Burges and Cross Cheaping

Why the Burges is called the Burges

Oh dear! The so called trainee journalist who wrote that article has got it all wrong! She said that "Historically, the word burges means 'between the bridges'." Goodness knows how she came to that conclusion from a single word. Burges is simply a corruption of Bridges - or, possibly more correctly, the other way around. It is an example of "metathesis", which is the historical swapping of letters within a word. The same applies to many words, including the old English "bridd", which became "bird", and "aks" (ax), which is now "ask". (Little do the illiterate few, who pronounce it that way, know, that they're actually pronouncing it the originally correct way!) The journalist was right that the short stretch of street was known as "between the bridges" (or perhaps originally "between the burges"?), but that has simply been shortened to "Burges", unsurprisingly - most of us avoid an unnecessary mouthful whenever possible!

Now you see it, now you don't. Views from the corner of West Orchard, looking towards Ironmonger Row, before and after the east side of Cross Cheaping was removed to build Owen Owen.

Helen, for the first ten years of my life, that's how I saw the Burges - like your photos, open, clean shopping area. It was the first Owen Owen that dwarfed it and made it darker, more foreboding - the second Owen's absolutely isolated it, cut it off from the city no question, in fact it separated Broadgate, destroyed the harmony of the buildings, and both parts suffered. As much as Coventry wanted a new city and modern shops it really destroyed what had been the city centre.

Some excellent detail here.

Excellent, Neil I take it that is Matterson Huxley & Watson just right of centre?

It might be. It's labelled as a warehouse in the Fire Insurance maps but it fronts the Lion Foundry and Mattersons.

Heathite added this from a 1926 directory in the MH&W thread - (hope thats ok to add here Heathite!) I think the numbers tie-up 15 George Mason 16 Franks 17 MH&W although Englands closest to us is listed as No.6?

Neil, The list is 1926, I think your photo is much later - Englands could have moved. Yes, MHW store fronted the works. The interesting thing for me, MHW had been there from mid 1700's. I can picture about a score of smithies at work - pack horses, post horses, scores of stables, a real rural scene. The Burges a rutted track, mud two feet deep in the winter. The main five ways in old Harnall Lane for post horses that led out of town in all directions. Long before Constable's 'Haywain', long before Cobbett's 'Rural Rides'. But the whole lot on that side down as far as Dunns went in 1940.

Heathite also had this one from 1912 -

Thanks Neil, Imagine living at the Talbot and being called Cross.

Interesting NY, in that directory for 1912 there are two ironmongers next to each other. Fletcher at no.16, Mattersons at no.17. I wonder if they were associated businesses.

Argon, Yes but they were different ironmongers if I remember rightly, one sold agriculture items and one domestic items. But this was the beauty of the Burges, several menswear, each specialising in some item or other, several footwear shops, the milliners, ladies hats - on the other side were a number of watch shops. All had something different on offer, and of course the ladies, if they didn't like the owner, then? But to me it looks 1938/9ish. These photo's conjure up some story, like the lad that went to work in that Dunn's shop, 1950's, after being left at the top of the ladder over a roaring fire with the fire brigade.

Kaga, thank you. With the two businesses being adjacent I was puzzled, but of course if they had different specializations it makes sense.

Technically the photographer is standing in Bishop Street however terrific image looking along Burges at the corner with Well Street - pre Corporation Street. Very rare to see those properties on the corner of Well Street/Bishop Street at that time and in such detail - Rob does have this one in the collection but this is a bigger clearer copy. You can see those buildings in the middle here that went for clearance in Rob's shot (old Grammar school on the very right to help identify location)