Coventry Pubs

Thanks Dutchman, I don't think it's the City Arms. It's too far to the right. I'm more inclined to think now it is the George, maybe after they cleared the building in front. It's over 50 years now, and it's easy for one's memory to play tricks. But Keith's description sounded so right. My memory tells me the Sherbourne crossed the road from the right side of Croft Road, then was running alongside Queen Victoria Road, disappearing behind some hoarding and then there was this pub, but looking at your map. it seems I'm wrong Thanks again.

Hi Adrian, dutchman Adrian I'm glad someone else remembers the pub, I was beginning to think I'd imagined it! I don't know what the date of the map is/was, but the line of Fleet St was nothing like that in 1950; it had quite a large radius corner, so I would deduce that the shops to the west of the George were demolished, and something else put there, further back from the road. I also think the pavement must have been widened at the same time, so creating a wide space in front of Allwoods (I'd judge it about 20 feet); I'm absolutely certain that it was wide in front of Allwoods, because my mother, taking me with her, shopped there at least once a week (don't forget people didn't have fridges, and had to). Smithford St was cobbled up towards Woolworth's, but was tarmac in front of Allwoods, with a few cobbles (granite setts) showing through the tarmac. I would swear that the enigma pub had "King William IV" across the front; the one much further along Spon St only ever had "William IV" in my recollection - and pubs named after kings were common anyway. Also, the William was an M&B pub, and the KW wasn't - see below. I looked at the popular photo of Fleet St showing mostly the other side from in front of St John's church, and there was a hotel on the corner with like a shop front - Baker's Temperance Hotel. That most definitely wasn't there in 1950, not the shops just visible to the left of it (i.e. round towards Smithford St.) I think, trying to recall in better detail, the appearance of the pub that I knew as KWIV and I think it wasn't very old, maybe 1920s. The Fleet St / Spon St corner could also have been moved back and made sweeping to allow trams to turn up Smithford St, which may well equate to a date of the 1920s. The city centre was beginning to have quite a few alterations by the late 20s, as cars began to proliferate, in order to ease traffic flow, and alterations could well have been done at that time - indeed, I think then - or just a few years later - was when the traffic islands were put in in front of St John's church, and also at Holyhead Road/Spon St junction. That would have necessitated moving the line of the corner well back, creating a sweeping bend, and the widened pavements could have been used to allow for later development of the road system as traffic continued to increase. I'd bet that Allwoods store was rebuilt or remodelled at that time. Incidentally, I was racking my brains to remember the brewery signs on the front of the enigma pub, and I think they were Ind Coope, which would figure, as the colour scheme of the pub was the same as other Ind Coope houses, e.g. the one in Earlsdon St (The Royal Oak, was it?) Going back to Allwoods, they had a triple-fronted store in Earlsdon, almost exactly the same as the one in Fleet St (coffee roaster/grinder included!) and that was set behind a wide pavement too. The style was almost exactly the same as the in town store, and I'd bet the Earlsdon store was 1920s/30s, as it looked younger than a lot of the other shops in Earsldon at that time. And there were definitely no triple-fronted ones built when Earlsdon was created in the 1840s or 50s. Am I making sense, folks?

A bit more Adrian and dutchman: If you look on the left of the City Arms photo, you can just see the last building, with the pavement going on beyond it. The pavement widened beyond that building, and Allwoods just a little further along, around to the left a little. The pub was quite a bit further on around the corner; I remember it as going beyond the far end of St John's church. Does that match your memory of it, Adrian?

Keith, I am sure we are talking about the same pub, and from your description, it can only be the George. The only thing is, it seemed to be more gilded than in the photo, with the name in large letters. If you can imagine all the buildings to the right of it beng cleared first, then it would appear to be situated on the bend of Queen Vic Road and Corporation St..

