Coventry Union workhouse

I've been researching my father's family history for a while, today I discovered he was baptised at 11 Upper well street. Can anyone tell me more about this, was there a Chapel in the union workhouse.

Hi smithsearcher1, welcome to the forum A date and name might help us help you I can find a Reginald G Smith in the bottom flat at number 11 Upper Well Street in 1955. There are other people there, including a grocers. The buildings before the war were more numerous and there were several chapels nearby. I know that there was a chapel in the union workhouse at Whitefriars. Again, some specifics would narrow things down. This link about Coventry workhouses might help.

Hi, thanks for your response. The name is Stanley Smith. 15th Sept 1925.

In the 1921 and 1926 directories (thanks to Heathite) at number 11 a Mr Joseph H Harris is recorded. That doesn't mean there weren't other people living there. They don't mention a workhouse anywhere on the street but again, that doesn't mean they weren't. There are two Smiths listed - at 4 Ernest Smith and at 14 Owen William Smith a boot repairer. There are Coventry Union workhouses listed but just 66 and 68 Hill Street. So on balance, I think that it's very unlikely that there was a chapel at number 11, although it could have been accommodation for workhouse residents. If you don't mind, I'll move your posts to Well Street, Upper Well Street and Hill Cross in a few days, unless some more relevant information about Smiths or workhouses turns up. That topic has more about the area, including Hill Cross which started after number 11 Upper Well Street. There are maps starting at post 57 that you may find useful and a link to a post war aerial photo that shows number 11 from the rear (opposite Lamb Street). There were a lot of businesses in the area, that may have taken placements from the workhouse system?

Another recent surprise find via Facebook. I hadn't realised (despite it being clearly noticeable on BFA) that this large building that was formerly part of the Workhouse remained up until what I think was late 1967/'68. It was just to the south of the remaining section of Whitefriars facing Gulson Road by the London Road junction so finally became of victim of the Ring Road - although the accompanying Newspaper cutting where these originated from indicate it was about time - The clippings state: Brigadier Thomas Hutchison was in charge of the crumbling, old Salvation Army Hostel from May 1965 to February 1968. The crumbling former Workhouse where the Salvaltion Army provided as many as 150 beds by 1967. While the Corporation were still undecided as to where a new Hostel should be sited, staff at the Hostel had to patch up the structure from day to day. The entrance to the Hostel for Men was a depressing sight in the 1960s. The Army was under a 3-year lease and finding it more and more difficult to cope with the major building defects. All this was despite a 're-opening' in 1956 - which indicates to me the poor condition the buildings were in to decline again within 10-or so years -

You can see it again here to picture the location in this 1948 image from BFA - I've highlighted the roof of it - by Whitefriars - the Morris works visible behind. That's Paradise Street lower left -

That's the first full view of that side of the workhouse that I've seen. Top picture. A view of the workhouse from the William Henry Brook collection. The date was 1819 and remains of the city wall were still prominent.

I'd never even noticed it before tbh Helen so knew it was a decent find

Hello, I am interested in the Exhall Workhouse and wonder if this is the one you are referring to? My 4 x GGrandmother died there in 1837. She was buried in St Laurence Church - her name was Elizabeth Betts (nee Bennett) and the family were Ribbon weavers.

Hi Debs, welcome to the forum The city had several workhouses but so far I don't recall a photo of the Exhall one, though I generally don't notice stuff that far out of the city centre. The Exhall workhouse was connected in some way to the Foleshill Union and there were job adverts in the 1840s for a matron for it. I'm guessing that the Foleshill Union wasn't quite the same as the Coventry Union. By 1849 the salary had gone up to £20. Hopefully someone else can be more helpful.

From the early 19th century there were two workhouses covering what is now Coventry: Coventry Workhouse itself and Foleshill Workhouse. Coventry Workhouse was housed in the old Whitefriars Monastery. This still survives, next to Coventry University carpark, although parts of the workhouse (such as what became the Gulson Hospital) were demolished fairly recently. Nothing remains of Foleshill Workhouse; it was demolished and an industrial estate built on the site. https://www.workhouses.org.uk/ is a brilliant website which provides a mass of detail on specific workhouses - simply type in the name of the place you are interested in to the search box. It contains a lot of pictures of Coventry Workhouse. It also lists (something which is very useful) the ca.1812Workhouse are a rich source of information; I know, because I spent a lot of time carrying out research on the admission and discharge registers for the 19th century. I have not used the 20th century admission and discharge registers, and there are some gaps in the holdings for the 19th century registers. It is best to check on the workhouses website listed above. If you are interested in a particular person who was an inmate at the workhouse in Coventry, I suggest that you contact Coventry Archives, or Coventry Family History Centre, or a private genealogist who works in the Coventry area. I am not sure whether Coventry (or Foleshill) had a chapel; they probably did. I hope this is of help. Rosemary Hall (If I can be of more help do not hesitate to get in touch.) P S Before individual parishes like Exhall had their own workhouses; by the 19th century Exhall would have come under Foleswhill - for more detail, see the workhouses website.

From what I can see, the Exhall Workhouse was part of the Foleshill Poor Law Union which was administered through the Foleshill Workhouse which from 1836 was situated off Foleshill Rd, almost exactly on the site of the current Foleshill Fire Station. Prior to 1836 the Foleshill Workhouse had been based in Brick Kiln Lane (now Broad Street). I don't know where the Exhall Workhouse was located. We tend to regard Foleshill as part of the city of Coventry but prior to 1923 it had its own council and was more allied to Longford, Exhall and the surrounding villages like Sowe (Walsgrave) and Wyken which have also been subsequently swallowed up into the city. Across the road from the old Foleshill Workhouse lies Old Church Road. Follow that road across the canal and you come to the parish church of St. Laurence where this lady's ancestor was laid to rest.