Photo poser - Jack Frost and his steam roller

White's original factory was on Lockhurst Lane and Drake Street. His father's watchmaking factory was in Earlsdon. "The factory adjoining the handsome private residence of the proprietor was specially designed for the business and includes offices and warehouse at entrance and an extensive range of lofty, well ventilated workshops, the sides of which are nearly all windows". This was in 1896 A bit more, White and son was at Earlsdon House. The business was bought by Harry Harley and became the headquarters of The Coventry Gauge and Tool.

Hi, Courtaulds took over buildings in Drake St. What I need is a 1906 map of the Coventry to Nuneaton railway line. The route is not included in my city centre map of that era.

It also says in the Dunlop book that White and Poppe's building is still in use today, (book written in 2003) but an extra floor was added which would make sense if it is the building in the picture . Please find a railway viaduct Philip

Hi Annewiggy The only viaducts inside Coventry were & are on the Cov to Nuneaton line. One at Spon End & then the other where the same line goes through Nauls Mill Park, which is less than a mile further along.

Back to the drawing board!!

A coincidence here! Steam Hauliers at a Spon End depot. From a newpaper article, 1916 'TO MANUFACTURERS AND CONTRACTORS, - Haulage undertaken bv Steam with quotations free. - Openshaw's Ltd. Located in Queen's Road; