Trinity Street

In 1929 the government urged councils to clear a lot of slums - not sure if they offered money or not, but Coventry decided to be bold, they swept a huge chunk out of the city centre slums, and in doing so freed the church so the people could at last see it. This was a huge success, for centuries it had more or less been hidden from passers by, right up to Broadgate. But down near Hales Street they didn't really finish it, while at the same time the new theatre was being built - but not that near the road, behind the fire station and all round it as far as Cox Street was kept clear of large buildings, and so was any new building round to the Swanswell. There was a large solid rumour that Trinity Street was the first phase, the second would be from Trinity Street round to the Swanswell, into Pool Meadow, down to Cox Street, and Ford Street - the river would be released and we would have a little 'Venice' with shops intermingled with old buildings. It was a very bold, forward plan, but sadly the council were getting bombarded with the government and war time instructions. They changed the Engineers Dept towards wartime and formed a new Architectures Dept, and left the temporary Pool Meadow to remain a bus depot. Nothing could have happened at a worse time for Coventry. but that is why you had such large excited crowds.

In 1930ish when they started to issue notice to residents that they had to leave, there was a great howl of protests and demonstrations, but come the war and the blitz and Trinity Street had saved hundreds of lives and people changed their opinion. When Gibson took over a few years on and he scrapped all that, turned Broadgate into a sort of bus depot, and to me, got out his Lego building blocks of squares and oblongs locked them together and had his Precinct, and droves of people left the city, their dream gone.

Interesting Kaga. I don't think that the building in post 125 was Caldicott's original 1835 building although it could easily have been in the same area, long derelict, and part of the Trinity Street demolition. The one in the picture was built some time after 1897 and probably left the original empty. Had the company gone bust? In which case their new building may also have been vacated. That building wasn't needed for the construction of Trinity Street but for the building of Owen Owen so maybe Caldicott's ended up somewhere else in the city? What was Beck's originally, but was a varnish works by 1897, was nearby and was also demolished as part of the job to build Trinity Street. The top end (south west) of Palmer Lane was owned by the Bablake School before Caldicott's was built. It started with a warehouse on the corner of Ironmonger Row and then there were 2 stables/small warehouses and a small house then a gap. The stables, the small house and the gap were where they built Caldicott's.

There was a clear plan (as observed by what was done) to prettify the area as well as improve health. Adding to some of the best timber buildings by framing Holy Trinity or modernising and cleaning up the area by demolishing many of the ones in other areas. Some of the best recent additions to my picture collection are from the slum clearances both before and after the war. Bitter sweet. From the moment that factories began in the city, they got bigger and taller and gradually further out. The factories in the city made it a target but the recent (pre war) exodus of many inhabitants to the suburbs did save lives.

Did this shop become a Thorntons?

Thornton's was next door

With father we went on cycles to view Trinity Street being built. There was a beautiful steamroller, all gleaming, polished, red and green body work, the chimney sparkling, shiny black with a gold band about an inch from the top, bright as a new pin. I must have been a very excited kid, for the driver invited me aboard - the footplate full of tools, oil cans, coal/coke bin, long handle pokers, rakes, pincers, a hook to open the furnace door similar to the one mother used on the oven door. The steering wheel had a wooden peg screwed on, same as the washroom mangle, several oil-rags and much more. It had this enormous roller at the front and two huge wheels at the rear that were grey in colour, the rest of the framework was a bright, shiny, highly polished red and green - I believe it had the Coventry Engineers badge on the side, but whatever, the driver was very proud of his job and the city and his steamroller. We went up and down a couple of times, but he was a bit fearful of his superiors, having me aboard, and was I proud - you bet. I felt I now owned the city, I had become king of the castle.

I bet that most boys and quite a few girls would feel the same. I confess that I have a fondness for big old machines although my heart belongs to the age of the computer.

Thanks to Steve Quinn on FB. This one can't have been long before the bombs fell.

The clarity of this photo is wonderful and really shows how beautiful the upper parts of the old buildings were. Timothy White's and Taylors hung on to that location for a long time.

Nice pre war photo of the area

I was just looking up the same on your excellent resource Rob but I think that there are too many surviving buildings for the two photos to be post war. There are two showings in 1939 May and October but I think that there is a tree on New Buildings with blossom, so Mon 8th May until Sat 13th May? Post copied from topic Arthur Cooper Gallery on 19th Jun 2023 2:52 pm

Good thinking, Helen - yes, far too many buildings apparently untouched by the Blitz, I'd not thought of that (rather obvious) thing! I'd first looked at the cars, which I felt were likely 1950s - but then again, with no new cars being designed during the war years, they'd look the same before and after! Good shout regarding blossom, too, so probably a May 1939 photo after all. Mon 8th May until Sat 13th May 1939 Me and My Girl The show that made all Britain do the Lambeth Walk. Mon 18th Sep until Sat 23rd Sep 1939 Me and My Girl Show returned by public demand. Post copied from topic Arthur Cooper Gallery on 19th Jun 2023 2:53 pm

There is a comment in the CET on the 6th May 1939 about flowers that had been placed on the island by Trinity Street and Hales Street. The picture does seem to show 2 areas of flowers so this also fits in with your 8th May Helen. Though also on that day there were 2 IRA bomb explosions in Trinity Street. Post copied from topic Arthur Cooper Gallery on 19th Jun 2023 2:54 pm