Lady Herbert's Almshouses and Garden

I have not lived in the city for 35 years and am now fairly well housebound anyway due to advancing MS. I am living in West Wales. Whenever I was in the town centre as a teenager, I would take every opportunity to walk around Lady Herbert's Gardens. I never met anybody else in there and it was a great place for thinking and solace. Do they still exist? Are they well maintained? Are they well used?

Hi Bryn Yes, they still exist and I often sit in them. I do have some pics which I will lookout & post a couple for you to see. Hi again, they are on my old cam-phone, so tomorrow or Saturday, I will record some new pictures which I will then post.

I used to work at Broadgate House for a while in the early 70s. If it was a nice day I sometimes went to Lady Herbert's Garden to sit and eat my sandwiches in peace. It was a pleasant, quiet spot in the middle of the city. I've been back a couple of times in recent years and can confirm that it still exists. But its maintenance looks quite poor and it has looked scruffy when I've been there. It seems to be used by boisterous students and down-and-outs for consumption of huge quantities of canned lager.

Here's some to be going on with Lady Herbert's Garden

Hi & thank you I am sure that Bryn will love those pics, as indeed I do. Bril!

Hi. The man next door to me was the ground keeper there for 35 year, his name was Jock. Sadly he passed away 7 years ago now, he loved it there and loved his flowers. I still have a rose bush that he gave me a long time ago. Phil

I really loved my 'pretend' walk around the city. I can't believe that the Hotel Leofric is now a Travelodge and that Owen Owen is now a Primark. My standard journey home from school involved waiting for the number 15 bus in Broadgate. The bus used to stop right where the two prestigious buildings formed a corner.

I took one of my kids there a few weeks back, and it was empty apart from a small group of drunken teenagers, who were clearly too young to be buying alcohol! The garden itself is a bit shabby and dirty, and mainly empty. The reason we went there was because my daughter saw the city gate from the car while we were driving round the ring road and wanted to see "the castle" (she's four). I quite like the bridge over the wall, a nice attempt to make something of the historical feature. But as a whole it just doesn't really work. It just seems like a bridge to nowhere - dumps you in that shabby and empty garden. It feels like a bit of a forgotten patch of the city wedged up by the ring road with terrible access and no reason for anyone to go there.

I use to work in Trinity St, and in the nice weather we would take our lunch and eat it In Lady Herberts Gardens, what a joy it was to sit somewhere so peaceful in the centre of the city. I wasn't sure it was still there, so many places from my youth have sadly disappeared. I worked in John Barry's as a window dresser, if anyone remembers the shop.

Welcome Happyhippie to Historic Coventry. Yes, Lady Herberts Gardens is still here. I do recall the name of the shop John Barry's but I can't recall where in the town it was situated. I am sure someone else on here will remember too, also where it was situated. Here is a photograph of Lady Herbert's Garden, this was in 1933 when cottages sat at the back in Cook Street. The photo is off eBay. Photo off the net.

Hi Morgana and thank you for the lovely pictures, it was so nice to see the place again, and, nice to know it's still there. John Barry's was a 'posh' dress shop at the top of Trinity St, it use to be next door to Boots, both shops are I think, long gone. There was a shoe shop across the road from it but I can't remember the name! And best of all just on the corner was a cake shop, Wimbush's I think, they had the best chocolate eclairs I have ever tasted.

You're welcome Happyhippie, and thank you for the location of John Barry's. My sister recalls Boots in Trinity Street as she used to work for Boots the Chemist, so did my sister in law but a different location. I recall Wimbush and the shoe shop, the name of that escapes me but is on this forum somewhere. I recall them mentioning in when they were chatting about the buses in Trinity Street.

This is a picture of my mother in Lady Herbert's Garden - May 1937 (aged 16). I think she would have been working for Mary Hobley as a hair stylist at this time, in nearby Swanswell.

Lady Herbert's Garden was one of my favourite spots in the early 1960s: a spot where my then girlfriend and I could do our canoodling. I looked in the other day while I was in the area. Not friendly towards me now: my scooter can't do the steps. It's a shame as towards the end of August a group of us will be visiting the Coventry Transport Museum and would like to go through Lady Herbert's Garden and see both Swanswell and Cook Street gates. As most of us use scooters or other wheeled aids that's not possible. I know we could go up Chauntry Place, but that's just not the same experience. Does anyone know if the bridge over Lady Herbert's Garden is accessible via mobility scooter? I didn't look the other morning as ramps are a big drain on a battery and I had to sure I had enough charge for the return journey to Canley.

Yes, you should be ok. The ramp starts just outside the doors of the Transport Museum. Although I've been up on the walkway to take photos I've never followed it to its end in the garden. Might be worth a look first, to ensure the gradient is ok for the range of scooters being used but I think you should be alright.