Gosford Street

Apologies if you've seen these already but some very interesting shots here - some really reminded me of growing up in the 80's, especially Coventry Theatre and Pool Meadow - BBC Photos. Post copied from topic CovScape photos on 8th May 2017 2:50 pm

Thanks for the link. I was especially impressed by the photo of the wallpaper dealers in Gosford Street: Chambers Wallpaper. I had assumed from a street directory published in 1939 that it was much closer to the camera than shown in the photo, behind the walls of the GEC goods yard next door. The building was either destroyed in the war or seriously damaged and demolished later as there was no trace of it left when I lived there.

The figure referred to in this newspaper cutting from 1902 seems to ring a bell for some reason, does it with anyone else?

The shop in question would have been demolished when the Hotchkiss factory was extended up Gosford Street to house the Morris engine plant. Interestingly, the next building along (after the entrance to Court 38) was the 'Moorish Cafe' which may or may not have a connection with the figure of the black boy?

'Moorish Cafe' sounds a possibility. I did wonder if it had originally been a pub sign. For quite a few years the Bedworth Guardians had their annual meeting with the local magistrates at a 'Black Boy' but for some reason the location never seemed to be recorded.

Copied from another thread :

Can you help locate where this photograph was taken? This is a family photograph, my grandfather, who was the village blacksmith of Brinklow (Thomas Henry Edmunds) is second from the right in the front row. I'm guessing this was a Saturday outing to see Coventry City (The Bantams) probably picking up from the villages around Brinklow. There's dating information of the photo, as you can see an advert for the film 'They Gave Him A Gun' which was released in 1937. And it's obviously in the Gosford area, but does anyone know where and if any of the buildings still exist?

The picture is of Nos 53-55 Gosford Street between the Co-Op and the New Inn on the north side. The pram dealer's name was D.E. Turner. These particular buildings had gone by 1960 but it's hard to tell from records if that was the result of bomb damage or post-war slum clearance? Nothing remains of the north side of Gosford Street. These are the same buildings viewed from the behind: Pictures of Coventry

Thank you dutchman, you've answered my questions in full and as the site of the Old Gosford Gate is visible in the map, it even shows me where it was in relation to the modern city. Rather a long way to drop off from Highfield Road, so I guess one in the New Inn before taking in the game. In fact I can see 5 pubs in that small segment of Gosford Street, plenty of choice.

The leftmost two had closed by 1937 but that still left three to choose from

Here is a photograph of my grandparents William and May Petch with my late mother Vera taken in 1924. The reason I have linked this picture is that they lived in the one up one down house immediately behind number 55, unnumbered on the plan. The other part of the block was the outside toilet and coalhouse. It is interesting to note that my grandfather had returned from France having been at the side of Corporal Hutt in the Royal Warwickshire regiment, in the picture he was 26 years old, compare his features with a man of nowadays. My grandmother struggled along in the house as she was both blind and deaf. William worked full time at the Humber and walked to work from there each day. My early days were spent helping gran shopping and doing chores so I remember the area well. The houses were still there in 1954, gran moved out after William's death and came to live with us in St Margarets Road. The houses were demolished soon afterwards.

I remember I used to walk back this way from Highfield Road and the one place I recall [and I think it was probably no56] was Luckman's second hand shop. I seem to remember the property was demolished and the shop moved just round the corner - the other side of the New Inn. It was good for books [often displayed outside] and a real Aladdin's cave inside. Incidentally the first address I have for my greatgrandfather in Coventry in the 1860s was 62 Gosford Street.

Thanks for that Herbert's Lad I had a feeling they might be. I suspect they were demolished like many others after the Coventry polio scare of 1956 although there is no evidence that old buildings had anything to do with the outbreak.

Yes it was. I think they moved progressively further and further away from No56 Gosford Street, ending eventually part-way up Far Gosford Street.

My mother was told that her grandmother was born in 1868 in Blue Pig Yard, which was "off Gosford Street, on the left hand side of the street going away from town, before the New Inn". I've tried googling, and do not seem to have the hang of finding things on the Old Maps site, so I am hoping someone can point me in the right direction to find out some information about it. It's Blue Pig Yard I'm interested in. Mum, a lifelong Coventrian, has never heard of it except in the context of her Gran's birthplace. Thanks!