OldCoventry on Twitter (1 Viewer)

clint van damme

Well-Known Member
For those that haven't heard of it they post pictures of Coventry from the past.

Been on a posting spree today and they've posted some absolute gems for anyone who's intersted in that sort of thing including one of my favourite City pub the Alhambra
 

Sky_Blue_Dreamer

Well-Known Member
It’s always bittersweet looking at old photos of Cov.
So much history, but such a shame what we have lost.

But at the same time it makes that which is left more special. If it was all still medieval and historic it'd be taken for granted. Take somewhere like Stratford, full of old medieval structures yet because it's all like that it's not appreciated as much as it would be here for example.

I'm no fan of the post-war modernist buildings, but at the same time I wouldn't want it all to be removed. Just in the future when just a handful remain they'll be more appreciated and they'll hopefully be the best examples of the type and you won't have the 'dross' - would you want, say, the Brittania or Priory halls listed?

There's actually a lot more historical stuff left that people realise but due to a mix of bombing and planning it's all spread out so doesn't make an impact or give the impression of our history that it should. There's timber framed buildings around the cathedral and in the Burges that were 'modernised' in Victorian times with a brick facade. There's FGS and Upper Spon St/Spon End, as well as 'medieval' Spon St.

I've always thought that you could use the area between the three spires would be great for creating a medieval conservation area that you could recreate the feel of the city in those days (narrow streets and lanes etc) than you can do in situ in the modern city. Move those ancient structures into that area like they did post-war on Spon St, but with more of a plan than as a 'dumping ground' because they couldn't knock them down. I think it'd be a far more effective home for FarGo than out of the main city centre area where it is.

I know this would be costly, but it would be offset by the freeing up of so much space without being encumbered by having to build around and be sympathetic to these historic buildings. Plus the impact of the buildings all being together would give Coventry a better feeling of its medieval history and appeal to certain tourists. So get developers to pay to move them in exchange for more freedom in what they want to build in terms of materials, height etc. It's basically a specific S106 agreement (which as far as I can tell is basically a legal bribe).

Sorry, got a bit carried away there. Urban planning is one of my other hobbies.
 

David O'Day

Well-Known Member
can't look at that, it says one picture is the junction on bell green road and aldermans green road when no such junction has ever existed and they are both in different areas
 

Kneeza

Well-Known Member
can't look at that, it says one picture is the junction on bell green road and aldermans green road when no such junction has ever existed and they are both in different areas
That's a common error tbf. See it on other photo sites regularly.
 

speedie87

Well-Known Member
For those that haven't heard of it they post pictures of Coventry from the past.

Been on a posting spree today and they've posted some absolute gems for anyone who's intersted in that sort of thing including one of my favourite City pub the Alhambra

Thanks for the heads up
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Saw a picture recently of the Black Lion pub on Gosford Street which my 3 x great grandfather was one of the last publicans at and took care of my great grandad after his old man passed away. Got knocked down for the ring road but then they ended up changing the route.
 

dutchman

Well-Known Member
Saw a picture recently of the Black Lion pub on Gosford Street which my 3 x great grandfather was one of the last publicans at and took care of my great grandad after his old man passed away. Got knocked down for the ring road but then they ended up changing the route.

This one? It had become a tailors by the time this wartime photo was taken. The tudor buildings either side of it were knocked down too. The archway on the right is the entrance to Whitefriars Lane.

YS3hSAT.jpeg
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
There was a thread on general chat a while back, not sure of its original topic of conversation but it got round to old Coventry pubs, turns out Houchens Head has a collection of photos of ( I think ) every Coventry pub past and present, ‘really interesting’ you should get him involved on here.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
This one? It had become a tailors by the time this wartime photo was taken. The tudor buildings either side of it were knocked down too. The archway on the right is the entrance to Whitefriars Lane.

YS3hSAT.jpeg

I saw this on another forum which I think you post on. The pub closed and became the family home, don’t know what happened after my ancestor died but hopefully with the 1921 census coming out this year there’s a chance of working it out.
 

dutchman

Well-Known Member
I saw this on another forum which I think you post on. The pub closed and became the family home, don’t know what happened after my ancestor died but hopefully with the 1921 census coming out this year there’s a chance of working it out.

