Broadgate

At a cost of £2,300,000. Mmm!!! Regards.

Yes Rob, I thought it was the angle. Martin's Bank was on the corner of Pepper Lane, and I believe there was a little alley way between the cafe and the National Bank. Hertford Street was built in 1812 from a little cart-track, wide I think because of water courses - there had been two ponds in Greyfriars Green and a moat round Cheylesmore Manor fed by springs. The overflow under the two park streets into the Sherbourne at Gosford Street. The National was built in 1928. I have no idea about the bank under Broadgate House? Remind me someone, please. The ironic thing about the photo in post 650 was that a bomb hit the road just yards from the pillars and everyone joked that if it had hit the bank money would have flowed through the windows - five years on and I witnessed such a scene, money blown through Barclays Bank windows. You won't see Fennells advertised today, but it was a leading shop in Cov. in those days.

Midland Red, 656, the white building on the left, Samuels without clock?

It would become Samuels, Kaga, but in the image it is H G Tett, Ironmongers (no.6 Broadgate)

Some good post-war detail here -

Gates opened for truck, so . . .

As Owen Owen wasn't opened until 1954, and also looking closer at some of the clothing in this picture, could this possibly be the 1977 Silver Jubilee being celebrated? I recall a lot of fuss being made about that, that year.

Sorry Rob, but would the photo be that far out? The bonnets look fifties?

Were there any earlier jubilees celebrated then? Maybe 10 years in 1963? All we can be certain about is that it can't have been the Coronation or anything earlier.

Surely not for 10 years? (which would have been 1962!) Could it be the Cathedral Consecration?

The Queen visited Coventry on 27 July 1977 as part of her Silver Jubilee celebrations. The photo shows people wearing hats and coats so probably not July. I seem to recall that the weather was dry and warm for the 1977 visit. Could it have been for the consecration of the cathedral in 1962?

Oh yes of course, I was thinking 10 years after the Coronation! And.... I've just looked through my 1962 Telegraph special edition, and the Consecration looks very likely actually. There's a photo showing that part of Broadgate (but sadly misses out the "Long may she reign" slogan, which would've clinched it) and the street lamps and general layout are a good match. I'd risk saying you're right about the Consecration.

Military Band in Broadgate

Preview now the bank has gone!

Prof, I believe your photo 664 was the Coronation, 2 June 1953. The other photo has the wrong date to my mind - hope it did not upset you. The photo 670 gives a clear view of how much Broadgate was set back as far as Martins Bank, before the war the bank was third building in High St, and the bomb crater would have been in the road just this side of the band that leads to Hertford St. The above photo shows clearly the width of the pathway between the Leofric and Owen Owen - how could they put an hotel with entrance where cars and taxis could not get near? Before the war there was a small cafe on the corner of Broadgate and Smithford St inside Burton's - when they built the Precinct they put the menswear on that corner and the cafe above. Sitting in the cafe on a settee two young women, sat beside me, I had seen in there before. We were chatting when the cleaning lady stopped to speak to the women. She asked one if the other was her mother - the girl dropped her coffee and burst into tears, the coffee went all over my pants and shoes. I was nowhere near as embarrassed as the poor girl.