Dr Clitheroe's Vicarage and the Grey Lodge Hotel

The land for the building at 23 St Nicholas Street, which is the address given for the College of Grey Ladies was being sold in April 1939.

Thank you, Helen, for your help. I checked the newspaper archives from 1930 to 1940, but could only find a couple of articles, normally about people dying who were involved somehow. I hadn't checked beyond 1940 and certainly not to 1971, which is a bit silly but then the newspaper archive can be very hit and miss The maps are helpful, although I can't download them - or anything from Historic Coventry - which is understandable but frustrating when I want to pore over them! Mark

Anne is the goddess of online newspapers. I sometimes get lucky. Try this alternative of looking at the Library of Scotland maps. Select the maps you want to look at on the right hand side.

I thought we had been down this road before, no pun intended! On the St Nicholas Street topic post 28 of 35 on 3/2/22 Helen you posted a link to BFA which shows quite a lot of the buildings on there. You can see the one next to Light Lane. I have just noticed on the last map you put on here Helen it does say Vic. on there. The building next to it on the map could well be the hotel. Both the buildings have access to the Radford Road and St Nicholas Street. I will do a bit more research later, too hot to do anything else !

We did Anne, but we were looking at the other vicarage... well I was. It's not until you look at the later maps that the second vicarage is labelled and at the same time the Grey Ladies appear. I think that between us we've nailed the location of both but what we don't have is clear photos.

The Grey Ladies looks like it was an odd cross between an upmarket hostel for women and a convent. The women paid to be there and lived in comfort but did good works in various parishes. There was a strong Christian element. Explained here where the original college is described.

The hotel in 1939 seems to have a high class guest list as well, men and women, but all seem to be in high class employment. If it is the same building and the accommodation was high class it could easily have been transformed into a hotel. In 1939 it was run by Doris Chambers, her husband was managing director of James Chambers decorators merchants, they had 9 guests at the time and 2 live-in staff.

You see, ladies, I've already learnt more and got farther in this aspect of research than I had in the last month. Admittedly, I've got about 1,000 rabbits in 1,000 holes, but you have really helped. I had looked at the St Nicholas Street thread, but that first vicarage had been sold off and it was particularly the one that Rev Clitheroe left on November 14 and was hit that night, along with the hotel. Many thanks, Mark