High Street

Looking at that photo of the High Street Dutchman made me wonder where the old Cov. Economic Building Soc. used to be.

Hi Dreamtime, it's difficult to be precise, but I think the Coventry Building Society would be immediately to the photographers left - pretty much where it is today and where it's been as long as I can remember (steps back and waits for someone else to correct me!)

Thank you TonyS

I know that the Coventry Building Society was at 19/20 High Street in the 1930's as it is now, but was it on the other side of High Street in the 1950's in the building that was Martin's Bank? I am sure I can remember going to it on that side of the road when I was young, there was a prefab shop next door that sold spares for vacuum cleaners.

Hi Anne, yes indeed, the Coventry Building Society did occupy the Martin's Bank building but it was much later than that, in the 80's in fact. They were the last occupants prior to the building being demolished.

Funny, I have just mentioned this shop in another topic, it must have been before you owned it as I can remember my mum going there in the 1950's for vac bits and that the Coventry Building Society was in the building next door. It made me think how "temporary" some of these buildings were as your shop would have been put there after the war and still there in the 80's. I was looking at the High Street page as I was trained on the comptometer for a couple of weeks, upstairs in one of the buildings on the other side of High Street, probably one of the banks, this would have been 1964. We had to walk along a lot of dark corridors to get to the room that was used at the back of the building. The main thing I remember was that in the break we used to talk to some young chefs who were working in the Craven Arms kitchens that we could see across the roofs. They found out it was one of the girls in our class birthday and they made a lovely cake and ventured across the roofs of the buildings to bring it over to us.

Hi Anne, I took the above photo around 1984 and although the Cov B/Soc was the last to occupy the "Martins Bank" premises I didn't think it occupied it around the time you are talking (although I have been known to be wrong!). Maybe MR can check his "directory" for me I also have a pic taken from inside the old bank just before they demolished it.

There wasn't a "Coventry Building Society" as such in the 1950s - there was a few with those words in their title

Was it something like The Coventry Economic Building Society?

Hi all Wiki-link & also History

I'm sure the old Martin's Bank building, as pictured, was the Coventry Provident Building Society, where I had diligently saved from childhood for the day when I wanted a mortgage. My parents had had their mortgages and savings there since the 1930s. It was handy for me to go and pay in my savings at lunchtimes on my way to the Council staff canteen in Derby Lane when I worked in Broadgate House. When the time came to buy my first house in 1980 interest rates were at 15% but we had been told there would be no problem getting the mortgage as all our savings had always been there. So we had an offer accepted on a property and went to sign the papers. They then announced that there were no funds left for 3 months, when we could apply again. We were furious. However we trudged around the other societies and eventually had an offer from the Derbyshire, as long as we put our deposit in there. We took great pleasure in walking into the Provident and withdrawing every penny in cash. Next in the queue was my father who closed his accounts, while the manager begged him not to. I was delighted when the Economic swallowed them up soon afterwards as, apparently, many senior Provident staff were shown the door in the process.

Yes indeed it was, but in more recent times the "Economic" part of its title has been dropped. I seem to recall there being two very similar named societies many years ago which maybe merged to form the "Coventry Economic" as I remember it. That's probably what MR is also seeing. I just didn't think "The Coventry" occupied that building until maybe the mid to late 70's. Actually, didn't they only move into the old Martins Bank as a temporary residence while their main offices were completely refurbished? Great links Philip

I am pretty sure we demolished a Coventry Economic building in the late 60s, but I cannot for the life of me remember where in the city it was. There was a room below ground what my workmates called a crypt, but I think it was just a cellar. The job was a full scaffold because it was on a busy street.

I stand to be corrected Norm but we were with the Economic up until 74' (our first home) and I am sure it was in the High Street and my sister in law worked there, however, memories do play tricks.

You are probably right Dreamtime, as you say memories do play tricks, whats a few years between friends