Spon Street

Thank you so much for putting this photo on the forum Dutchman which we haven't seen. The shop A Hunt was run by my husband's family and Robin also worked there for many years. The photo of the man on the bike is his father Leslie Thorley going out on his rounds with the bread which he baked on the shop's premises. Would be interested to know where you found the photo as there may be others of interest. Many thanks.

Hello Valann If you click the 'Library pictures' button top-left you can find that one and many other pictures of Spon Street.

Hi Sally, My husband's grandparents lived in the Movement Yard in Spon Street, the entrance to which was between A Hunt & Co. and Mains. Their names were Percy and Annie Robbins. Their daughter - Phyllis - ran A Hunt & Co. (bakers/grocery shop) along with her husband Leslie. Did you see the photo on Dutchman's thread re Spon End and Spon Street of the shop? Well we were over the moon to see it because it not only shows the shop but also my husband's father on his bike ready to go on his rounds with the bread that he baked. Do you have any photos of your time at Spon Street Sally?

hello Valann,sorry to say I have no photos of Sponstreet,I went to Spongate school and was friends with Phillip Thorely,hope I've got the name Phillip right,its a long time ago! as a child I thought Hunts was his parents shop (fantastic faggots sold there)Happy memories!

Lovely to hear back from you Sally - many thanks. Yes Phillip Thorley is my husband Robin's brother who now lives in Wales too. If Watson is your married name would you mind giving your maiden name and I will ask Phillip if he remembers you. BTW Robin tells me that it was E M Main who sold the faggots which of course was the other side of the entrance to the Movement Yard so very near to Hunts. My husband also went to Spongate school but he is about five years younger than you so you may not remember him.

Don't suppose anyone remembers Allan Brooks who died in strange circumstances 35 years ago. He lived in Spon End in one of the houses shown below.

hi again, maiden name, june caithness, but always called sally! hi phillip, small world isn't it.

I know that the house that I was born in behind Spon Street was called LIME TREE COTTAGES. Someone very kindly gave me on this site an old map of it dated 1880. But I can't find it on any census ? I've tried putting in Court 49 which is the nearest I can get to (I saw a earlier post) but still wouldn't give me correct house. Any ideas please? Angela.

Hi Angela Lime Tree Cottages were in Court 47 (Cook's Yard) behind the Sterling valve works according to my records. In 1891 they were occupied by: No.1: Robinson, George (bicycle machinist) No.2: Brown, Frederick (corn labourer) No.3: Wagstaff, Albert (watch finisher)

And in this picture you can see the bicycle wheels? I think this is the view from Spon Street.

Curiously, Court 49 is also mentioned in the first post in this topic: Spon Street (inc. childhood memories)

Yes it is Helen, now known as "Watch Close". It was a very long walk from the street to the cottages.

Spennell's 1912 Directory of Coventry shows the following as the inhabitants of Lime Tree Cottages: Lime Tree Cottages, back of 170 Spon Street: 1 Lee Frank E. 2 Tebbutt Edw. 3 Brooks Harry 4 Allwood .Mrs The first three are listed with their families in the 1911 census. I have not found Mrs Allwood or any other inhabitants of 4 Lime Tree Cottages in the 1911 census.

Hmmn, in the 1901 census there were Wagstaff families at 1 and 3 Lime Tree Cottages and the Sumner family at 2. There is no mention of a house numbered 4 so perhaps it only exists in Spennell's for some reason I can't figure out!

There was a fourth cottage nearby but I don't know if it counted as one of the Lime Tree Cottages.