It closed as a pub in 1904 as did around half of all pubs during that decade. Spennell's Directory for 1912-13 gives the occupant as being 'Anthony Greatrex' and it was still being referred to as 'The Old Black Lion'.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
It closed as a pub in 1904 as did around half of all pubs during that decade. Spennell's Directory for 1912-13 gives the occupant as being 'Anthony Greatrex' and it was still being referred to as 'The Old Black Lion'.

That's my 3 x great grandfather. His daughter was the manageress after she got widowed in the 1890s. Greatrex died before 1920, so it would interest me to know if they were still living in it afterwards.
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
There was a thread on general chat a while back, not sure of its original topic of conversation but it got round to old Coventry pubs, turns out Houchens Head has a collection of photos of ( I think ) every Coventry pub past and present, ‘really interesting’ you should get him involved on here.
I have a collection of around 400 pics of Cov pubs past and present and around 1,540 pics of Cov from the past. I'm a bit of an amateur historian of Cov really. Absolutely love the history of our great city. I've put loads on here in the past.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
I have a collection of around 400 pics of Cov pubs past and present and around 1,540 pics of Cov from the past. I'm a bit of an amateur historian of Cov really. Absolutely love the history of our great city. I've put loads on here in the past.

Got any Black Lion ones HH?
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
Got any Black Lion ones HH?
None of the Black Lion. There were two Black Lions over the time. One in Gosford St, which closed around 1912 and the other was believed to be in the High St but way back in the 1700's. So I doubt if there's any pics about.
 

Brighton Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
None of the Black Lion. There were two Black Lions over the time. One in Gosford St, which closed around 1912 and the other was believed to be in the High St but way back in the 1700's. So I doubt if there's any pics about.

It's the Gosford St one that I'm after. If you find any a PM would be most welcome
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
I have a collection of around 400 pics of Cov pubs past and present and around 1,540 pics of Cov from the past. I'm a bit of an amateur historian of Cov really. Absolutely love the history of our great city. I've put loads on here in the past.
Keep em coming Houch, love seeing them.
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
None of the Black Lion. There were two Black Lions over the time. One in Gosford St, which closed around 1912 and the other was believed to be in the High St but way back in the 1700's. So I doubt if there's any pics about.
Are your pub pics strictly limited to Coventry ?
It’s just that many years ago I had an Uncle & Auntie that kept the Black Bank on Coventry Rd, Bedworth and another that kept the Punch Bowl in Nuneaton.
I was born on Blackhorse Rd just north of the M6 that had a pub of the same name at one end and my old man’s local at the other The Boat.
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
Are your pub pics strictly limited to Coventry ?
It’s just that many years ago I had an Uncle & Auntie that kept the Black Bank on Coventry Rd, Bedworth and another that kept the Punch Bowl in Nuneaton.
I was born on Blackhorse Rd just north of the M6 that had a pub of the same name at one end and my old man’s local at the other The Boat.
Yeah, tend to stick to Coventry pubs, although I have a pic of the Boat in Grange Road, also one of the Boat in Shilton Lane. I'll do some digging for the Black Bank. (I remember this one well, because as a bus driver on the old 20 Bedworth route, this was a "Fare Stage".)
Boat, Grange Rd 1.jpg
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Boat, Shilton Lane 1.jpg
 

Houchens Head

Fairly well known member from Malvern
Yeah, tend to stick to Coventry pubs, although I have a pic of the Boat in Grange Road, also one of the Boat in Shilton Lane. I'll do some digging for the Black Bank. (I remember this one well, because as a bus driver on the old 20 Bedworth route, this was a "Fare Stage".)
View attachment 18224
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View attachment 18225
A couple of the Punch Bowl in Nuneaton.....
Punch Bowl 1.jpg
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Punch Bowl 2.jpg
 

Brylowes

Well-Known Member
A couple of the Punch Bowl in Nuneaton.....
View attachment 18226
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View attachment 18227
That’s great cheers, Grange road literally joins up with Blackhorse Rd, it’s Grange Rd on the Coventry side of the humpback bridge and Blackhorse Road on the Bedworth side, I think the photo above is my dad’s old local it looks just like it and it’s very unlikely there would have been 2 pubs of the same name within a couple of hundred yards of each other.
 

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