Little Palace Yard

I'm having a little bother trying to find the location of Little Palace Yard, or where it was. I have a picture of a very old carved arbour that once stood in a garden there. The picture mentions Earl Street and looking through a gateway arch. I can only guess it was where the Herbert is today or to the rear of it. There is a large chimney and workshop with a part glass roof in the background behind the wall if that helps anyone?

"Just took a photo of it." If this helps? The image does not show a date but I think it 's around the 1900's. Just found a few more pics and the location in the "Coventry Now and Then" section. A little more information to add to our history. Princess Elizabeth's father being King James I, is said to have stayed there for her own safety at one point. Could she have sat in this arbour?

hi baz just been on net and found out it was in Little Park Street if that helps go on google and just put in little palace yard hope that helps you

"Palace Yard" was in Earl Street directly facing the Council House. "Little Palace Yard" was some distance behind it and facing onto Little Park Street. The stone arbour was moved to the Memorial Park for 'safe keeping' but was destroyed by a bomb during the war!

It always amazes me the amount of information some people can find. Thanks Dutchman.

And here's what's left of it - now in the War Memorial Park. Who can guess whereabouts in the park this is? (Yes, this has now turned into another photo-mystery!)

This lion is also in the Memorial Park, is it part of the same?

The things you learn on this site! I had never heard of this place, but the pictures and memories of it are fascinating. I am enjoying this thread a lot

Hi Rob how about this for a find, reading about Palace Yard my grt gran always talked about it. I have found an old press cutting showing the fifteenth century arbour photographed as erected in the Memorial Park. Looking at it it was erected against a perimeter fence adjacent to an entrance could it be Leamington Road. I wonder if some of the houses along there have remains as part of their rockery. The lion is almost certainly from the same structure, if you blow up the image it is just discernible.

Was this referred to as "Old Palace Yard" - or was that another one?

Yes! I've also seen it referred to as "Ye olde Palace Yard"

Thank you Dutchman. I know it's not the "title" of this thread, but I've found this postcard of the "Old Palace Yard" dated 1939. It's very similar to one that is in the "Now & Then" section - but this also shows the Council House "tower". Viewed from what is now "Civic Centre 1", Earl Street can be seen through the far alleyway.

There's an interesting note on the back, which reads; In the 16th century, this inn was visited by Queen Elizabeth. On alighting from her horse, a man, thinking to flatter her, said:- "Lord, how fair she be" & the queen replied very tartly, "Ye men of Coventry what fools ye be".

Very interesting TonyS. Can't imagine that view looking at it today. I think the Queen thought the men of Coventry foolish to think of her as fair as she was known to be of a tough character and not of a (for want of better words) feeble or fair. Either that or she did not know how to take a compliment!

I agree with you Dreamtime, its difficult to visualise exactly where the yard would be today. If you go to Google "street view" and stand in Earl Street, on the corner of the Council House right under the clock - then turn round 180 deg, this yard would have been just over the road. What you see through the alleyway in the scan is the Council House (I think!) Its hard to comprehend that just a year after this photo was taken, it was gone, flattened in the Blitz

Were they linked in any way?