Broadgate

Another proud symbol is the Phoenix Levelling Stone. Laid in 1946 as to mark the place of the re-building point of Coventry. Does anyone know if we still have it ?

Yes Baz, it remains in the same place, currently outside the jewellers "Ernst & Jones"

When I first came to Coventry some of us arranged to meet after work and I was told to meet under the pregnant elephant. Not knowing where this one I asked one of them. He smiled and said it was in Broadgate. I still didn't twig, so he said "the elephant up the stick". So since then I have always called it the pregnant elephant

Broadgate is horrible now. The dismal retail plazas in Coventry drag the city down. They need to go. I prefer it pre-1940 when it was a proper street lined with elegant buildings and linked up to Hertford Street, Trinity Street and the Burges. If they had any sense they'd get rid of Cathedral Lanes, build some proper lanes and create a decent looking frontage along the line of the original street. And replace the old library they destroyed with something similar.

Why was reinforced concrete laid under the new paving in Broadgate. Normally a thick layer of hardcore would have done the job, is there a structure going to be developed underneath this?

Just found a photo of a very tall, three-legged man... Broadgate

They look like tailor's dummies?

It might have something to do with this, Tilly, on YouTube : What lies beneath Coventry city centre?

Up until recently being paved over half of the road around Broadgate was cobbled. I always thought it was strange that only half of the road had cobbles rather then all being tarmac. Was this part of the original Broadgate?

Hello New26 It depends what you mean by "original Broadgate"? It is a feature of the square which was laid out new in 1948. It is not a feature of the pre-war street which was entirely buried under Broadgate Island. None of the cobbles from the prewar street were visible after 1948.

Here's a few cobbles for you new26 Broadgate, 1930's

Apparently this is inside Lyons Tea Room.......

Not having a memory failure, but is the elephant still there?

Certainly is

I met up with my sister and brother in law today and funny enough we were talking about the temporary shops in Broadgate, we used to go there to a school outfitters in the 60s, does anyone remember the name? The reason I remember it was the lady who always served us had a twitch in her top lip which fascinated me as a 10 year old who didn`t want to be shopping for school uniforms with his mum and sister in the summer holidays, the visit to Lyons cafe did go someway to compensate though.