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

Drinking in an Old English Town

Bird in Hand, Cook Street

The proverbial saying, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" is of great antiquity and may have suggested this sign, a popular one since the seventeenth century. Traditionally it was illustrated by a mailed fist on which a falcon was perched. The only known licensee, in 1850/51, was also a silk ribbon weaver.

LICENSEES: 1850 - 1851 Edward Watson publican and silk ribbon weaver