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

Drinking in an Old English Town

Old Windmill, 20-23 Spon Street

This is probably Coventry's oldest and best-known pub. It is Grade II listed and described as: "Sixteenth century or earlier. Colour-washed stucco front, old tiled roof. A timber frame of two storeys with first floor oversailing, corbels encased behind wooden fascia". It is not dated any earlier than the sixteenth century because of the absence of any trace of a hall. Still, claims have been made for a date of 1451 and, during an 1985 renovation, a Victorian fireplace removal exposed an open stone hearth, also claimed to be 15th century. Until around 1842 this pub was just the Windmill, after which time Old Windmill became common, although for some time just Windmill was still often used, which causes confusion with the Windmill Inn at 105-106 in the same street, nearer to Spon End. In 1756 four soldiers were billeted here. Until the mid- nineteenth century, these were was two premises with the partition being the passageway from the central front door which ran through the whole site. The site of the present bar was a yard with outside toilets at the end. To the left of the passageway was a shop where an assortment of goods, including toys, was sold. To the right was the pub. When the property was united, the left hand side was domestic quarters until recently whilst domestic quarters also covered the entire width upstairs. The pub is known as Ma Brown's as this lady kept the pub until her death at the age of 84 in 1967. The Brown family's association with the pub began in 1931 when Sydney Brown became licensee. Previously he had run the Lamp Tavern in Cook Street and before that he had been a carpenter and coffin maker in Hillfields. Sydney Brown died in 1940 and his wife, Ann (Ma) Brown took over the tenancy. It is said that she 'ran an orderly and efficient house, did not suffer fools gladly and would not allow gambling on the premises'. After her death her son Ted and his wife Dora took over and ran the pub until retirement in 1975. The pub was a home-brew house until 1930, so brewing appears to have ceased with the arrival of the Browns. The brewhouse still survives to the rear of the pub, although there is seating there now. In 1985 the pub was extensively renovated. The yard was enclosed and became part of the building; the bar was placed here. The old bar, of tiny proportions, only being 2 feet 6 inches wide, was retained as a snug and the front room with its range remained unchanged. Only one wall was removed to open up the lounge into the new bar area.

LICENSEES: 1828 - 1835 John Welch 1842 Thomas Hazel 1842 John Hazel (June to November) 1842 - 1846 John Roe 1846 - 1850 John Bayliss 1850 - 1851 James Bartlett Cooper 1851 - 1854 James Haddon (died 19th January 1854) 1854 - 1857 John Smith 1857 - 1866 John Preedy 1866 - 1867 Joseph Cattell (moved to Crystal Palace, Burges, December 1867) 1868 - 1895 William Cattell 1895 - 1910 William Cattell junior 1910 - 1912 Reuben Brittain Twyneham (died 3rd July 1912) 1912 Catherine Edith Twyneham (widow of Reuben) 1914 Charles Hitchcox (see also at the Horse and Jockey, Much Park Street in 1916 and the Toby's Head, Pepper Lane 1924 - 1927. Thanks to Malcolm Croft for info) 1919 - 1922 Edith Elizabeth Twyneham 1924 - 1931 Catherine Edith. Twyneham 1931 - 1940 Sydney Brown (died 17th September) 1940 - 1966 Ann Brown (widow of Sydney. Ann died 2nd September 1966.) 1966 - 1975 Edward Brown 1977 Terry Jones 1982 Mike Woolmer 1985 Mick Blackburn BREWERS: to 1910 William Cattell 1910 - 1930 Mrs. Catherine E. Twyneham