Hertford Street

Coral's marks the dead centre of where the Geisha was located.

Ah! Thanks. It's difficult to get something from nothing to locate stuff here. Much easier around Broadgate etc.

Here's a 'negative' of the image from Osmiroid. I hope that's ok.

Yes, no problem. Any pictures I put on the internet I am happy for people to use

It's more than likely I visited the Empire cinema before the war. But come 1940's (post 12) 100s of times, because Hertford Street became the busiest street in Coventry. Nearly every household had someone walk down it often (Broadgate to the station). But most of us walk by shops and never see the name unless it has some special reference, and I don't remember the Geisha Cafe at all, neither by building or the staff. But post 78 where the trees are on the left was the YMCA and on the right a gents hairdresser. Now about 20 young men of Coventry visited the gym at the YMCA several times a week, an act from the Hippodrome also visited during the fifties, most of them used Hertford Street, but no one as I knew visited the Geisha Cafe. The Post Office became very important to me in the fifties, and I knew Beryl Simmons that worked for M Hobley and her boyfriend the rugger player J Gardner. But the rest of the shops I paid little attention to. The hairdresser moved after about a year, I have no idea where to, but it could have been the Leofric. I believe the street played a huge part in the war for Coventry residents and should have had a better ending.

"I believe the street played a huge part in the war for Coventry residents and should have had a better ending." Yes, it's a shame what happened to it, especially as it was main route from Broadgate to the station.

Agreed, but, more significantly, it was a main route into the centre of the city

Kaga, in my childhood and youth, virtually the only memory I have of Hertford Street is the Geisha cafe, my mother and auntie used to visit there, I would guess, every Friday for a cup of tea and cakes. Remember when they used to bring them around in some cafes on a tiered cake stand - the main attraction for my mother was Kunzle cakes (I`m sure they are mentioned on a thread elsewhere) but if memory serves me right they came in a little paper fluted package and had a hard(ish) chocolate top, perhaps with some decoration, but they were definitely a luxury goods (particularly just after the war). Oh, most of it was set out in tables with 4 seats and it was the sort of place you got a water jug and glasses at lunch. Other shops I remember were Greens the Chemist, was there a shop window where the Evening Telegraph used to publish pictures? John Hansons (music), Pattisons (another posh-ish cafe), latterly Elizabeth the Chef (yum-yum), and there was also the offices of an American agricultural company, where my wife worked as a "temp" at one time, can`t remember what it was, but perhaps they made prefabricated farm buildings (Burtons?). You mention the YMCA, don`t know how long it was there, but my uncle Alan Turner played for and was captain of the YMCA rugby team between the two wars (he also used to tell the tale of how he was at the first match at Coundon Road and the last match Cov ever played there). PS I remembered the name of the American Co. was "Butler Buildings"

Yes there was Roger and here is somebody reading it in 1949!

Ooow that`s a brilliant shot Dutchman And so revealing of the war damage to that area, I was particularly taken by the fire places on the gable of the adjacent building, am I also looking at a sea of "tin" roofs?

Here's a wider angle version of the same view showing the plethora of temporary buildings and partial rebuilds in that part of the street:

Nice one Dutchman, you can see the playing card sign for the Queens on the right by the white car which we demolished a long time ago.

Great spot, Norm

Anyone know where this would have been taken from? I can obviously see the Market Tower and the shell of the arcade(?) Is it somewhere like the Ironmonger Row or do I have the wrong aspect?

Holy Trinity spire, I suspect