Burges and Cross Cheaping

Thanks Kaga - a good memory eh?

Lots of shoppers visible in The Burges here, in this view taken back in the early 1960's! Also clearly visible as well and very hard to miss (lol), is a "RADFORD" bound AEC RT double decker and that is being followed by a nice old Triumph Herald!

Wouldn't that have been Anslows furniture store behind the bus but a lot smaller building - 50's time?

Members. Louisa James, Victorian jewellers, was definitely at 21 Burges during wartime, not sure about Gilberts, not sure if there were two shops with the V entrance? A year ago Rob took some pictures from a cafe, of wooden beams in the Burges for Helen. We're all familiar with the council getting rid of Butcher Row, because it was old and the beams were warped and worm-ridden, and Owen Owen took about a third of the top of the Burges and more of the old buildings, but the council left 3/4 of those houses with those old wooden beams, and Rob's photo shows some of them. But it was a fatal mistake, for very close if not part of that cafe the beams were a roaring fire (bombing) and the wall collapsed and killed 6/7 of Coventry's gallant firemen. In the early fifties I used to eat regular in a cafe in the Burges (probably the same one) but being and hearing of this in the brigade in 1950 I somehow felt uncomfortable sitting and eating in there so I stopped going to that cafe. It still felt like yesterday, for the war years felt condensed and close, like a book you can't put down, tense, suspense, waiting for the outcome.

Isn't that Arthur Hammon to the left of Gilbert's? Would interest Dreamtime I'm sure

Yes it is (or was!) Arthur Hammon has often been mentioned on the forum in a variety of threads - you may like to enter the name in the search box

Thank you boys, my faith in you never falters. I did some dreaming in front of that window.

Dreamtime, Sounds as if most of those dreams came true.

Kaga, they have indeed, I was well blessed the day I was married. Life is what you make it but it takes two I would say.

Here's an atmospheric photo from 1931:

Prof, I was just thinking about your picture above, all those people going about their business and it's a normal modern day for them. The first thing I noticed was the old clock hanging there. Another picture that paints a thousand words!

Dreamtime. Yes, brought back a few memories I'd forgotten. It was brilliant fun on that top deck on foggy days, walking about from one end to another, disappearing from each other, the conductors tried to stop us going on top, but no way, but look nothing in front or behind those three vehicles, the street could be empty of vehicles for some minutes at a time, plus there's not many shoppers - the depression is still on from the general strike of '26/27 - and the car is higher and narrow, ideal for that roadway, and yes I can't remember it, but I know I walked in that street in that time period, Well done Prof and thank you.

Just visible on the left of the image is The Fountain Inn at 27 Cross Cheaping

And the clock, Dreamtime, is still there to this day!

I'm sad I am not old enough to remember being on a Coventry tram, though may have been as toddler. I once went to Lickey Hills, Birmingham on a tram along the Bristol Road.