Page 1 of 1

Historic Coventry pub added to list of heritage assets

PostPosted: Sat Aug 11, 2018 8:03 pm
by dutchman
The pub is believed to be at least 200 years old

Image

A historic Coventry pub has been added to Coventry's local list of heritage assets.

The Bell Inn building, in Tile Hill, has a history stretching back at least 200 years, and has now been recognised by the city council.

The building appears on maps as far back as the early 19th century, though experts believe that parts of the site could in fact be far older, given its location.

Earlier this month, Coventry City Council's planning committee agreed that the well-known watering hole should receive official recognition.

At the meeting, Graham Tait, the historic environment record officer, talked councillors through the site's history.

He said: "There is a building shown there dating back to 1813 and there's a pub listed on this site going back to 1851.

"I considered this against the set of criteria we have and it does have some historic interest, with the development of roadside pubs."

A Victorian census reveals that the business had previously been known as The Wheelwright Arms and for a time it was called The Bell in the Tree Inn, before settling on its present-day name.

Given the fact that a timber-framed house nearby dates from the 1500s, Mr Tait acknowledged that there was a chance that parts of the pub building could have existed well before its first appearance on The Regency-era map.

The only real way to establish the true age of sections of the premises would be to carry out a detailed building survey.

While a local listing differs from a listing by the Government, it still carries weight when the council considers any future planning applications for either the building or its setting.

Mr Tait confirmed that the status is applied to the building itself and does not depend on its continued use as a pub.

Cllr Tony Skipper (Lab, Radford) said: "Very much in favour of this and I think there are other pubs in Coventry which could well have had the same treatment in the past. It's an excellent idea."

Image