Shops of yore

Thanks Argon you`ve saved me, of course it was Queensland Ave and yes it was the corner at the junction of Allesley Old Road. I can "see" it in my minds eye now. I think the window display was giant chemists bottles(?) Actually I remember son of Tomlinson at school (KHS) playing class rugby and teacher saying "come on Tommy -gun". I think he had ginger hair and he was heads taller than the rest of us.. Wonder what happened to him?

I'm sure there was a chip shop somewhere in that area too although I only ever visited it once very late at night.

There was Dutchman, but it was farther down Melbourne Road (on the right hand side facing Spon End), a house down from the corner of Latham Road. I've just 'Googled' the street view and notice that's been converted to a private house now as well. The other local F&C Shop (quite popular) was Whitmore's on Broomfield Road across from Melbourne Road. I've just noticed that the newsagent Preedy's on the corner of Melbourne Road and Spon End is no longer a shop.

Thanks Wearethemods but I don't think that is the one I remember. It may have been the one on the corner of Centaur Road and Bristol Road (Culshaw's) although I don't remember walking quite that far.

Broomfield Road was mentioned above. My wife lived there early 1960s and looking down hill towards Earlsdon Ave, half way down on the right there was a little shop which amongst other things, sold cakes, for the life of me I cannot remember her name Mrs.......... she gave us a lovely cake knife for a wedding present.

I was working at Mr Cooper's NSS Newsagents shop in 1975. This was in Green Lane, Coventry; almost at school leaving age, I was 16. Some of my contemporaries smoked, I didn't. But, I was intrigued to try it out. And so, not really thinking out of the box, we decided, my worldly school friend and I, to buy our experimental cigarettes from Mr Cooper's shop. In retrospect - this was a very limited, and, really bad idea. We lurked outside the shop - couldn't go in to buy the fags, because I worked there, after school - I was known - nobody would have served me. But, there were 'cigarette machines' outside the shop - remember those? And one brand of cigarette was available, sadly, for me, Capstan Full Strength - unfiltered, of course. We furtively extracted a packet of ten from the machine, and, along with a 'book of matches', we'd previously secreted, slunk along to Coventry's War Memorial Park. I can clearly remember crouching behind one of the pavilions. And we lit up. And, I was ill, very ill. Capstan Full Strength is not to be fooled with - unless you're an experienced smoker of course, like my school-friend, who breezily blew the exhaled smoke through her nostrils and tapped the ash from her cigarette in a relaxed manner, as I was as sick as a dog as I attempted to chain smoke five cigarettes. Haven't touched cigarettes since 1975 though

Ha ha Sue L, I will have to tell this story to my neighbour Eileen Cooper, I'm sure she will remember you working for her.

Hi Mayjan - is that Mrs Cooper who also used to run the newsagent's shop? If so, I remember her very well too

Hi Sue, yes it is, she lives next door but one to me. She lost her husband a few years ago. I also lived next door to Ray Rastall (Ray's Bar) in the seventies. I was living on Kenpas Highway then!

Hi Mayjan, I remember them both so well. I'm sorry that Mr Cooper passed on a few years ago, but, I'm pleased that Mrs Cooper is still around! If she does remember me, I was Susan Davies in those days, and initially worked with another girl called Susan Hall, and then a girl a year younger than me called Judith Nicholson. I worked for Mr & Mrs Cooper between 1973 and 1975, when I left school, and started working full-time at Massey-Ferguson. I can remember covering other shop assistants' shifts during the summer of 1975, when they went on holiday, as I'd left school by then, and was waiting to start my new full time job. I lived in Green Lane in those days - opposite the green fields further down from the shops and Junior School. All three of us girls went to Finham Park Comprehensive School, and worked Monday - Friday after school, in 'the shop', as we used to call it! The hours we worked were 4:30pm - 6:00pm every week-day except Thursdays, which was 4:00pm - 6:00pm, on account of the Thursday half day closing in Coventry at that time. I have lots of memories of those days. They were happy times - I loved working in 'the shop', it was brilliant! A couple of years later on, for me anyway, cocktails at Ray's Bar at the Leofric Hotel were just part of Coventry in the 1970s. Ray always seemed like such a nice man. Fantastic that you lived next door to him! Kind regards. SueL

Hi Sue, I will show Eileen Cooper your comments, I'm sure she will remember you. Ray was a lovely man, he had a little poodle named Sacha who he adored. I remember him telling me over the fence one day that Sacha had passed away, he was heartbroken. My two children went to Stivichall Infants and Juniors and then Finham Park. I now have a grandson who is also at Finham. Best wishes Jan

It became a wine bar - now it's a Spar shop

Now that's an interesting building, because in the early 50's I believe part of it was a bank. A guy walked in, said this a stick up, hand over the money, they did, Ten minutes later he walked in to the cop shop, said I'll save you sometime, I'm the guy that just robbed the bank. They arrested him and hastened to his house (believe Binley Rd) to retrieve the money. His wife answered knock on the door, I don't care if you have a warrant, this is my house, not in my name, so you don't come in here, so sod off. Have no idea what happened after that.

Norman C what was the tele shop on the corner of Matlock Road?

Yes Kaga and there hangs a tale. When I lived in Matlock Rd we bought a TV from them on the glad and sorry (the drip). I set up a direct debit with the TSB on the corner of Broad St. We moved from Matlock Rd to Chapel End and all was well, until . . Big knock on the door and a couple of heavies stormed in accusing me of not paying for the TV and doing a runner. They took the TV. I couldn't understand what had happened so I followed them back and called in the TSB, true they hadn't paid. I drew out the money. So, went over the road to the TV shop just as they were taking my old TV into the shop. Surprised looks. I explained what had happened and said that I wanted to buy, for cash, a TV. Very good, they said and offered to sell me back my repossessed TV. I told the guy that I was only interested in a new set, not an old one that had been repossessed. In those days TSB didn't send statements, we just had a book that was updated when we called in the bank. Also Kaga did you know that that TV shop was the very, very first Comet store.