Burges and Cross Cheaping

"Burges transformation" plans - report

MR, that will be a very interesting project to follow, hopefully with a positive result. I have wondered before why there has been no commitment made to develop that area of the Burges.

I think the Plaza thing is a miniscule normality of places where shops exist, hardly worth a mention. The big, big problem with Cross Cheaping and the Burges is the Primark building blocking that end off, the same as blocking Hertford Street off was a giant mistake. I notice when sitting in Broadgate, mostly on Sundays, almost all pedestrians walk diagonally across, to where the Royal Vaults was, then down Butcher Row, then down into Trinity Street. It seems the non-prominent tunnel at the Leofric side of Primark that would take them down Cross Cheaping is not in their consciousness. I expect the council will make expensive needless attempts costing millions but the blindingly obvious Primark problem will remain indestructable.

I think the problem with 'Ironmonger Square' is that it was never supposed to exist as some old post-war plans show a building on this site. This would have made Broadgate into a square with a road running from Hertford Street down to Pool Meadow faced by buildings and no weird dog leg formed by the empty space. The Burges was either gone or reduced to a service road for the shops. In the context of the post war layout for Broadgate this made sense. It doesn't make sense now and has led to a poor 'square' dominated by a brick wall. The pre-war layout would have been preferable, IMHO.

I'd like to see another building on there, get Ironmonger Row clearly defined in roughly the original location, call what is Little Butcher Row by its name because that's where it is, give the small square below Butcher Row its Bull Ring name too. Keep the Coventry Cross where it is, stop looting quiet peaceful backstreets of their treasures to dump in a commercialised 21st century shopping area. Maybe the left side of such a new building mentioned above could be a new Cross Cheaping Vaults.

Flapdoodle is right, there never was a Ironmonger Square, not before 1936. Owen Owen stole Ironmonger Row, and the 2nd Owen Owen stole part of Broadgate.

Somewhere about opposite Little Butcher Row in the Burges there was a small shop that had depth more than width. You walked in through the door - on your right was a large cast-iron mangle (not exact on the measurements) but about three feet wide, five feet high, two feet deep. It stood on two cast iron legs across the depth in the form of an 'x', cast-iron, in some sort of a pattern - between them the rollers that squeezed the water out they were about six inches in diameter. Below a well scrubbed wooden tray with drainage hole you placed a bucket under. On the right-hand side was an iron wheel about two feet diameter, the wheel had iron struts in the shape of a running man (my description) - in the centre was the wooden handle. Above was a couple of cast-iron flat bars in a bow shape that spanned the lot - a small wheel altered the distance between rollers. Along the other wall, cane laundry baskets, small tin baths that held coppers sticks, scrubbing brushes - another cane basket held wooden clothes pegs and different laundry items - huge wooden dollies, dolly tubs. In the room beyond there were more mangles of different sizes - a further room they repaired them, there was always hammering and banging. Outside our back door on the right were two five foot rainwater tubs, on the left the kitchen window, two steps from the door was our washroom, red six-inch tiles on the floor - on the left-hand side a foot from the wall stood the same huge mangle. On the far wall a long window, underneath a deep sink with drainage boards each side, in the corner a copper in glazed red brick with fireplace. We also had cane baskets, tin bath tubs, clothes pegs and copper stick. It was my brother and I that filled the copper from rainwater butts, lit and looked after the copper fire, wound the handle of the mangle while my sister fed the clothes into the mangle, and mother took them and folded and put them in the cane laundry basket. My brother and I had to empty the dirty water, clean the fireplace when cool and clean up in general. As we grew older and the eldest boy went to work then a younger brother filled in the spot.

I believe Ian Harrabin of Fargo, CET Building etc. acquired that building so it could well turn into something interesting.

Osmiroid, The Bull Ring was mostly barley and oat traders, They kept separate to the corn merchants, in Hertford Street.

I was lucky enough today to catch a glimpse of the original wording on the clock, and have been able to highlight it below

Great shot! Is it visible more at different times of day? Or probably because your camera's a million times better than my phone.

It's about time. It's a very grim link between areas that are looking nice. I'm hoping that a makeover will encourage people to look after it.

Hoping for improvements too. My only criticism with this (without wanting to get too political) is that Mr Harrabin, the chairman of the Historic Coventry Trust, is also well known for having his own extensive and successful building company. I'm sure part of that £25million (will it really cost that much?) may be heading their way.

I'd like the clock to be regilbertised.