AN HISTORIC Coventry pub is set to close on Friday (January 17), after centuries of serving the punters of Coventry.
The Squirrel, on New Union Street, will have its last pints pulled this month as its owners look for a sale.
Managers posted on social media a message to customers, informing them of the pub’s imminent closure, writing: “We are sorry to say we are leaving the Squirrel after 15 years on Friday 17th January.
“John, Corena and family would like to thank you all for the good times we have had. We’ve loved meeting and making new friends we are very sad to make this announcement but it was out of our control.
“The brewery have decided to sell up. Thank you all for you custom and thank you to all who have worked with us over the years. A special thank you to the manager Matthew and good luck in your new pub in Leamington (the Somerville arms). We are sad to see another great pub gone from the city centre on this very sad day.”
Formerly the Hare and Squirrel, the pub dates from 1931 – but a pub with the name has stood on the site since the 1800s.
Speaking to the Observer, a spokesperson for Punch Pubs confirmed it owns the Squirrel, but said the firm had no plans for the site at the moment.
According to Coventry historian Fred Luckett, the pub dates back to medieval times, with its first recorded mention in the 1700s after robbers murdered a man nearby.
The old pub was demolished in the late 1920’s and a new Hare and Squirrel opened in 1931. It survived the bombings of the second world war, which destroyed nearby Greyfriars church in 1941, and became a hotel through the 1950s before a series of takeovers by pub chains.
