Smithford Street (inc. Ram Bridge)

Just as an aside, this was posted earlier in the thread!

Kaga. Smithford Street is there in the photo, running across the middle of the photo. True Form is on the corner of the newly created "streets" of Market Way and Lower Precinct. Kaga, Helen. The White Lion was a lot further left (east) - across Smithford Way and then the other side of M&S - so nowhere in the photo (see #387 for clarification)

MR Yes of course, the river was much farther down than the White Lion, but I was trying to point out to Helen about that red ditch in the topic Gosford St, thought I'd include this topic too, as it all led from Cheylesmore Grange, the moats spreading two ways. Yes, you once reminded me the Leofric opened in 1955 and the White Lion was gone. I was trying to place where the market clock was in that photo, just inside (east) of the river? But thanks, that photo cleared up the scene.

Kaga, I think the Market Clocktower had gone by the date of that photo, I never saw it in reality, so by the time that the Precinct was being developed I feel sure it would not be there then.

Prof. I know that, it was removed in 1953. The river ran straight across the Precinct under Smithford Street and straight on parallel with Spon Street to past Butt Lane. This way under West Orchard a couple of steps where it was joined by the Radford (before the alteration) Brook, then bore right, under Cross Cheaping. Between West Orchard and Cross Cheaping there was an opening where firemen drew water from the river during the blitz thus saving a lot of the Burges and around. Had the council in 1939 built wells in the river in a number of places then Coventry need not have burned as it did.

This view is dated as being 1954.

Kaga. I am amazed if I never remember seeing the Clock Tower, and so far as I know I did not see it. Maybe it was partially demolished. I think the Godiva Clock would be built in the early 50's but the mechanism was in store prior to going into the new home for it. Only newspaper records would throw light on it I guess. Any chance, Annewiggy?

According to the newspaper Prof it was demolished in early 1943. It was not a quick job as it describes workmen not being noticed sitting on the top - don't suppose Fred Dibnah was around then. The remains of Owen Owen's were also demolished that year. And the reporter describes that as a slow job, like the demolition of the clock tower. A report says that the demolition was not due wholly due to air raid damage as it was reported to be a safe structure but it was on the site proposed for redevelopment.

Prof, apology, not 1953 - 1943

Going way back to post 7 of this thread, there is a photo of a H Hewitt standing outside the Old Baths Hotel in about 1910. In the Coventry Pubs section it states that this is Henry Hewitt, who went into partnership with Frederick Kerby making the Roulette motorcycle off Gosford Street. I have done a bit of research and believe that this is in fact Henry Hewitt's son, Henry "Harry" Hewitt. Henry Hewitt senior was born in 1851 at 6 Victoria Street, Hillfields, the son of William Hewitt and Elizabeth Howes. Elizabeth's father, Francis Howes, originally a bricklayer from Harnall Lane, became licensee of the Hare and Hounds at 60 High Street/32 Castle Street, Hillfields and William took over the license in the mid 1850s. William had two sons, Henry and William and a daughter Mary Ann. By 1881 Henry was running the old White Horse in East Street whilst his father continued to run the Hare and Hounds. Whilst he was at the old White Horse in 1880 Henry and his first wife Elizabeth had a son Henry, known as Harry. My grandfather, Arthur Carvell, was also born in one of the pub's yard houses in February 1881 and it seems likely that my grandfather and Harry were childhood friends. Henry senior moved on to run the Hare and Hounds when his father William retired and William's daughter Mary Ann and her husband Arthur Mason took over The White Horse. Henry senior's brother William also ran the New Inn at 64 King William Street in 1891. Interestingly on each of his children's baptism records Henry describes himself as a "Watchmaker". Clearly "Publican" was not a suitable occupation to declare in those days! Henry Senior founded the Roulette Cycle Co in 1890 (situated between Gosford Street and Brick Kiln Lane - now Gulson Road - next door to the hospital) with Frederick Kerby, who in 1892 married Ellen Newsome of the famous Coventry family. In the early 1900s Frederick Kerby was living at 16 Grosvenor Road and Henry Senior subsequently retired from the Hare and Hounds to live at Cashmore House (now Sovereign House) in Queens Road just round the corner. At this stage my soon to be grandmother, Amelia Poyser, was working as a domestic servant for John H Bates, another Wine and Spirit Merchant, nearby at 18 Regents Street. John H Bates went on to become the first landlord of the new Albany Hotel in 1908. My grandmother Amelia married Arthur Carvell in 1907 and after living in Moat Street and 43 Thomas Street (A Carvell - Baker), they eventually settled at 5 Hertford Place, where they ran a Dairy shop from 1919 until 1940. On Henry senior's retirement, The Hare and Hounds was taken on initially by his son William and then by one of William's sons, Frank, whilst Arthur and Mary Ann Mason continued to run the The White Horse. Another of William's sons, Frederick also became the licensee at The Leopard in Primrose Hill. It would seem they were also brewing their own beer at this stage. The 1911 census shows Henry senior, retired, living at Cashmore House with his second wife Ann. Their domestic servant was Annie Poyser, one of my great aunts and the gardener was Walter Poyser, a great uncle. Henry Hewitt Senior died in July 1913 but his wife Ann continued to live at Cashmore House until her death in December 1946. The 1911 census also shows that The Old Baths Hotel at 35 Smithford Street was being managed by Henry senior's son, Harry and his partner Annie Green. My other great uncle Fred Poyser was working for him at the hotel. Harry and Annie married in August 1911 but Harry died in January 1913 (aged just 32) and Annie took over the licence in her own name and ran the hotel through the war 'til 1919. She remarried, to John Sutherland, in 1915. Annie died in 1951 at 99 Kingsland Avenue, Chapelfields. My great uncle Fred, went on to become an agricultural labourer in Newbold Comyn, Leamington before emigrating to Canada in 1924, where he died in London, Ontario in 1985. I hope this sheds a light, albeit a rather sad one, on Harry proudly standing outside his hotel.

