GEC Spon Street

The Sherbourne now runs in the gap between the Skydome and Odeon buildings and can be viewed from the access road which once formed Crow Lane.

For anyone curious to know what it was like inside, here's a picture from the final days. There must be ex-employees with many unshared photographs from retirement parties over the years which would be of interest, albeit mainly of people rather than specifically the building. Cameras were officially banned, until not long before the end there was at least one poster stating so, next to the one saying 'The Official Secrets Acts Affect YOU!', left over from wartime days I guess.

Not quite, all GEC telephone works employees were required to sign the Official Secrets Act for as long as it was a government contractor. No one who worked there will even talk about the Gosford Street/Whitefriars works!

I worked at Telephone Works for 6 years (62-8) and I was never asked to sign the OSA, and I took a couple of photographs inside the Radio Lab (very early one morning!! ) Unfortunately I can't find them at the moment, but they are around somewhere!

That's strange Keith as I know a woman who only ever trimmed wiring connections and she was forced to sign it!

Anyone got any memories of Spon Street, my father was supervisor there for many years (Wally Gould) remember going to his retirement 'do' and being amazed at the amount of things people had brought him, I've since been told that he was well thought of by the workers - but I am slightly biased!!!!!!!!!

Where does one start when it comes to memories of Spon Street, eh! So many characters passed through that slightly scruffy but very atmospheric building over the years - some bringing back warmer memories than others! My time there was 1981 until 1990 when it closed, soon to be demolished, so not too long ago really - certainly in the recent enough past to have to be careful what we say about people in case they are still around and read this!! My senior foreman in the Radio department was Ben Moore, with whom I got on very well - I wonder if he will ever visit here? Other test dept. managers include John Collins, Norman Wright (ex-Spitfire pilot), Jim Davis, Keith Rimmer, Malcolm Johnson, Arnold Blakey.... and many, many more. I'm sure there will be no shortage of memories of all sorts for these - and likewise, they might still remember some of us! Below are two photos which were, I believe, taken by GlynD on this forum, very soon before the factory was vacated for the final time in 1990. The photo of the 5th floor could've easily been almost any of the floors, they were mostly extremely similar in layout. Actually, directly below the centre of this photo, on the 4th floor, was the very spot where one dinner time in August 1987 I sat with a young lady named Beverley and chatted her up until she agreed to come for a drink with me that evening. She's now, of course, Mrs. Orland! One abiding memory of Spon Street was that there were so many people there - it was always at least someone's birthday every day! It was a regular occurrence for a complete "stranger" to walk past your section with a trolley full of various drinks - wine, port, sherry, whatever - and offer you a sip on behalf of such-n-such's birthday.... whoever they were! We didn't mind who it was or why - it was polite to accept ! This next photo is of the canteen on the roof, which holds many great memories of Christmas parties, etc. I hope someone else can now take up the reigns of this story and share more reminiscences with us all.

As some of the iconic buildings in and around Coventry have been demolished, I have made a habit of buying odds and ends which I could use in renovating the wreak of a house I bought. Most demolition contractors were more than happy to make a few bob on the side. From the GEC in Spon Street I bought enough 3 inch thick silvered polyurethene insulation sheets to internally insulate the whole of my house for a pittance. Also enough wired glass 3m glass sheets for a huge lean-to roof and standing sheets for my tomatoes. Not long after the Alvis was demolished, so I went to the contractor for a couple of doors. 'We're not selling or giving away any ******* doors or any ******* thing else. We're knocking the whole ******* place flat so **** off' . I think he must have had a bad night!!!!

Just seeing if I can tie up any pictures in this 1896 book on Coventry to any posts and found your questions about the tunnels. I quote from the book "Commencing our tour of inspection at the well appointed suite of private and general offices we pass through a recently-constructed subway to an extensive packing room in which are stacked piles of crate-wood, suggestive of a timber merchant's yard. Adjoining this is the examination room in which a practical expert is engaged in examinating with critical care the finished machines, the slightest fault in which is at once detected, and the article returned to the proper quarter, so that the defect - a very rare occurence by the way - may be remedied". They say that the site is 4.1/2 acres so I should think the "subway" was an innovation so the management would not get wet!

Don't know what that's meant to be a picture of Anne but it doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to the Rudge Works in Spon End, let alone the much later factory used by GEC? Old-Maps.co.uk

Love the three spires on the picture!

That is the picture in the book, probably a bit of artistic license, they would not have had aerial photography then I was a bit concerned when I put it on as it says 3 acres on here and 4 1/2 in the write up. Maybe this is the Birmingham factory but they have tried to put the 3 spires in the background. The main point was to answer Neilsyard's question about the tunnels.

Nobody's blaming you Anne! This is the actual Rudge factory in Trafalgar Street. It was destroyed in 1940 before GEC had an opportunity to occupy it:

It does mention buildings fronting Trafalgar Street in the book and you can see the chiseled corner of the building on your picture on the drawing of the factory. Would this have all been part of the same site or was the building the GEC occupied a different one?

The picture in the book and Dutchman's are the same from that angle. The three storey has the same number of windows and the two storey building on the left. Also the wedge on the corner (could not spell "chiselled") has the large window at the bottom and two smaller ones above.