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

Drinking in an Old English Town

Mercers Arms, Swan Lane

The Company of Mercers (i.e. Drapers) received their first charter in 1393. They dealt mostly in costly materials such as silk. The silk industry was Coventry's main trade for much of the nineteenth century. This pub opened in 1933 under licensee, E. Hall. In 1982 this was described as a 'large, popular pub opposite Coventry City Football Club's ground' (at Highjfield Road, that is). The pub was known for hosting music: in the 1960s it was jazz, in later decades, folk. The Mercers was demolished c2000.

LICENSEES: 1933 - 1936 E. Hall 1937 - 1940 A. Neville 1955 - 1957 Thomas A. Hardware 1960 - 1962 T. Lloyd