The Definitive Guide to the History of
Pubs and Beerhouses in Coventry

Drinking in an Old English Town

Admiral Codrington, 13 Radford Road

Alternative Addresses:	St. Columba's Close / 1 Radford Road
The first mention is in 1817 when Thomas Ingram was charged with permitting drunkenness on his premises. In 1843 two men were caught trying to pass counterfeit coins over the bar at the Codrington. Seven years later an inquest was held at the pub into the death of one Thomas Owen Hopkins, who committed suicide by hanging himself. Then in December 1899 the landlord of the day, George Rainbow, became the subject of an inquest himself after falling victim to his own home-brewed ale. He fell into it, or rather he fell into a boiling copper of water that he was about to use for mashing. The verdict was accidental death and, a terrible one at that, through scalding. In the past the pub has also been referred to as the Lord Codrington and the Codrington Arms. In 2012 the pub stood empty, fire damaged and derelict. It has since become "Canal View Court", hi-spec student accommodation. The Admiral Codrington as "Canal View Court" student accommodation in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Cliff Jones.) Sir Edward Codrington (1770 - 1851) was born at Dodington in Gloucestershire. He entered the navy in 1793 and commanded the "Orion" at Trafalgar. Later he was in the Walcheren expedition. He was made Rear Admiral in 1814 and commanded the fleet at Washington and Baltimore in the American War. In 1826 he commanded the combined fleets of Great Britain, France and Russia at the Battle of Navarino in which the Turkish navy was destroyed. However, he was held to have exceeded orders in doing this and was recalled. He became Admiral of the Blue in 1837 and in 1839 was appointed Commander in Chief at Portsmouth.
LICENSEES: 1817 - 1854 Thomas Ingram (declared insolvent May 1854) 1854 Maria Ingram (daughter of Thomas, May to Aug) 1854 - 1855 Joseph Shrewsbury 1855 - 1894 Thomas Burden 1894 - 1899 George Rainbow (died 13th Dec 1899) 1900 - 1902 Elizabeth Rainbow (widow of George, married William Thomas Gascoyne in 1901) 1902 - 1919 Thomas Paybody 1919 - 1920 Samuel Daffern 1920 - 1941 William Fennemore 1941 Charles Howard Dixon 1944 Albert Oliver 1944 - 1951 John Talbot 1951 Charles Reginald Naylor 1958 James Tynan (see also Red House, Stoney Stanton Road) 1962 Joseph Quinn (see also at The Court House, Blackberry Lane) 1982 - 1985 Column Nugent BREWERS: 1892 - 1898 Thomas Burden 1900 - 1902 Mrs Elizabeth Rainbow (from 1901 Gascoyne) 1902 - 1919 Thomas Paybody