Much Park Street

I think the pictures might be slightly later than previously suggested because on one of them can be seen the Lanchester block of flats and I seem to recall these were nearer 1970. Franklins was used for a short while by the HAGM as a store for its growing car collection, housing material which could not be housed in the Museum. This subsequently moved to The Maltings on the other side of the street and finally to an industrial unit at Curriers Close before expanding at Hales Street. The numbering in Much Park Street was continuous from the top [east side] and returned up the west side. Until fairly recently the base of the Franklins chimney could be seen at the back of the Whitefriars Gate. I cannot remember how the street was affected by the ring road because this section [like the stretch from King St to Foleshill Road] was done twice. It was the first section to be laid out in the late 1950s with the London Road island and incorporated cycle tracks which were lost when the road was rejigged in the late 1960s. I suspect the subway was built in the second phase but cannot recall how the road was crossed prior to that.

My photographs were taken in 1968, I know this because they were part of a film used to record an archaeological dig at Ryton. The street must have been blocked off after 1968, but I don't know when.

My grandparents, mum and her 2 brothers lived here when they came to Coventry in 1943. They lived over the chip shop where granny and grandpa also slept. the others had to use an iron staircase to get to their bedroom and had to be locked in at night because tramps would try to get in for a nights sleep. I have some photos of Much Park Street and Whitefriars Lane which I will attempt to post in my gallery.

Much Park Street. My mum, Florence Hemmings, was born at No 13 Court, Much Park Street, in 1904, and as a child I never got tired of listening to her stories about her life there. As a very young child, I always thought she was royalty ! She used to tell me about living in a cobbled courtyard, with peacocks strutting around outside ! It was years later that she confessed to actually living in a very poor area and the peacocks were, in fact, a family by the name of Peacock. Anyone interested in the history of this street and the people who lived there, should read "Hurdy Gurdy Days" by the Womens Research Group. Its about the life of Grace Charlton, a little girl who lived in the street in the 1900's, funnily enough, I remember my mum talking about the Charlton's. The book is a must for anyone interested .

Sorry for the mess. I would be grateful if someone on admin could tidy these photos up for me and put them into my gallery. Thank you. Four of the photos were taken in Whitefriars Lane where they used to play. The family lived here from 1943 for about 9 years.

YAY GO ME I have managed to put them in my gallery woop woop.

That's great new Elaine - and fantastic photos too! And as requested, I've cropped your photos now to make them fit better.

There are some great photographs on this thread! Thanks to those posting them.

Well done both, Elaine for the photos and Sir Rob for the work on them!

I have just checked on Amazon and there are five copies of "Hurdy Gurdy Days" for sale starting at £2.77 (plus postage).

This is a photo of my great-great-grandparents and one of my aunts taken about 1906 in one of the Whitefriars Lane courts. Poor but proud!

No 35, it had been a pub called The Rose Inn until 1909.

If memory serves The Admiral Lord Rodney was at 88 Much Park Street.

That's correct and the Black Prince was at No79 which would put No83 mid-way between the two.

Some great photos there. Much Park Street is poorly represented in photos of Coventry and there aren't many drawings of it either. It looks like it was one of the earliest streets to be industrialised and artists just didn't want to record what was there. The south end of the road is even more sketchy.