Coventry Bakers and Bakeries

Wasn't Hunts also known as The Twins locally. I also seem to remember that just round the corner on the opposite side of the road was an old fashioned tobacconist/sweetshop possibly called Thompsons.

Well if they weren't twins, they looked mightily alike, I liked those mini Hovis loaves they made in little tins but all the bread was great. I'll report back if hubby remembers the Sweet shop.

I mentioned Hunt's in the Spon Street thread a few weeks ago, I think. My mother used to go there every day for many years. Her bus pass meant that she was happy to go to town from Binley every day if necessary just for their bread. I remember their bloomers with particular relish.

I preferred their cottage loaf myself, perfect for dunking in soup.

Stu says there used to be a newsagent/tobacconist/sweets shop close by - he thinks it was called Goddards?

He could be right but I think the Newsagents was in Spon Street near Tudor House. We used to live in Dover Street and on the way home from shopping we'd call in all three of the shops. I remember that in the tobacconists all the shelves behind the counter had jars of different types of tobacco and we used to buy sherbert lemons from there. I think it was about two doors away from the Cyrenian shelter - but I could have course be wrong

He's read your directions regarding the Newsagents and he thinks that was 'Rimmers' in Fleet Street, which has been discussed on here if you put a search in for it.

Oh sorry to add this but he has just remembered that there was a Sweet Shop in Lower Holyhead Road but he also remembers the same place as a music shop.

There was a confectioners two doors up from Goddard's called 'Kavanagh'.

I remember it as a music shop, I once bought some guitar strings there! Thinking about it I suspect the newsagents I'm thinking of probably was Goddards

I remember Hunts. Phyllis Hunt was a conservative councillor I believe and the boys were Robin and Phil. My parents used to get their groceries there as well as the bread. I well remember the small Hovis loaves and I used to love eating the inside of a fresh, warm loaf, leaving the crust as a shell. There was a wooden stool in the shop for customers to sit on too. The bakery moved to the Holyhead Road end of Spon Street.

I was in such a rush to get to the bread counter, I had forgotten that they did have a range of groceries, we used to purchase our goods from Hunts and then go up to the Co-op Funeral Parlour to see our pal Sid and cut the Undertaker's hair up the top-room, where Sid only recently was telling us that it too was a Watch Maker's and he had found a lot of brass cuttings in the floorboards from past times.

As you are probably aware, the old Pails bakery on Craven Street in Chapelfields is the subject of two planning applications, one to demolish the existing derelict bakery and another to build a three storey, 13 unit apartment building on the site. Various residents and action groups are up in arms about the development, but so far none of the objections that have been raised against the planning applications are of any merit (from a planning perspective) and the backlash is starting to sound a lot like the reaction to the planned demolition of the Hippodrome. I want to see if we can go down a different route and apply to get the building listed - but that will depend on whether the (unremarkable) building is a historic structure rather than just an old one. This is where I could do with your help, (putting nostalgia aside) can anybody demonstrate that the Pails bakery has played a significant and enduring role in the history of Coventry? Should the building be preserved at all? It has been abandoned since 2008 and has had to have remedial work to shore up one of the external walls. Bringing the building back into use will cost upwards of £100k are there better buildings worth saving?

It was such a shame the idea of a Coffee shop/studio failed as the people had the full backing of the residents and even went round the houses asking if we thought it was a good idea.I think the most concern is about the lack of parking around here.I and my neighbours on both sides do not own a car but if we did there would be nowhere to put it and it's hard to belive none of the 13 occupants of that proposed house would not own a car. Here's the plans. Andy in Mount Street. Update: Sorry there are parking facilities on the plans......for about 8 push-bikes round the back of the house.

I lived in Craven Street and then Mount Street for a couple of years in the early 70s and the smell of the bakers was always a morning delight. We used to somtimes go and get the bread while it was still hot. There was also quite a good chip shop there as well. With those two and the eclectic mix of nearby pubs it was a great place to live.