Hawthorn Tree, Broad Lane
| These premises have been known by different names during their history: | FROM | TO | NAME |
| 1850 | ? | BEERHOUSE | |
| c1861 | c2008 | HAWTHORN TREE | |
The Hawthorn Tree started as a BEERHOUSE before 1850 as this is the first mention I have found. The first reference to the name the Hawthorn Tree comes in 1870, when it was sold. This pub stood on the opposite corner of Hawthorn Lane and Broad Lane to the later pub, where a more recent house, No 419 Broad Lane, now stands. At that time the only buildings between Banner Lane and Jobs Lane were Kendel's Farm, The Elms and The Firs smallholdings, and the pub. A pub in this situation would have been a resort for the population of the nearby suburbs of Coventry, particularly on a Sunday.
In 1937 the Hawthorn Tree was demolished and the new pub built on the opposite corner of Hawthorn Lane and Broad Lane. This was the same time as the building of the Standard shadow factory in Banner Lane and the new Unicorn pub, no doubt both pubs were anticipating the development of housing estates in Tile Hill and Eastern Green. The two rebuilt pubs were of quite different styles, the Unicorn in mock manor house reform style, the Hawthorn Tree in ultra-modern art deco. There were a number of pubs built in Coventry in the 1930s in similar art deco style - the Hawthorn, the Fletch and the Tollgate come to mind. The only one that appears to survive in anything like its original state is the Tollgate on Holyhead Road. In the 80 years recorded history of the original Hawthorn Tree the pub was run by just four families - the Summers to 1908, the Baileys between 1908 and 1927, the Coulsons from 1927 to 1932 and the Chattaways from 1932 to 1937.
The new Hawthorn Tree was built by Atkinson, who were later taken over by Mitchells and Butlers. The new pub had five rooms serving the public in different forms. In 1981 a major renovation took place when all these rooms were replaced by just two - an updated public bar and a plush lounge, although the art deco style was retained. Chris Arnott thought it must have cost Mitchells and Butlers a fair sum to retain the 'Pre-war Odeon (style), with angular lamps and the sort of ceiling that went out of fashion in the Fifties'. At the same time, M&B introduced into Coventry its first Toby Pantry, which according to them was 'an entirely new concept in pub catering'. At lunchtime their trade was to come from the local factories and in the evening from the residential area. All your favourites were there - Draught Bass, Brew XI, M&B Mild, Carling, Hemeling Lager and the new Crusader Dark lager!
All M&B's enthusiasm was in vain though. Within another twenty - odd years the pub had degenerated into a 'Sports Bar', the last refuge of unloved pubs, whilst M&B had ceased to exist as a brewing company. The Hawthorn was demolished to be replaced by another housing estate after a life of just 70 years in its final form.
 The hawthorn tree was a symbol of the house of Tudor, which came about when, in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth, Richard III was defeated and slain. During the battle the royal crown of England was lost or stolen. It was later found under a hawthorn bush by Lord Stanley, who placed it on Henry Tudor's head. Also the Romans considered that a hawthorn bush would act as a protection against scurvy. They placed hawthorn leaves in the cradles of their newly-born babies. | |||
LICENSEES:1900 - 1908 Joseph Sumner (Summers) 1910 - 1913 A Bailey 1921 - 1922 T. E. Andrew 1923 - 1927 Annie Bailey 1928 - 1932 C. S. Coulson 1932 - 1938 A. C. Chattaway 1938 - 1940 W. Southall 1940 William Speed 1947 Geoffrey Stafford Nelson 1949 - 1956 Neville Abel 1959 Frederick Truelove 1975 - 1982 Jim & Linda Crawford | |||
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