Coventry's Markets

Can someone tell me, is the original indoor market still there and the fish market? I have lots of memories of walking around that especially on cold winter days as a kid and visiting the sweet stalls on the outside which used to sell lots of loose sweets at reduced prices and getting bacon and tomato batches from the market cafe. Also one of my favourite stalls on the inside was the comic and book stall, the man used to sell secondhand comics, all my favourites like spiderman, fantastic four, incredible hulk and superman. I used to have a suitcase full of the things up until about 20 odd years ago, wish I'd kept them now! I do still visit Coventry on a regular basis but the market area I havent been to in quite a few years.

The original "indoor" market in that area (actually it had a roof, but was not completely enclosed) was the Barracks market, now the Barracks car park. It was built on the site of the old barracks, hence the name. The "proper" indoor market before the war, was in the Market Hall in West Orchard. After the war, this re-surfaced as West Orchard open air market, adjacent to another on the site of the Rex Cinema, known as the Rex market. There is some confusion about the exact locations of these two, but I remember that West Orchard market was on the site later occupied by West Orchard car park, later demolished to make way for the new shopping mall. When the present circular market was built, it replaced all the other markets, although there were still semi-outdoor stalls around it's edge. The fish and meat hall at the Queen Victoria Road end has, I believe been replaced by stalls within the main market hall, but I haven't been inside for a while, so I am not too familiar with the latest developments.

Hi JetBlue, yes it's still there as InnisRoad says the circular one with car park on top but as he said no stalls on the outer side of it.

Hi folks Yes, I recall the old rectangular Barracks Market, too. Whilst it was open all round, if I remember correctly, there were roller doors that could be pulled down....? It was much easier to find a specific stall than when the round one opened - we always lost our bearings in that very easily! There were a few stalls outside the old market, too, some selling the early '50s equivalent of fast food. Hurrell's the pork butchers, who had a double fronted shop in the arcade (just inside, on the right hand side, at the market end) had a wooden hut-cum-stall outside the arcade, a bit away from the Barracks Market, selling chitterlings, pig's trotters, some pies, crackling, and a few other things. You'd buy them in paper like fish and chips and eat them straight away. The fish market in West Orchard was only about 4, maybe 6 stalls, all in a row. There were tiled "back offices" for them, where presumably they stored the goods overnight, and large awnings that pulled out over the laid-out stalls in front. There may have been more of a market there pre-war, but that was all that was left. If you walked along West Orchard, a cobbled street, it swung left and down, with the stalls almost underground, so they may even have been in what had been a cellar before the Blitz. They were very close to the mangled remains of the girder-work that had been put up just before the war for a new Co-op store in Corporation St. Apart from the Rex market, there was also a market in Smithford St, down from Woolworth's towards Fleet St. I guess that must have been on the site of the pre-war BHS store (anyone know?); it held about 15-20 stalls, I would estimate.

I can recall as a child market stalls out side by the Swanswell too, also fruit and veg stalls outside down by the Odeon by The Dive pub up the side.

I don't know the Dive pub, haven't been anywhere near the Odeon (Gaumont!) for some years now.

Just the one Morgana, "Maton's" in Much Park Street. It was orginally in Jordan Well next door to the Dun Cow Inn but moved around the corner when the Lady Godiva was built.

Hi d, m There was a temporary shop, a sort of long shed, that housed a newsagent in Earl St too, in the 50s, and I think it was still there into the early 60s. There was also in Earl St or Jordan Well a furniture shop in the early 50s, that was called, as I recall, Robinson's; that must have been in temporary accommodation. My parents bought a load of furniture from them about 1952. (Sorry, I know it's a bit off-topic) And Gibberd's clothing store was also there, as I recall, likewise in a temporary building; I think it was next to the newsagent. Plevin's had another one, too. The temporary buildings were rather like large sheds clad with either asbestos or plywood, and painted. Arguably, they weren't much better than stalls! But anything was better than nothing...

When I went there with my mum there were two stalls but agree at first there was one, I must of been about 3 years old but still can recall also as if it was yesterday, also the ones by one of the gates to the Swanswell were there were more some weeks than other weeks.

I wasn't born in 1952 but agree any thing is better than nothing.

Hi Keith I think the temporaries in Earl Street had all gone by the time we moved to Gosford Street in 1960? I certainly don't remember any of them. The furniture store you remember may have been "Smith's" in Jordan Well. That survived until the late 1960s. They specialised in "recycled" furniture, some of it in need of minor attention. My housekeeper was probably their biggest customer and I've still got a lot of the stuff from there.

Another interesting topic. Nice to see Hurrell's the pork butchers mentioned, my mother worked at their Coundon shop in the early 50s before moving to the Coop Butchers in West Orchard, another temporary building. We watched the demolition of the old Barracks Market to prepare for the building of the circular replacement. Coming from the Woodlands School (1954-59) we would get off the number 13 and walk through the demolition site on the way to Broadgate to catch the 16a to Sadler Road. A fine chance to throw a few bricks about without getting into trouble. One day we saw a dodgy looking man on the roof of the Empire, fetched a policeman (in those days you could easily find one), turned out to be the manager having a look at some broken tiles. We were even thanked for being observant.

hi d, h Dutchman - no it definitely wasn't Smith's. It had gone by 1960, with the other temporary shops, as you say. (Thinking about it since, I have a vague recollection that it may have been partly a proper shop, on the corner of Much Park St.) I think it may have been absorbed by Anslows, it was certainly taken over and closed. heritage - er, what's a policeman? Are they those people we used to see in dark blue suits and pointy hats??? Thought they were extinct.... (Hysterical laughter) Someone on top of the Empire, eh? Brave man, methinks! Hurrell's was prosecuted about 1953 for dirty premises, and my mother wouldn't go in there again. I well remember Mrs Hurrell in the shop, a rather large woman with very pale watery eyes, and grey hair, in a style with like a ring of curled ends around the edge. (Don;t know if you understand what I mean, but still...) But, you know, you used to see people smoking over open food whilst serving in shops then, no hair covering, not good hygiene. As an aside, I used to buy a roll for lunch from the Pitt's Head in the early 70s. The barmaid who served the rolls had long nails, and they were always filthy, and she never used tongs to pick up the food. Turned my stomach, but I had to eat, and there wasn't anywhere else to eat close by in FG St. (Still turns my stomach as I write this though.)

Hygiene may have been poor but I get the impression that there was less food poisoning in those difficult post war days. Policemen are extinct in Bedworth, Police Station is shut to the public. You have to go in the council office opposite and ask at the counter for someone to walk across the road to see you. Our bungalow was built for the manager of Anslows back in 1934.

Keith, according to planning records and it was called "Roberts" and had been removed by 15th October, 1958. It may have been flanked at one time by a soft furnishings shop called "Modes" on one side and Crown Wallpapers on the other but planning records are very vague at the best of times.