I don't recall another between George IV and Queen Victoria Road, which is where I think you're looking There's no King William PH listed in Kelly's 1940 Directory nor in the 1950 GPO Telephone Book

Thanks Midland Red, I'm sure you are correct. I am just looking at a photo in the Telegraph's A Century of News (page 76) and I now realise the layout is different to what I imagined it. I was thinking that Spon Street started from St John's... now I can see where I am going wrong. So, yes the pub I was thinking of can only be the George. Thanks

But the George didn't fit the description. I trawled through all 7162 images in the "Pictures of Coventry" archive, and there are frustratingly almost none of Fleet St, and none showing that side that are later than about 1900. My brother, who was a lot older than me, would have known the answer without doubt, but unfortunately, he is no longer with us.

Keith, I agree with you, it's not fitting the description, but it's the only explanation I can think of, the nearest I can find that fits is the White Lion (Ind Coope), but that was in Smithford Street, so the location is then wrong.

Hi Adrian We'll probably never know. I can't find my time machine to go and have a look.. . The only pics I can find of Fleet St that side show the Bakers' Temperance Hotel and coffee house, which had long gone by 1950. I'm as sure as I can be that the building line was changed long before our time, because there wasn't a sharp corner, nor was there a back court there in 1950. My brother had a 1934 Daimler 15 in the mid-late 50s, and he used to come home from work along Corporation St and then Spon St. One evening, he started to turn onto the St John's traffic island, when the steering rocker shaft sheared, the wheels straightened, and he ended up with the front wheels against the island, and the car across the traffic. It had to be towed to the Coventry Motor Mart on the London Road, who were the Daimler agents at the time. Caused a bit of mayhem in the traffic! Must have been 1955 or 6, I know it was around the time of Suez.

Midland Red May I turn this on its head? You don't remember a pub where I remembered one; but what do you remember being there? (The other side of Fleet St to St John's church, and between Allwoods and Q Vic Road) I don't think there were any shops there.

In the mid 1980's, what pubs in the city centre did everyone frequent? On a Saturday night, we always started at the Tally-Ho. After that it was then on to The Silver Sword, The Alhambra, Penny Black, 3 Tuns and Clarets wine bar. If we were brave we occasionally stopped off at the Turks Head. Then to the Parson's Nose for a bag of chips before finally on to Tomango's night club. Great days!

Hi Jason it was more night clubs but not that often. Shades was one in the Burges, a friend used to be the bouncer there, Bill Wilson, I think it's called Reflections last time I heard, also Mr George's where he worked too, twice I went in the Three Tuns and once the night club known then as the Bags Ball in Bishop Street just up from Maria's Parsons Nose. I've been once in the Jaguar, Corporation Street, and Coventry Climax in the Arcade by the birdcage to meet my friend whose regular it was.

Hi all, first post today. I remember all them pubs, although some of the names were slightly different in the late 70's/early 80's. The original Turks Head then changed to the City Centre pub which is what it was called when I used to go down the town, then it changed back to the Turks Head again. I think the Bags Ball you refer to in Bishop Street was the Top Spot nightclub, and before it was Tomangos, that nightclub was called the City Centre Club. I also used to frequent the Smithfield now and again and the White Bear or the Bear up near the Godiva clock but I think that got knocked down quite a few years ago. I would venture into the Market Tavern now and again but that was always a bit too young / punky for me. End of the night would would normally end up at the Kwik Chik chippy in the Burges or the Parsons Nose - they did nice scallop batches there, you try asking for one of them where I live now and you get blank looks!

My era for this kind of activity We'd get the 23 into town after meeting at The Spires or Holyhead then walk up from Pool Meadow to The Alhambra. Then over the road to the Silver Sword. Could be a take your pick from there on in but others normally included would be The Smithfield, The Bug and Black Bat, Waters, Cassidys'/Yates', that wine bar opposite the Quadrant whose name escapes me. A late one could be either Park Lane (with Memory Lane upstairs), The Pink Parrot (with Cleopatra's upstairs), Studio 21 or Browns when it was in Lower Precinct. To name but a few. Anyone else remember the names of the clubs in Lower Holyhead Road (with the dancefloor upstairs) and the bar that opened in Hales Street by the grammar school (which was also up some stairs?)

Ahrr yes it was Top Spot, thank you Jetblue for reminding me.