Much Park Street

Slide thanks to Scott Duffin - corner of Hales Street and Burges -

Sorry to disagree but I think this image has been mis-captioned (if there is such a word). I think this is the corner of Much Park Street (John Hawkins & Sons Ltd at 145-146) and Earl Street (W H Green Chemist at 28) with the premises being demolished on the corner W Woodhead, undertaker (147 Much Park Street) -it looks like the word cremators over the doorway in amongst the scaffolding. In 1940 Kelly's, Woodhead is described as a monumental mason still at 147 so I guess a new building was erected for him in late 1930s, by 1940 John Hawkins had moved to 2-4 Corporation Street and all the buildings seen here were wiped out on 14 November 1940.

Well spotted rocksolid, and I've moved it. I've a feeling that this was one of the original Pictures of Coventry images. There's the ghost of a roof line in the brickwork at the top of the gable. That might be the remainder of another building that used to sit on that corner but was demolished to widen the entrance to Much Park Street. Weirdly the entrances to roads were some of the narrowest bits of the streetscape and so were amongst the earliest bits of the city to get brick makeovers.

Hawkins and son went there in 1928. There advertising in the CET always says 126 ND 127, corner of Much Park Street, sondid they occupy tge corner plot or was that after it was demolished ?

Anne, Not sure what you mean by 126 ND 127. My thought was that W Woodhead must have had his premises rebuilt on the same site, ie the corner with Earl Street but I suppose Hawkins could have advertised as the 'corner of Much Park Street' being as near as damn it. Do you have an image of a CET advert you could show us? Geoff

Sorry Geoff, I must have been half asleep when I wrote that, It should say 145/146, in a 1920 CET their is an advert for the sale of The Green Man Inn together with TWO retail shops being nos 145,146 and 147.

Great spot rocksolid! So was that the corner which later saw the Lady Godiva Pub built on it? What year do we think that slide was.

Hi Neil. The Lady Godiva Club was on the same side of the road as shown in the photo but was just to the south of Star Yard (off to the left of the photo). It was the same building as the New Star pub. Was number 140 on the Fire Insurance maps.

Sorry Helen I meant the Pub not the Club - this one

I think the ladies outfitters shop referred to in the description of the Lady Godiva pub was Patrick's at 47-49 Jordan Well and 1-5 Much Park Street so was on the opposite corner to John Hawkins/W Woodhead that's shown in the slide. A pity it's not clearer but I reckon the slide must be mid-1930s.

This CD one says it's MPS but I don't recognise that modern building on the lower left?

Is the building on the right the back of the Odeon?

Yes Helen

Yes the Odeon was my first thought too, maybe we could corroborate with an aerial view? I should say this image dates from c 1960 or so.

From the car number plate in Neil's post- that car reg was produced in 1968 (G).