up before going home.

The city centre pub we congregated at (and one not mentioned in Sue's post) late 60's early 70's was the Mercia in the Burges. The discos we frequented at weekends were at the Mercers Arms next to the football ground and the 'Motown House' at the rear of the Binley Oak, Paynes Lane

I can recall the Mercia now a memory has been triggered, but never frequented the establishment. One more city centre pub I do remember going to in the 70s was the Hare and Squirrel. I think this pub morphed into the Flanker & Firkin (there were several ... & Firkin pubs in Coventry in, what I think would have been the 1990s, I believe they were all part of the same chain supplied by a local brewery (which could have been situated at one of the Firkin pubs)). More recently it's been called the Squirrel - and still is as far as I know.

My in laws ran the Hare & Squirrel briefly in the early seventies handing over to Don Fardon when they left to take over The Grange in Alfall Road which they ran for nearly 20 years.

I wonder if I met them mickw? That's a coincidence! I didn't know Don Fardon ran the Hare & Squirrel - I think he ran the Alhambra at some point in the 70s, but didn't know about the Hare & Squirrel

The one thing I recall about the Brickmaker's Arms, which is in Berkswell rather than Coventry, is that this was the pub Tom Quinn went onto run after he was the licensee at the Herald, on the corner of Sir Henry Parkes Road and Canley Road (our local in the 1980s and 1990s). I'm not sure when this would have been, but I would guess after 1990. I've done a bit of searching on-line, and it looks as if the Peeping Tom in Burton Green is still open - I wonder if the food and drink is as good as it was 40 years ago

You're right Sue he did have the Alhambra but he started his life as a publican at the Squirrel I think the Squirrel must have been a starter pub for new managers as my in laws weren't there very long it was their first pub for Ansells after their initial training. Just checked on Real Ale Rambles and my father in law is listed as running the Squirrel from 1970-1971 unfortunately he is the last listed landlord which is probably when it became a training pub.

Can anyone tell me anything about "The Fob Watch"? I think it is one of the pubs which is scheduled for demolition but I wondered if, judging by the name, it has anything to do with Coventry's watch making trade. Also does "The Three Shuttles" in Howard Street have any historic significance in the ribbon weaving trade? Any help would be so much appreciated. Thanks Frances

The Fob Watch is a comparatively recent name for the Summerland Tavern, which was used when it was rebranded, roughly in the 70s. It has been discussed earlier in the thread and you will find some information if you put 'Summerland' in the search box at the top of the page. The 'new' name was certainly a nod to the watchmaking industry of that area in the past. The Summerland Tavern was one of the haunts of an old uncle of mine who was a train driver who lived in Melbourne Road. He also favoured the Malt Shovel, the Black Horse and of course the Railwaymen's Club in his continual search for refreshment.

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.