Coeur de Lion - Bath

17 Northumberland Place
Bath
Somerset
BA1 5AR

Telephone: 01225 463 568

Situated in Northumberland Place, which leads off the High Street, just up from the Abbey and opposite the Guildhall is Bath's smallest pub, The Coeur De Lion.

Northumberland Place was originally known as Marchants Court, and was described by John Wood as "entirely new" in 1749.

A woodcarver called William Batt acquired a license to sell beer around 1860 at number 4 Northumberland Place (across the road from the Coeur). A few years later he named his beer house the Avondale Stores and we assume he bought his beer from the Avondale Brewery at Batheaston. Around 1880, after many changes of licensee, it was re-christened the Coeur De Lion - a very unusual choice which has baffled many, as this is, as far as we know, the only pub of this name in the country, and possibly the whole of the UK.

In 1886 Stoffel and Co, grocers, who by then owned most of Northumberland Place, decided it made more sense to move the Coeur De Lion across the road to where it is now situated.

Many years later the Devenish brewery acquired the pub, which now held a full license. In 1987, on the retirement of Licensee Dennis Thomas - and in light of the high prices that property in Bath was then fetching - Devenish announced that it was investigating a possible disposal, placing serious question marks over its future as a public house.

However a new Landlord was subsequently appointed and all seemed well under Stephen Shearing until Devenish announced three years later that the Coeur De Lion was to close. A large petition from the regulars and support from local MP Chris Patten, the Preservation Society, the Georgian Trust and the Council, saw plans to turn it into a shop rejected.

Described as a "gem", Bath's smallest pub is included in a CAMRA guide to Britain’s top 100 pubs.

One of the striking features of this Victorian pub is a stained glass front window which, ironically, features the name of Devenish, which was thwarted in its attempt to close the pub.

Today, the Coeur de Lion is now thriving under the ownership of Bath's only Brewery, Abbey Ales - operators of that other classic Bath pub, the Star Inn - and is still going strong.

Devenish, meanwhile, has ceased to exist.