Coventry Trams

Having second thoughts now, another idea. I have just posted a link to an article under coventry built cars. There is a picture on there of Coventry Climax in New Union Street. It is made up of a walk of small square windows. In the picture of the tram girls there is a reflection in the windows behind them of small square windows ! Could this picture have been taken with Christ Church in the background ?

I see what you mean with regards to the reflections Anne - I'm not familiar with Climax in that location? Do we have any images of them there? It would've been just Union Street as 'New' Union was only created by post-war redevelopment. That's today's picture hunt planned then! A quick search an I can only find references to them being initially at East Street, then Friars Road - then Widdrington Road.

As far as I know there are only two logical places where tram workers would likely congregate. The Station and the Foleshill tram depot and I don't think that it's either of those places. It doesn't look anywhere familiar. Might they have been sent somewhere to train as a large group? The manufacturer's perhaps?

Neil, it was the picture you posted under Climax that I was looking at and it is also on the article on the link that I have put under Coventry built cars. I can't find anything about it's exact location though and what would have been next to it.

Wasn't Climax in Paynes Lane? That did have a tram track. In 1921 it was at 63 East Street.

We do have a dedicated Climax thread but found this on the Jaguar Heritage site (Jaguar bought them in 1963) -

Thanks for that Neil. Do you know any more about the Hobart Works which is where the picture shows Climax situated. A newspaper article advertises the sale in 1924 and gives the address as St Patricks Road and Cheylesmore. That would disprove my theory unless Climax were renting it !

I don't really, Anne, no, although Hobart were an early Coventry Motorcycle manufacturer. Rob has this article which references them but mentions they were on St Patricks Road..... I wonder if it's to do with them as seems an unusual name for a factory otherwise?

I think that that the photo is unlikely to be connected to Climax given its modest location in 1918. The windows or grill at the back on the left are very unusual and strangely modern. There was a Railwayman's club somewhere either Cow Lane or Warwick Lane, maybe there was an overlap with trams? But I don't see the right shapes on the map or aerial photos. I don't recall anything like the left hand side anywhere within the city centre or what I've seen of the factories.

Can I suggest the Drill Hall as the site. There is a picture on flickr showing the yard with a corrugated roof that could be a possible site.

Got a link for that one, argon?

This is link to the yard of the Drill Hall I believe. rear Drill hall

Nice find, argon.

Thinking down another avenue, Foleshill tram depot was right next to Foleshill Workhouse. In 1918 it was closed and by 1921 turned into 27 flats. There does not seem to be any pictures of the workhouse. Any thoughts on if it is the building behind the ladies ?

I wondered what happened to the tramway girls after the war ended, curious enough to check the 1921 census. There were just three females living in Coventry with an occupation beginning with the word tramway, Evelyn Brown age 21, Phyllis Brown 23 and Emily Summers 18. The last was born in Cheshire and maybe too young to be in the photo. The Browns were, I believe, sisters, living at the same address as Ernest Percy Brown 43, also amongst the 59 men recorded as a tramway or tramcar something. He was born in Wiltshire, and I found was mentioned in newspapers as being traffic superintendent at the Corporation tramway department, so the ladies may have been office staff. That's all I could find without subscribing. I'd like to think they could have been in the photo and had been promoted to a clerical position, although nepotism would seem a possibility too.