Francis-Barnett

Old age must be playing tricks with my memory. I don't recognise this as the Lea Francis works. I thought it was demolished in the early 60s, yet the car registration shows this photo as 1966 at the earliest.

You are right Adrian, I too do not remember the building looking like this, it was just an ordinary factory, single storey with apex roofs. Maybe this was their offices elswhere. it was the early 60s for sure, and quite close to the tower block offices

I don't know anything about the building. The photo (I bought a boxful of Coventry stuff off an old chap a few years ago) has Lea Francis Much Park Street on the back. It also has Lea Francis over the door in the middle. I have another view of the same building which I will post when I find out how to log on to this site on my PC instead of my ipad.

I worked on the Lea Francis site for a few days during its demolition, helping the collecting of the timber for a contractor. It seemed to be much smaller, and full of wooden partitions. I cannot remember what year it was, only that it was before I got married in 1966.

Here is the street view of Much Park Street. I am wondering whether this would be the office building and perhaps the factory would have been a lower building as you remember. Maybe the factory was demolished in the early 1960's. I have just looked at another site that Dutchman had put some pictures on of Much Park Street being demolished in 1969 (Coventry message board). There is a picture on there which shows demolition on a site opposite a building with a sign "Stobrook furniture warehouse" This looks very much like the building on the opposite side of the road on this picture. My earlier pictures shows the building almost derelict as some of the windows are falling out but perhaps they were thinking of refurbing it.

As far as I know the factory was behind the office block and next to the Gaumont cinema with an entrance at the far end of Much Park Street as seen the above photo. The office building can still be seen in aerial photos from 1964 but as mentioned above had gone by 1969.

I agree Dutchman, I do not remember that frontage at all, and the factory itself was at the rear. I was only there a couple of weeks on demolition when I had my little mishap and I remember the ambulance that took me away was a Bedford with a bell on it!

I wonder if this photograph has been taken in Coventry? Francis-Barnett KV 7553

Can't help on the location but that's a nice early photo of a Francis Barnett Cruiser. I've only ever seen one of those models in the flesh. I found a recent image (of the motorcycle) if others are interested here

I don't know enough about the models Catshed but there are a lot of photos of Francis Barnett's on that link of mine that I think you should check out in case they are of interest for you. Also, loads of other makes as well. I've put the link on for you. You may need to go to the Home Page and put another search in. Stilltimecollection of Early Photographs I have just had another look at the site, if you put 'Engine' in as a search, you'll love it

That's an excellent photo of the Lea Francis works. It's strange that I don't remember it that way, I am wondering if the factory part I remember was nearer the camera and was maybe an annex or extention. Thanks for putting it up.

Here is an image from a book of the first Triumph works and it looks the same building as the one in Annewiggy's photo, now this might have been taken over by Lea Francis after Triumph moved down the road to Priory Street. There were quite a few companies that occupied companies making the same thing. This photo has the description; 4 Earls Court, Much Park Street In my eyes that makes Annewiggy's photo correct for the street.

Hi Catshed, I don't dispute the accuracy of the photo, it is almost certainly the Lea Francis works. I just don't remember it that way. It was about 50 years ago. I can only think I was in an outbuilding or some part of the factory to the rear or side.

The factory entrance was to the left of the timber-framed buildings in the photo.

Ah, don't get me wrong Adrian, I wasn't criticizing anyone else's view, maybe I worded it wrong, I can't personally comment on the building as I'm only 48 and moved to Coventry in 1985 so in fact know nothing, but I am very interested in this building and apart from that photo I've posted then any others are a blessing, I think I've asked elsewhere on this forum of the whereabouts and/or images of the first Triumph factory and now some have come to light. There are so many buildings we walk by daily but don't recognize them unless we tilt our heads back and look at the architecture above.