Broadgate

Coventry isn't really a 'concrete jungle' apart from in the areas dominated by the ring road (we had some family stay in Coventry recently, and they thought the ring road was absolutely ghastly and ruined the city centre). Some parts of the precinct are pretty grim, though, and the place has generally not been a huge success or been able to adapt to the downturn in retail very well. A lot of the precinct and some of the post war stuff is brick, stone and slate. And concrete can look good, I think it's just the amount of horrible walkways that give Coventry that reputation. I totally agree about out of town supermarkets. If they just sold food it would be fine, but they moved into books, music and other things that compete directly with city centre retailers and they sold a lot of stuff as a 'loss leader' which meant stores that relied on sales of books (Borders) couldn't compete. And once they'd driven most of those out of city centres, they then stop selling the things - CDs and films for example. They are now getting their comeuppance and are stuck with vast hangar-sized stores that are

Hello, may I go back in time and ask a few questions. Who did rebuild Broadgate and the city after the WWII, and what part did our religious leaders really take part in that rebuilding? I ask this because I know in France monasteries and religious places threw open their doors to teenagers from outside the towns to come and help rebuild their cities and towns, they built dormitories within their walls and housed and fed them, and how proud and eager those teenagers were. I was never able to find out back then if such a scheme was in Coventry, and information was hard to find since then, until perhaps this Forum. PS. Did anyone else actually stand and watch the unveiling of the statue in Broadgate the winter of 49/50?

They are making three new restaurants here I only hope they are going to cater for the shoppers and tourists during the day

Hi all Meeting up with my forum pal last Tuesday, I learnt that the pipe organ in Holy Trinity had long-gone. Replaced by a digital. I went along to have a look today. I have learnt today that the church has received a grant towards the cost of a new pipe organ. I have no idea of if or when, but that is the latest on that. Holy Trinity is to the left off this picture. The picture shows the library & a Cov single decker, possibly on route to Berkswell, as well as the iconic temp shops which included Lyons cafe. The aircraft hanger looking building to the right of the library, was in use as a temp M&S store for quite a while. Walking from Holy Trinity, I went past what used to be the Gulson Library. Memories of my school homework days as most of my homework was completed in there, before I ever reached home. Most days, in good weather, I walked from school, did my homework before then walking on to my mum's shop in White St, where I then had a lift home. In her Ford Pop, but by then, which was after six, no one from the grammar school was around to see me. I didn't mind being seen when in one of my dads fine motors, but my mum's pop, lost me all credibility at school.

It looks like the pedestrian subway to Owen Owen is under construction. Was that area originally another temporary shop that has been removed, or was it always vacant? Or maybe the road has been re-aligned?

This is an earlier picture (1949) which may answer your question?

Thank you both Philip and Dutchman for the photos of scenes I well remember. Tell me, have you still got the covered over bus stops or is that something else that had to go over the years.

Hi Dreamtime, That whole area is now a traffic free zone. A huge precinct in effect. The old Owen Owen building, now Primark. For you, Dreamtime, traffic (mostly buses) comes up Trinity St, but turns back down the Burges at the point where Ironmonger Row, joins.

Thank you Philip, looking at it now I can't believe I used to catch my bus there. I loved Broadgate the way it was, but I quite like that now. A great meeting place and the car show would have been impressive. All they need now is a Hot Potato Oven stall and maybe a bacon butty one too, they would do a roaring trade.

Hi all Hope you are able to view this link Dreamtime. It shows the road connection between Trinity St & Ironmonger Row. The route of all road traffic.

Thank you Philip, that is brilliant. I zoomed in and landed on the paving in Broadgate and walked the walk through Pepper Lane and visited the Cathedrals Are they still working on the old one. Well I walked back and looked in at some of our old haunts, well the ones that are still there. Thank you so much for that link. Absolutely (have to say it Philip) Bloomin' Brill ! I will now go back and explore some more. Hope you are all having a good day so far. Pouring down here but we need it so badly.

Crazy though alert. I'm trying again to make sense of the east side of Broadgate. There are a lot of drawings of the old views but none of them seem to match each other, the photos or the map. If you look at the maps, the front most range doesn't match the next row. The plots are staggered. The most obvious answer is that they were always misaligned. The next obvious is that either the front or the back has changed. There's a third option - that the front range wasn't original and the street line was the second row. For the oldest buildings there is a dividing wall at the same alignment. The curious thing is that if you shave off a row, Grey Friars Lane, Broadgate and Butcher Row all line up. Mad?

Hi Helen, looking at old maps it looks as if several changes have been made over the centuries. I always thought "Broadgate" referred to the street but apparently it refers to the Castle Gate. If you look at the 1750 map in "Street maps" "Old map scans" it shows where the castle was. In the book 600 years of municipal life it says that in 1812 a Street act was secured that authorized the widening of certain streets and it was then that Broadgate was widened (for the traffic, nothing changes" Looking at the maps though it looks as if it was the west side that was demolished ! About what date are you looking at ?

I am not good at the compass points but if west is the Broadgate house side, that side used to be roughly at where the Godiva statue is, in the early 20th century for example.