Shops of yore

I see in the news today that Beryl Houghton, another long standing Coventry business has to be added to the list of closures

Thanks for the info about Beryl Houghtons, and I am very sad as I have bought a few items of equipment off them over the years. Sadly, especially since the demise of Jessops, it has become a case of buying photographic items off the internet (usually through Amazon).

I picked up an old oil can a few years ago that had a Coventry 'Broadhurst' ironmongers name on it, does anyone know where the shop was ? Sorry for the dusty shelf, have ongoing building projects

Catshed. R Broadhurst is advertising in the Coventry Herald at 25 Smithford Street and 64 Hertford Street as furnishing Ironmongers. He called in the receivers in 1912 and his address is given as 8 Meriden Street.

In the 1920s and 1930s, they traded at 130 Queen Victoria Road

Thanks very much, I tried to find out ever since I got it but knew you clever folk would know - brilliant, and same goes for this forum Andy Mount St

The photograph of Lawrence the Ironmonger brought back many childhood memories. As a child I was a regular customer at the White Street shop, buying bits and pieces for my Meccano set. My mother used to work at the tobacconist/news agent/ confectioner a few shops up towards the Swanswell. I can remember it as Morrisons, then Wagstaffs and then it was bought out by L.R. & G.R. Kay Ltd. of Leicester (I think). I have a vague recollection that somewhere along the line it was also owned by a Mr & Mrs Turner. Now that the grey matter has been given a stir, I remember some of the other nearby shops. There was Gladdings the Baker and was it Whettons the chemist on the corner of White Street and Weatley Street? They used to have a huge range of grease paint and had many of the artists appearing at the Hippodrome as customers, also I think there was a National Cash Shop possibly next door to Gladdings. The other side of the road I remember was mostly taken up by Goddard & Poke (Wholesale Newsagents). On the corner was the Sir Thomas White Hotel, I went to Frederick Bird SM Boys school with their son, Paul Knight - anyone remember him?

When I was serving my apprenticeship I was occasionally given the bus fare to go to an ironmongers near the General Wolfe pub. This was to buy items like glass paper and items used by my employer H L Bates builder of Arbury Ave'. We were paid 1/- (One shilling) a week tool allowance that I spent with this ironmonger. I think the name was Forey's but it was so long ago I am not totally sure. Why ironmongers? They sold lots of things but never iron.

Norman C Yes it was Foreys A shilling today would be 5p, can you remember what you could buy for a shilling back then? Alan H

Forey's

There was a Lawrence shop in Ford Street sold tools etc, I seem to recall.

I'm pretty sure I also recall a branch of Forey's near to The Forum (not this one!) in Walsgrave Road opposite Stoke Park School. I was still only a kid when it closed though - possibly early or mid 1970s?

They did sell things made of iron like nails and gardening implements, galvanised iron buckets, possibly corrugated iron roofing sheets. Anything made of steel is mainly iron so it reasonable to use "iron" as a blanket term to include wrought iron, cast iron and steel products.

1975 Telephone Directory shows Forey's at 529 Foleshill Road, 62 Woodway Lane and 304 Walsgrave Road

Gas centre. The tool allowance was not to buy tools but to maintain the tools given at the start of the apprenticeship. Harold (the H in HL Bates) kitted me out very well, four saws each for a different use, a block plane, a smoothing plane and an assortment of chisels. I did have to buy some other items and most were expensive. I had to buy only the best and a simple item like a folding rule made by Rabone cost about 10 bob. I enjoyed my time with Bates, after ten weeks in the workshop I was sent out with an elderly chippy, Walter Coplin of Longford who smoked a clay pipe. We worked in Tintersfield Hall in Rugby that was once the home of Rootes the car manufacturer, also Moreton Hall that became an agricultural college. Happy days but mostly wasted I'm afraid because once out of my apprenticeship I put away my tools and took up other employment.