Title
Memories of the Coventry Arms pub aka the Brass House.
Subject
Leisure
Description
June Davies talks about the Coventry Arms pub, Halford Street, Leicester, also known as the Brass House. June's parents ran the pub and she grew up in it.
Creator
East Midlands Oral History Archive
Source
Interview with June Davies for the East Midlands Oral History Archive. Ref: EMOHA6/42.
Publisher
East Midlands Oral History Archive
Date
1940s
Contributor
East Midlands Oral History Archive
Rights
You may use this item in accordance with the licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/uk/
Format
.mp3
Language
English
Type
Oral history
Original Format
.wav
Duration
2 min 40 sec
Bit Rate/Frequency
320kbps
Transcription
And of course, it was known as the Brass House. So, could you give me an idea of what the interior looked like?
It was just, it just brass everywhere. As you walked in that door, there was, counter, I suppose it looked like, and on that I think I told you there was some milk churn in brass, 3-4 foot tall on top of there, and just brass all over that top piece. And then all the way down the wall there was a ledge above where people sat and there was brass all the way along there. Then of course the fire with the shelves, so there was brass round the fire, brass on the shelves, brass in the window towards the backyard, there's just brass everywhere, everywhere, he had – unbelievable - he said he had 1000, I read this and it said it was 600, but who knows? I don't suppose anybody ever counted it, really.
He just had this urge to collect things. I can remember a man called Frank Ford, don't ask me why, but he was a bookmaker and he came every day. And Sam, who came every day, and Alan Price, who came every day, who was a bank manager. You know there's people and there came every day, every single day. And in the corner near the fire, in those days again, on the hill, Swain Street Bridge, Hillcrest Hospital, and we’d got old Teddy, who came from the workhouse and came every day, sat in the corner next to the fire, kept him warm, you see. And he just relied on other people buying him a drink, which they did because he was there every day and my father eventually let, allowed him to sleep there in the afternoon, so he didn't have to go home and walk home. So, a big variety of people.
Lots of lock-ins. 10:00 o'clock at night we started, and they were all the people who were working those hours. Yeah, so, we had the staff from the Grand (Hotel), staff from Bell (Hotel), I don't mean all of them, some. The orchestra from the Opera House they used to come, ‘cause they'd finished at that time, and the local policeman on his beat used to knock the door and come and join us.
It was just, it just brass everywhere. As you walked in that door, there was, counter, I suppose it looked like, and on that I think I told you there was some milk churn in brass, 3-4 foot tall on top of there, and just brass all over that top piece. And then all the way down the wall there was a ledge above where people sat and there was brass all the way along there. Then of course the fire with the shelves, so there was brass round the fire, brass on the shelves, brass in the window towards the backyard, there's just brass everywhere, everywhere, he had – unbelievable - he said he had 1000, I read this and it said it was 600, but who knows? I don't suppose anybody ever counted it, really.
He just had this urge to collect things. I can remember a man called Frank Ford, don't ask me why, but he was a bookmaker and he came every day. And Sam, who came every day, and Alan Price, who came every day, who was a bank manager. You know there's people and there came every day, every single day. And in the corner near the fire, in those days again, on the hill, Swain Street Bridge, Hillcrest Hospital, and we’d got old Teddy, who came from the workhouse and came every day, sat in the corner next to the fire, kept him warm, you see. And he just relied on other people buying him a drink, which they did because he was there every day and my father eventually let, allowed him to sleep there in the afternoon, so he didn't have to go home and walk home. So, a big variety of people.
Lots of lock-ins. 10:00 o'clock at night we started, and they were all the people who were working those hours. Yeah, so, we had the staff from the Grand (Hotel), staff from Bell (Hotel), I don't mean all of them, some. The orchestra from the Opera House they used to come, ‘cause they'd finished at that time, and the local policeman on his beat used to knock the door and come and join us.
Interviewer
Colin Hyde
Interviewee
June Davies
Location
Interviewee's home address
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