Spon Street

It took me a little while to work it out, too, but it's looking from behind the buildings just across Spon Street from the factory - where the underpass is nowadays. The view below shows that the white building is actually part of the Training School - and I must confess, I have no memory of it being two-tone!

Rob. The timber frame is number 154 153 on the north side of Spon Street. There are a few, from both front and back in different states of destruction, in the Herbert collection - location

Heathite - any chance of a delve in the directories for me please to look for A Bates grocery shop in Spon Street, possibly post-war but pre Ring Road. I have had a request from a relative.

Neil. 1957 Telephone Directory - 138 Spon Street

Hi, here's what I have found. The image is from 1935. Also from the 1937 directory, A Bates 138 Spon st, still a cooked meat dealer. Mrs N Bates 123 Leicester Causeway, grocer. Ernest Bates, a butcher, 156a Eagle st. O Bates, grocer, 5 East st William Bates, butcher, 13 Spon st. W F Bates, butcher, 8 Station st. In 1955 A Bates is a Turf Commissioner at 138 Spon st. In 1960 there is A Bates, grocer 138 Spon st.

I wonder if all those butchers called Bates were related? Thanks Heathite. I had a go searching the directories last week and it's a lot of hard work.

Hi Helen, et al, we'll see what Neil has to say. My approach with a search is to start with the resident alphabetic listing. Look up the surname and see if an address and a trade is given. I know most of the directories do not have this listing but Neil gave us a time-frame. The 1937 set does have a comprehensive set of lists, and it's a big changeover time for Coventry. Butcher Row about to disappear. Fortunately, the set of directories I have covers 1828 to 1972, but not all years.

Interesting to see the end building, since demolished.

Sadly the Plough Hotel was blown up during the bombing.

Big chunk of this video is of Spon Street - film starts at Belgrade Plaza and ends up at the Old Dyers Arms in Spon End

A very big thank you to you for your amazing videos. Loving them. Coventry is looking fantastic. Gilly

Fretton drew some houses in Spon Street and to the right hand side was a part of another building. It was brick fronted but could have had a much older frame. This following was connected to the drawing - These ancient buildings formerly stood at the entrance of Spon street, on the south side, opposite the new Holyhead road. They had been for some years past in a dilapidated condition, and it being considered that they were too far gone to be put into tenantable repair, they were removed in March, 1881. The sketch was taken on the 14th of that month, when the buildings at the back were being demolished. In the old deeds the property is described as adjoining the " Quart and Bottle " yard, and the entry to the right of the drawing is still called by that name. The curious tenure of a pepper-corn rent is alluded to in the title deeds as one of the conditions of proprietorship, the term named being for a thousand years. In 1649 it belonged to a Richard Biddle, a whit-tawer ; two years after, William Cashmore (who had married Biddle's daughter) possessed it. In 1661 it came into the hands of Thomas Bewley, plumber, and remained in his family for 80 years (1721). Thomas Bewley was Mayor in 1672, and the roofs of our famous churches and Hall of St. Mary bear evidences of the skill of himself. I think that the latter part of the description refers to the houses but this puts the Quart and Bottle on the site of the Plough Inn (number 9). The Plough and the old buildings were all marked on the 1850 map but the houses were demolished in 1881 and the Plough shortly after 1888. The Inn was rebuilt as the west corner of Queen Victoria Road by at least 1905 as the building in photographs of that corner.

And there it was, gone. Would this be it Helen?

That's them, Anne, though it looks a rum deal to me. Knock down some very old, derelict buildings with suitably old materials, clear the site and shore up the Plough all in a month. For the value of the materials minus the amount bid at auction. It's a 'no' from me.

Yes, not just money for old rope but for all the building materials as well and the pleasure of moving it and making sure the building next door does not fall over. It does not say if the buildings were demolished or if the buyer had to do that as well. Plus of course commission. Looking on the internet Thomas Clarke's business became the auctioneers and estate agent Loveitts. It did not do Mr Clarke much good though. He died 4 years later leaving £26,645 in his will, about £5million today, but he could not take it with him!!