The Establishment

The Establishment  is a bar which operates in a  historic former courthouse. It is in the area of Coventry , England, known as the Cathedral Quarter. The building itself is also called locally County Hall, its original name. It was designed by Samual Eglington. A prison was formerly on land next to the building and the Prison Governor's House is still attached to the building. 

The building was opened in 1783, when it was used as a county court. Its most famous case was in 1849 which resulted in the public hanging of Mary Ball (who had been found guilty of poisoning her husband). Because the prison was next door this took place almost directly  outside the court. Mary Ball, of nearby, Nuneaton, was the last person to be hanged there (and the last in the city) and it is reported that the execution attracted  over 20,000 spectators.

The court moved to a modern building about 400 yards away in 1988 and the building lay empty for several years until it was bought for use as a bar. The interior was remodelled extensively but aspects of the courthouse such as the judge's chair, the public gallery and the steps down to the cells  were left as features.

This unusual bar is surrounded by numerous historic medieval buildings including the Town Hall, Guildhall, Coventry Cathedral and the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey but it is claimed that this is actually the only 18th century building of any architectural note left in the city.