Hostels and Guildhouses

I assume members have seen this map of the plan of the site.

Last July, when I was preparing to move to a new home, I was getting into full laryngeal fury about the public-housing hostels on Duggins Lane in Tile Hill. I shared with you some of the awful details of life therein, but sought leave to pause the subject while I was in the process of re-locating. You should understand that it not my intention to besmirch the memories of those among us who may have had a positive experience in these tar paper and asbestos slums. I wish to address the subject anew, but this is merely the warning of as much. And, I assure you that my criticisms of what people had to put up with in this place will be directed at the absolute human scum who believed such places fit for purpose for young couple rearing children. Those people who had no choice but to raise their families in these awful places have my complete sympathy, not to mention admiration for the stoicism that allowed them to prevail. The people that decided that the this hostel was an appropriate places for young marrieds to raise their kids are long gone, but it is my belief the bureaucratic culture that prevailed then in Coventry where the treatment of the not very well off persists to this day, and it might not be an altogether bad thing if this culture - root and branch - was subject to destruction. But I will not get ahead of myself.

Hi I've asked my Dad re your question about the Mens Hostel in Holbrooks, as I know his grandfather was there in 1948. Dad reckons it was on Holbrook Lane, behind what is now Carpet Kingdom DebbieA

Behind Karpet Kingdom was Pegg's building yard in the 1950's, now Coventry Building Supplies. I lived above The Empress Stores from 1954 to 1957.

My husband seems to think that the hostel was near or behind the Unicorn Club. (Is the Unicorn still there?) But he could quite easily be wrong, the old grey matter isn't so sharp these days!

There is a carpet shop next to Coventry Building Supplies (formerly Peggs) but it is not Carpet Kingdom. That is situated in the old Brookville Cinema, later Unit Sales, which is a bit further down Holbrook Lane at the corner of Jackson Rd. I was also under the impression that the hostel was on the site of the Unicorn Club - next to the park. However, there was a building in Newport Rd which is behind Carpet Kingdom/Unit Sales at some point because during the 1970's there was a double row of concrete supports which had been cut off at ground level, that is apart from the one next to the gate which was a bit higher. This land was used by Motor Panels as a car park and was later properly tarmaced. Hope this helps.

I have just been loaned a copy of 'Folks Hill - A History of Foleshill, Warwickshire 1745-1945' by G.A. Cowley, published 2000. In the recollections about World War Two it says, 'The hostel put up beside Foleshill Park in the First World War was turned into an Industrial Hostel to house incoming workers.' This seems to confirm that the hostel was in fact on the site of the Unicorn Club next to what is now Holbrooks Park but what was formerly Foleshill Park. A story which was recounted to me many years ago was that when the old hostel was demolished hundreds of rats ran out of the building and disappeared into the park and St. Paul's Burial Ground.

Location of hostels in 1937

Was there a hostel on the Binley Road just at the bottom of Binley Hill on the right going into town or am I getting mixed up with another?

Hi Mich That was Stoke Hill Guildhouse hostel for males when I was a boy. An ex army Major Richards was in charge. His two sons Nigel & Antony were at the Grammar prep school for a while. For Midland Red, they started in lower prep B.

I remember the Stoke Guildhouse very well. One of the Richards brothers was at school with me and I knew him in passing as we got the same bus home. I think it was Anthony but I'm not certain as first names weren't used much at KHVIII. In school holidays we would sometimes go to the Guildhouse where they had a snooker room. It was my first experience of the game and I remember the meter for the light took 6d coins. There were, however, some strange people there, many of them drunk or hung over. I seem to recall that a lot of the residents were Polish.

Philip and Mr D-Di yes I remember the name now, thanks

Stoke Hill Estate was built on the site of the old Stoke Hill Guildhouse. There were more of these, another being the Chace Guildhouse in Willenhall. They were workers' hostels, established in the war I believe, and were used until around the late 60s. I remember going to the Stoke Hill one when I was a lad. They had a snooker room and it was the first time I ever played. I remember some of the residents were quite old by then, and many were Polish, I believe.

My mum came from South Wales to work at the munitions factory and lived in a hostel off Clifford Bridge Rd. I think it was some kind of conscription but I've never found much written about it, maybe someone here can point me in the right direction.

Hi Davey. In WW2 all unmarried women aged 20-30 (this was later extended to 19-43) had to join armed forces, work in a factory or work on the land with the Womens Land Army. My grandmother worked for the Social Services in Gosford Street and one of her jobs was to go to the station and meet the girls off the train and make sure they had accommodation.