There are many Coventry pubs where last orders were called many years ago. They were part of the fabric of the city’s nightlife – places where people had many unforgettable nights either during the week or at the weekends to relieve the stress and forget all about work.
However, one Coventry pub which was lost in 2010 is now used as a student accommodation block, now called The Penny Black. Located on Greyfriars Lane, it opened in the 19th century.
It was formerly called the General Lee, after General Robert E. Lee, a famous general in the American Civil War. It was then changed to Stoneleigh Abbey.
It became the Penny Black in the 1960s. It shut in 2010 and went from being a pub to a shop.
Things didn’t stop there, however. It was converted in the end into student accommodation that offers a range of shared apartments, with Coventry University a 10 minute walk and City College within nearby distance.
Such is the life story of a pub in our city. It shouldn’t surprise us, however.
Habits have changed, with the smoking ban and cheap supermarket booze hitting pubs hard. Hundreds of pubs across the UK shut every year.
According to real estate analysts at the Altus Group using data for this year, just as many pubs closed in the UK in the first six months of 2023 as shut in the entirety of 2022. That sad thought leads you to wonder which pub might be next.
Take a look at the pictures below of Penny Black house in our gallery below.
Penny Black House was a former pub
It was formerly named after a military officer
It is now a student accommodation block
Inside the accomodation
Kitchen area
A bedroom suite
A bathroom suite
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
