Coventry Police

I did engage in a very absorbing conversation with a gentleman yesterday whose father was an officer based at Holmsdale Rd Police Station. He was on duty during the blitz and I heard anecdote after anecdote with regard to that period. How he was burned by an incendiary on the legs and taking shelter behind a (post) pillar box on seeing a couple of landmines falling, that was on Foleshill Rd. On patrol around Aldermans Green area on his bicycle and much more. I was given his name and collar number, but do not wish to divulge that information at the moment. The gentleman does have a lot of paperwork and photos, and being the age he is, he does need to have a sort and thin out of his stuff. I do have a (selfish) concern over that, as I said I would be very interested to see it. However, later during our chat, I did mention the forthcoming Heritage open days, and that the police museum in Little Park Street will be open for some of them, (a place I will go again). I just hope the 'stuff' does not go there without me getting my hands on it first!

covpolicehistory. That's interesting, of all the streets on his beat only Aldermans Green Road mentioned. A policeman was riding down Jackers Road during a raid. He heard a bomb coming down, he cycled like mad towards where he thought it might land - two or three minutes later he arrived to join my father and two other local men digging at the site of a direct hit on a house. He quickly took charge, phoning ambulance and help, then he worked with the others until more help came and they had pulled all three dead people out. The four of them then crossed the road to the Crown pub, washed and downed a free brandy off the landlord. The policeman then rode off and my father rode home to us in our Anderson shelter. He told us the story, the victims were my mother's cousin and her family - a sad blow for us. There were no other bombs in the street - the rest of the stick narrowly missed the power station but hit Sutton Stop. There were no incendiaries.

Hi Kaga. From what I heard, his blitz duties were in the Foleshill area and it was post-war he rode around Aldermans Green and out to Lentons Lane. I do hope I may be able to find out more soon.

NeilsYard. Work began on the Central Police Station in July 1953. It was completed in June 1957. The Police started to move in during July 1957 and it was fully operational from September 1957. Edit. From what I heard recently, West Midlands Police are planning to demolish it. Post copied from topic Little Park Street on 22nd Oct 2018 2:52 pm

That's correct. They are planning on demolishing it and building a smaller one - and there were plans to centralise all the Neighbourhood Policing teams there also! How on earth can a Neighbourhood Policing Team not be based in the neighbourhood it is supposed to be covering???

Couldn't they section it into two, then rent one half out to some other company instead of paying for it to be demolished then paying for it to be rebuilt in a different size??????

My understanding about the decision to demolish the 1957 police station is that the current Police Commissioner sees it as not fit for purpose for modern policing. The current police station was built with a gymnasium which was later converted to a Control Room; a ballroom which became the current public entrance and offices; a canteen; a police club; living accommodation for single officers; a cell block; a garage; and lots of office space. Apparently modern technology has reduced the need for these facilities. They say that a smaller new building would meet future needs and would of course generate some funds when they sell off the spare land. Personally I would be happier if the new local policing units were based in the part of the city which they served.

I think it would be a shame to lose it now, after it lasted 61 years.

I worked at the Law Courts in the late 80's and we used to go to the Control Room - it looked a bit past its sell by date then!

Osmiroid - I agree that it will be a shame to lose the familiar green roofed buildings. The problem is that they are spread over quite a large plot so selling surplus land would generate enough money to build a new modern building. The existing buildings are very specialised and not a lot of use for anything else unless you want a ballroom, gym, social club etc attached to your offices. I read recently that West Midlands Police intends to sell a good number of police stations across Birmingham and the Black Country plus Fletchamstead and Chace Avenue in Coventry. Warwickshire Police have already closed their police stations in Warwick, Kenilworth, and Southam.

To be honest, my even bigger interest might be of absolutely no interest to anyone else. The existence of the police station car park, which is the uncovered, unbuilt upon, location of The Bayley Buildings, owned by Middlemores, both the one with their name on and the Lucas building which Middlemores rented out to the users of it.

Here's said police station, photographed today in glorious sunshine

It interests me Osmiroid - little did I know when I worked there as mentioned that I was standing on more or less the same spot as Little Palace Yard where some of my family had lived! I do remember before the Magistrates complex was built it was a large car park right across that land.

The whole site could reveal some good archaeology given that a fair proportion is given over to car parks and paved areas which have remained unaltered since the police station was built between 1953-57.

Around 1830 time Coventry was a city and a county, and the police force had to go to places like Ansty, Wyken and Whitley and such villages as there was no Warwickshire force. At that time there were day constables and night watchmen - there was a setter of the watch, and the watchmen met at the watch house and started their rounds at 10pm. On their beats watch-boxes were placed for them to rest in, constructed like sentry boxes but with doors to their openings. The old lock-up or watch-house in the Women's Market was taken down in 1865 to make way for the new market hall. On the one side it adjoined an old inn (Talbot) and its yard, which stood on the corner of West Orchard and Cross Cheaping. The old night watchmen cried the hours and half-hours throughout the night. The Women's Market adjoined the watch-house, it was one storey, covered with a tiled roof, and open on three sides to wind and rain - it stood on 14 brick pillars. Here on market days sat the farmers' wives with butter, eggs and farm produce. The inspector trying the weight of the butter with his scales placed a constable at each end of the market, to prevent them running away if they had short weight. But they would slip through the back way to the Dolphin Inn. The butter sold by the quart (two and a half pounds weight), but in 1839 the council made them sell in pounds and ounces. The sheds or shambles around the market hall were small with a frontage of about 8 to 9 feet, 7 feet tall. and different trades - erected in 1829 to give more stalls to the market, the hall having been erected before that date. Each shed had a door and a wooden window flap on hinges, made to let down to form a stall