In 1772 the Half Moon at Stoke, then the house of Thomas Bray, was used for an auction. This is the earliest record we have yet located.
In Rev. T. A. Blythe's 1897 book The History of Stoke, the Half Moon Inn is described as standing at the south east corner of Bray's Lane, and kept by John Bray, victualler and farmer - and possibly the person whom the street was named after. The Coventry Standard, in 1917, described with more accuracy that this old inn merged into the Coventry Co-operative Stores (pictured below, early 1900s), the location of which today is the Coventry Building Society.
The last found mention of the pub was 21st September 1849, when it had remained a regular venue to hold auctions. In September 1851 Jonathan Bray put the premises, described as a Cottage Residence, up To Be Let, containing, among other features, Ale and Wine Cellars and a Brew House.
The half moon can be a symbol of love and romance, and also a symbol of hope and new beginnings. |