Dr Clitheroe's Vicarage and the Grey Lodge Hotel

These two buildings got thumped during the November 14 raid. I haven't been able to find any pictures of either. Can anyone help? Mark

Hi Mark, can you give us a clue about the location?

Sorry, St Nicholas Street - with entrances off there and also Radford Road.

Grey Lodge Hotel only seems to be advertised in about 1940. With the address given as both Radford Road and St Nicholas Street I would think it was in the area by Dark Lane. When the Coachmakers Club was there the address was given as Radford Road but the entrance was in St Nicholas Street. As Hugh Rotherham who lived in Rose Hill died in 1939 is it possible it was turned into a Hotel ? Just looked at Coventry collections and it mentions pictures of Rose Hill as bomb damaged, then perhaps the hotel was next door. Dr Clitheroe was the Reverend of Holy Trinity. That Vicarage is also classed as St Nicholas Street and Radford Road.

In the 1940 Kelly's Directory - Grey Lodge Hotel (Mrs. Chambers, proprietress), private hotel, Radford rd. TN2084

In 1937 there is a 'Dover' private hotel listed at number 8 St Nicholas Street?

Ah, there was more than one Vicarage. There was one next to Light Lane and the College of the Grey Ladies. Clitheroe was there in 1937 at number 24 St Nicholas Street. Called St Nicholas House.

At the archive File relating to Purchase Notice served re sites 25, 27, and 29 St Nicholas Street, formerly known as Dover House: Corporation acquisition from Mr Robert Yeomans. 1954-56

On Ancestry, 1939 register, the Grey Lodge Hotel is listed as between 30 and 44 Radford Road, which makes it by Light Lane. There is a house at 44 but that looks post war so the original may have been bombed. There is a fairly large building next to that which is called Light Lane Dental Practice which again is a more modern building. It could well have been there. 30 would then have been further down Radford Road. Remembering that the old Radford Road is now St Columbus Close !

The other vicarage by Sandy Lane looks like it survived the war. You can see the bomb damage of the north side of Light Lane opposite the site of the second vicarage and the standing first vicarage at BFA or you can just see the second vicarage, before the war here at BFA bottom left corner. Remember to login to zoom. But ultimately I don't know of photos of this other location either.

Again from the 1939 register Graham W Clitheroe, Clerk in Holy Orders, is living at the Vicarage between number 53 and 63 St Nicholas Street which backs on to the Radford Road / St Columbus Close in the Light Lane area.

Thank you, And there's my frustration. No 1937/1940 maps available for that OS 25in map on the National Library of Scotland site Pah! :D Mark

There seems to have been quite a bit of odd numbering but I think that the vicarage in 1937 looks to have been the building St Nicholas House to the south of Light Lane. In both 1937 and 1926 the directories run south to north where 24 is the vicarage, then Light Lane, then the next one is number 30, by then called the Firs (to confuse things). Number 23 (previously the Firs as on the map below) was by then the College of Grey Ladies. Grey Ladies - Grey Lodge? Doh! The Grey Ladies don't seem to be mentioned in the 1940 directory.

This is fascinating. I've trawled through the online Victoria history, as I rummage through, not really knowing what I'm looking for. A couple of bits of info regards other topics have enlightened me, nothing has gone ding yet. Please carry on. Thank you for your info Ann, & your BFA photos Helen. I will tune in later.

The Coventry Telegraph 12th March 1971 indicates that the Grey Ladies dispersed just before the war, with the ladies going to live in the parishes they served. It also states that the place was called the Grey Lodge.