Hotel Leofric, Coventry 1964

Hotel Leofric, Coventry, 1964 — Rising above Broadgate with clean post-war modernist lines, the Leofric had opened in April 1955 as the first major city hotel built in Britain after WWII. Designed by Hattrell and Partners to complement Coventry’s new civic centre, it offered 108 rooms (most with private bathrooms), lounges, a cocktail bar, ballroom and the White Lion pub at street level. Through the 1960s and 1970s, the Hotel Leofric became Coventry’s social epicentre. The guest list read like a roll-call of entertainment royalty: comedy duo Morecambe and Wise, rock ‘n’ roll pioneer Bill Haley, and even the Sex Pistols Sid Vicious, who infamously damaged his room during a 1977 stay. The ballroom hosted glamorous events, from charity galas to civic banquets.

It was later converted into a Travelodge, and finally Mercia Lodge student accommodation — its old ballroom now reborn as The Ballroom Climbing Wall.