I was fortunate enough the other day to find myself in a bar called Inspire in Coventry’s city centre. They happen to have their café bar insurance through one of our broker partners so I thought it only fair and reasonable that I gave them a bit of a mention. The place is a bit of an oddity really. Situated at the base of Christchurch Spire (the only part of the church left after the blitz in World War II), it has a fabulous array of beers from literally all around the world.
Inspire was included in the top 50 bars in the country in the Independent newspaper and is also featured in the Lonely Planet guide. The building itself is steeped in history. The church was originally built by Franciscan monks in the early 14th Century in the grounds of Greyfriars monastery. Two hundred years later the friary was dissolved by Henry VIII during the Reformation and all the buildings were torn down, apart from the tower and spire.
By the early 1800s the tower was nothing more than an elaborate pigsty and store, but the need was growing for another church to cope with the parish’s expanding population. The foundation stone was laid in 1830 and Christchurch was completed and consecrated in 1832. The original church had been 240ft long but the replacement was much smaller to fit in with buildings nearby. It meant the spire formed the chancel at one end rather than being centrally positioned as before.
During the second world war, it survived the November 1940 raid that claimed the Coventry Cathedral, but Christchurch’s luck finally ran out on the night of April 10, 1941. Bombs crashed through the roof of the building, damaging the walls and dislodging the bell, which slammed into the floor. The main body of the church was declared unsafe and was demolished in 1950, although the much older tower and spire were saved. The remaining tower and spire were restored ten years ago for £267,000, and as I previously said, Inspire sits comfortably inside the base, complete with pews to relax whilst sampling some fabulous world beers. So if you’re ever in the Coventry area I thoroughly recommend nipping in for one.
I am pretty certain that the Luftwaffe aren’t going to have another pop anytime soon, which is one of the reasons why Inspire’s café bar insurance is so reasonably priced!… Through Comparecrazy.com. The business insurance comparison site!
