Stivichall / Styvechale

I think Neil was demanding to see the actual purple flowers but we know that it was just the wrong season

My imagination is working over time trying to picture what it was like inside.

Barely believable that spot ended up like this and the name associated with something so terrible. Thankfully it's all been bulldozed now. Shame the original house wasn't saved but we say that about most of old Cov! Anyone know exactly when it went?

Just found this image of Wisteria Cottage in Rob's collection.

Wow, nice one Helen - all this time I never knew that this was the cottage in my postcard!

Hi all, Boundaries usually come into being because of disputes. The area of the picture is no different, whether it be a civil, county or country boundary. Stivichall or Styvechale, Just a thought. Please select Styvechale. Styvechale may have begun as a farming area in Saxon times and indeed remained largely agricultural until the first quarter of the 20th c. The estate came into the possession of the Gregory family [later Gregory-Hood] in the 16th c. A divided community, which might explain the spelling deviations. Whenever I'm looking at old maps or photos, drawings even, each is normally telling a story. At school, most of us got used to doing our sums, usually the first lesson of the day. 2 + 4 = 6. Oh goody. I got one right. My first ever introduction to algebra started when we were given the answer, but had to work out the question. Mrs Cramp started me on that, MR. So... a + 4 = 6. The rules regards swapping signs when moving across the equals sign. a = 2. For me, it's the same with pictures. There has to be a reason for an object, whether it's a house or what being there. Why there? So the intrigue continues.

We'd still be in the dark Rob if that other photo hadn't turned up and CliffB hadn't identified it. Like me, you just saw a satisfying photo. I see a lot of post cards that might be related but it takes time to get your eye in and spot similarities. I've stopped thinking that I've reached the end of what parts of Coventry were captured as I'm still finding gems pop up. I am still hampered by having only a vague idea where places like Styvechale or Hillfields are. For some reason the railings on the right are familiar. I haven't got any of the outer Coventry books. I wonder if the guy in the bowler hat isn't the same guy in the other picture? I think that we speculated that the old slides were Wingrave and it occurred to me that whoever it was took little day trips out into the outskirts of Coventry to take photos to flog. Might the bowler hat guy be an assistant or a cab (horse) driver? "Bert, the photo needs a person in it, go sit under the tree will you?"

I reckon this is looking the opposite way. Note the fence.

Afternoon Philip. There were distinct communities outside Coventry, even dating back to medieval times but it would have been dangerous to live on your own in an unoccupied area like Wisteria Cottage, although there might have been small enclosures for herders and their animals overnight. Common land was specifically not to be built on because it was set aside for everyone to graze animals on. As things got safer, it was still hard to build on common land due to people with grazing rights refusing permission, and it took an act of Parliament to break the rules and enclose common land for private use. So, it's unlikely that the cottages were very old when they were photographed but their plots may have been older. Cottages built early 1800s? They may have been farmhouses to start with and they seem to be on a proper track in the photos where they are clearly on paths by the time the maps record them. It also looks like they were cut off as main roads were designated. The original road may even have run on the far side of the cottages in a track that comes from Spencer Park, rather than running through the middle of the common. Without older maps, we shall never know.

The building with the crisscross fence is on eBay.

I thought I'd shared one of these images before but was unable to locate it on the forum. As we know Stivichall/Styvechale Hall is no longer around (did it go circa 1900?) However as seen here - the old Icehouse (think a big early Fridge!) lasted a lot longer until the Styvechale estate went up. Only the footings of the Icehouse remain but are incorporated in to a garden feature to the rear of No.11 Knoll Croft - (Apols to the owner if here - hope you don't mind me sharing!)

From the newspaper site again Neil it was demolished in 1939 after standing derelict for about 10 years.

Thanks once again Anne! I've always been a bit confused about the Hall and the Manor that is still there at the junction of Styvechale Croft. Were these both owned by the Gregory-Hood family and why is one there but not the other?

"In 1928 it was sold with some of the estate to Coventry corporation, but it became derelict and was demolished after World War II." Between maintenance costs, running costs, inheritance taxes and just being too big, many houses like that were demolished, up and down the country. Some were repurposed as schools or other state buildings but that was no guarantee that they weren't still too expensive to maintain. Before listed buildings there was no protection at all. Now, listing can make preserving a building so expensive they are left to fall down, rather than be saved.

In some of the later newspaper articles the owner is given as Mr John G Gray who bought it for a building estate. Gray also bought Coombe Abbey where he lived until 1962 when it was leased to GEC before being bought by the `Coventry City Council in 1964