Malvern This guy Hewitt, was he related to John Hewitt, mayor of Coventry 1755-60, very prosperous and of the ruling class of the city?

Helen The bit with the old cobble stones, behind the White Lion at the time of the butter market and what became the new market hall, and the watch houses up till about 1865 was paved in "Petrified Kidneys" cobbles, unpleasant to walk on. Have no idea what they were like, or looked like but as the stocks stood on them at sometime, I think they had some thing to do with them.

You're doing a grand job with the photos keeping us informed Heathite Yes, Kaga, the original cobbles were river pebbles and they are hard to walk on. I think that dirt must have filled the gaps in to a certain extent. There are road surfaces in some of the oldest Coventry photos and the modern cobbles are almost invisible because of the dirt covering them. A few places I've visited still have proper cobbles but they're low traffic areas and well tended. Cobbles would have been on all the main roads and the entries to yards and stabling. The White Lion cobbles marked such an entry although I think that they were reused bricks in the trench? Instead of the fancy mock Tudor front there was a simpler arrangement with a big archway in the middle. Behind there was a courtyard and stabling. The bricks probably date from that era, although bricks were also used to line room floors once they became cheap. Thee were a number of stocks round the city, most of them stood on the water conduit platforms. We know about the one next to the watch house but there was also one in West Orchard, next to the bridge and the one we see in St Mary's Hall courtyard was originally just opposite, against the cathedral. Those three locations may have popped up once the conduits were destroyed. It makes sense that criminals were punished where other people went regularly. Where more so than the only water supplies at the time?

Kaga, I'm afraid I'm struggling to get back beyond William Hewitt born 1819. There were already a great number of Hewitts in Coventry by the end of the 18th century and tracing family lines is not helped by the fact that some were "Dissenters" (Non-conformists, Wesleyans, Quakers etc), which whilst the records are good are not so easy to link. My family (the Carvells) came to Coventry in 1780 from Hillmorton near Rugby. They were Tailors in Spon Street, Bailey Lane, Gosford Street and East Street through the 19th century. My research is providing a lot of information regarding the state of politics in Coventry around the time of the Reform Act from 1832 to the mid 1860s. There seems to have been great tensions between the traditional Tories, the Whig-Radicals and the "Mongrels", which interacted with religious sectarianism and also the institutions of the Freemen and the Guilds to make city politics a very murky place. My ancestors seem to have been minor players among the prominent Freemen but I keep coming up with the same names. The council seems to have been run by a group of Freemen, who spent a lot of the time protecting their own self-interests, whilst claiming they were looking after the ordinary townspeople. This was of course at the time of the Chartists. It is proving quite difficult trying to get to grips with the power struggles which makes today's politics seem quite tame! One letter regarding a protest against the Vicars Rate set by Rev. John Colllison of St Michael's in 1848 features the following list of signatories (The case revolved around whether the Vicar or the Churchwardens (Freemen) should have the power to levy and decide the Church rate on freehold property owners in the Parish. It eventually went to the High Court in London who found in favour of the Rate-payers and against the Vicar): Abel Rotherham - a Draper of Smithford Street and later Butts Lane (described in a report of the time as "Honest Abel", the verbose, prickly, self-righteous, humourless and proudly incorruptible Wesleyan Methodist liberal draper of Smithford Street, the most unpopular man in Coventry) Henry Lea - Solicitor of Little Park Street S Nuttall Wm Amos Packwood - Veterinary Surgeon of Greyfriars Lane Wm Rotherham - Lawyer of Priory Row Jas Foot - Master Saddler of Smithford Street Thos Banbury - Shirt manufacturer of Spon Street (Mayor of Coventry in 1836,1845 and 1846) John Royle - of Little Park Street D Spencer (Overseer) - Draper and benefactor of Hay Lane (remembered for his bequests to create Coventry Technical College and Spencer Park etc...) E England Samuel Berry (Overseer) - Ribbon Manufacturer of Radford Road Josh Arch William Illiffe - Stationer of Smithford Street Thos Ransford (Overseer) - Grocer, Hop factor and dealer in British wines of Earl Street Joseph Loveitt - Chemist of Broadgate Joseph Barnes sen of Summerland Butts Joseph Brown - Silk Dyer of Thomas Street Henry Conway - Proprietor of Houses of Butts Benjamin Kerby - Watch Maker of Spon Street Wm Carvell - Tailor of Spon Street (my 4th great grandfather) Joseph Olorenshaw - Carpenter/Joiner of Junction Street Edward Rosser Kerby - Watch Manufacturer of Spon Street Another person who appears frequently in my family's history is William Browett, a draper of Smithford Street. He was David Spencer's master, as an apprentice. I could probably write a book about him alone, if I had the time!