Watch and Clock Industry in Coventry

Hello Himself and thanks for the information I lived near the top of Duke Street between 1967 and 1975 so the comings and goings at Lexor were an everyday sight for me.

Hello there, dutchman. Mine was the battered white Mini (always late in!), by your time Jay had changed his green Mark V Jaguar for a maroon Mark IX and also had a short wheelbase LandRover. Then we had someone come along to wash them once a week. Memories are being stirred after finding this thread. Jim Pledger, the gadget wizard, fitted micro-switches in all the outside door locks wired to a mini light bulb in the top floor. This was so you could see whether you had locked all the outside doors when leaving the building alone late at night. We had a Telephone Rentals internal phone system for which a catenary cable had to be stretched high up from No. 31 to No. 25. It's a wonder it didn't pull the wall out from No. 31 - I know that we had to fit a spreader plate for it and I remember we all left the building when it was being tensioned, just in case! Found the photo of our celebrating the 10,000th Disboard; that's it on the table, chrome plated. Let's see if I can remember all the names from left: Jay Lucas, Ralph Treadwell (sales), Winnie Harban (Disboard production control), 'Himself', Pauline Brain (because she was quite pretty! and my secretary - would you believe Pauline Brain married a John Head?!), Jim Pledger (you can even see he was mad!), Accounts lady - the name has gone completely, Ken whatsisname, Ron Hollis (works foreman/manager). The curtain at the right concealed a locked door into the house on Allesley Old Road - and a large hatchet to use in case of being trapped by fire!

Thanks Himself I was more familiar with seeing the Hearsall Lane side of things myself and one girl in particular who was pretty hard to ignore!

Well, we knew how to pick them! I've just recalled that Jay didn't live at Moreton Morrell at all. He and Bronwyn actually lived at Ashorne. Moreton Morrell probably sounded better - as I said, he was a great 'front' man!

Coventry Watch Museum A little video set to Lieutenant Pigeon's version of Grandfather Clock.

Love it! Can't get the tune out of my head now.

Excellent video thank you Gilly.

Hi all Please remember to change your clocks here in the uk this weekend. They go forward one hour. Changing clocks nowadays is half a mornings work in our home. With so many domestic devices, like central heating & so on. It reminds me of the song written by Donald Swann. "It all makes work for the working man to do". "la la la la la la la. It was on the Monday morning the gas man came to call" The Gas Man Cometh - Flanders and Swann or an alternative recording The Gas Man Cometh

Shouldn't the central heating be off by now ?

Hi Midland Red When I say heating, I mean hot water too. I have never had an immersion heater, I prefer the economics of the gas boiler heating the water for an hour in the morning & an hour in the evening. We never actually switch the radiators (ch) off. We let the thermostat in the hall decide when they come on. That is set at 12c throughout the year. The graph of our energy consumption throughout the year compares very favourably for a small semi'. Gone well off theme now. ps. 'our gas burns with a tartan coloured flame too'. In order to get us back onto theme, at our home, we have our 'Wendy-House' time too. Not made in Coventry but this two faced clock is very useful. I have just set it to summer time.

BRILLIANT, thank you. I'll be singing the rest of the day.

Fantastic forum everyone, I've just spent over an hour reading this thread! I own a small, new, online business (www.thatkitsite.com) based in 49 Allesley Old Road, Russel Terrace I believe. Does anyone know the history of this premises? I'm really interested and would be amazing to see any photographs. I'm keen to maintain the history into the future of my business. I understand the origins were probably a watch makers (?) and in more recent years was even a funeral directors (which would explain the strange noises at night!). I've no idea about anything else though...

Hello James "Henry Ison & Sons", they eventually moved further along the road next to the Maudslay Hotel. Before that it was a branch of "Chelsea Man" menswear. I suspect it had been a tailor's or cobbler's shop for some time before that.

Thanks Dutchman. I didn't realise the funeral directors was still around. I guess it's unfortunately a business that is recession proof! Are you aware of any sources for things like previous occupiers and/or photographs? Does anybody else have any stories?

I'm not so sure they are still in business James? Their office was closed last time I passed it. The menswear business opposite them has also gone, replaced by a mobile phone shop and laptop repair centre. Afraid not James although RIBA's website has a 1962 picture of the workshops for sale: LINK City Planning records relate only to the period when it was occupied by Chelsea Man and Henry Ison Oh and I forgot to mention earlier James, good luck with your new business