Palmer Lane

A lot of the buildings are to do with Owen Owen. Could it be something to do with that. The building next door is a sub station. This article mentions that Owen Owen's had a sub station, would it be that one. There is nothing marked on the Insurance map. Also, electric trucks are mentioned.

Could this be it?

This is from 1933 when the existing buildings are about to be demolished.

That explains what the odd shaped building was Anne But the parallel lines feature is on the other side of the road but might have something to do with the culvert.

Do you mean the vertical parallel lines in the second picture, Helen? That is the culvert. I was looking at the line that runs along Palmer Lane. It was just that the article mentions a special dock being built for lorries to unload onto electric trucks. I was just trying to come up with ideas. Do you think the sub station that is there now was the one for OO?

Showing the Palmer Lane area that matched your map, Anne. In this one after the war you can see the Owen Owen basement tunnel. I was writing about Neil's odd carpark feature when I mentioned parallel lines. Another good one showing Palmer Lane in 1949. The small area has been parking for a long time. Nice view of the Turk's Head in Silver Street.

Great views Helen. I had been looking but obviously looking at the wrong ones. I think they confirm that the sub station is part of the Owen Owen construction as it is another funny shaped building. It does prove though that my theory was completely wrong and no way can it be a track going into OO. I don't think it can be going back to the scrap merchant Arthur Davies's time. So my latest theory is that it is part of the culvert made of steel and concrete. I have found this picture which is not very clear (perhaps someone can improve it) but it does show steel bars. As the area was used constantly for parking some of the concrete could have worn away to reveal the bars.

I had a look today and they are I (capital i) girders rather than rails with concrete infill. They are about 12in above the level of the cobbles so they never would have gone further north. The 1937 Goad Fire Plan shows two transformers in the fenced compound (now empty) outside the substation. These can be very heavy so it may be that the culvert was strengthened for their installation. Annewiggy, what is the date of the newspaper article?

PeterB, the date of the article was 23rd May 1933. Looking at Helen's last link, you can see what looks like transformers in that fenced area next to the sub station.

There is an older picture of the corner that Neil is asking about on Coventry Atlas. I am not sure of copyright so I won't copy it. The pavement as much as it is looks much narrower in those days. I think what Neil is asking about is covering what was the end of the open bit of the Sherbourne, the start of the culvert in Palmer Lane.

Thanks Helen

Those buildings on the right were cleared years ago but no idea why at the time. Google Maps. There is the rear of a student complex on that plot now.

I spent an enjoyable hour or so yesterday afternoon in and around Palmer Lane. I've mentioned on here before I'm mates with a chap called Alan Denyer who is the guy was behind the CET (Telegraph) Building project which is now the Hotel - and currently the LTB (Litten Tree/Rover Showrooms) project as an Art space. A random comment on an old Coventry Facebook page post mentioned about some additional work that had been done to the rear of Palmer Lane. Chap called Joe turned out to be the landlord of The Coventry Cross Pub and invited us over for a pint/chat and to look out of that Bay window on to the Sherbourne below which has now been cleared a little - although whether the possibility of opening up that section ever happens is anyone's guess still - but really interesting to see nonetheless. I hadn't been in that Pub for over 30 years! I hadn't fully realised the River ran so close to the Pub building -