Popular Coventry pub dating back over 150 years closes

It is a sad loss to the community



A Coventry pub dating back over 150 years has ceased trading. Mick Griffin, landlord at the Rose and Woodbine in North Street, has said financial pressures led to the pub closing.

Mick says costs have got higher and higher since they took over six years ago. It will be sad news for the regulars, some of whom have been using the Rose and Woodbine for over five decades, meaning they're losing their community hub.

"It is with deep sadness that we announce the closure of our community pub in Coventry, which we have proudly run since 2019." Mick told CoventryLive. "Despite everything we tried, on Friday we were forced into liquidation because the financial pressures became impossible."

Mick was quick to point out the pub closing is not just a personal loss, but a dent in the local community too. "The impact is more than just losing a business," he explained. "Staff lost their jobs. Darts and dominoes teams lost their home. Regulars, many who have been visiting for over 50 years, have lost their meeting place, their community.

"We want to thank everyone who supported us - our staff, the darts and dominoes players, the loyal customers. The pub was more than just a place to drink. It was a home, a hub, and it will be immeasurably missed."

The pub is believed to date back to 1879. It is nestled amid hundreds of houses in Barras Heath, predating the neighbourhood that built up around it by several decades.

Coventry Pub History's website states: "In its earlier days the Rose and Woodbine was a small cottage with just a beer license and, with a few other cottages that were attached to it, formed the only property for miles around.

"At the top of what is now Avon Street was a gate that led to Stubbs Farm and another gate at the end of what is now Shakespeare Street led to Fitters Fields.

David Ward, who was a tenant for 30 years, also had a butchers shop there. He was known for his great generosity to the poor and old people of the district. In the butchers shop he always kept a copper full of stew which he handed out to the poor and needy.

"It is said that he roasted a bullock at the rear of the premises for some charitable cause. His pony and gig were kept in the stables behind the pub."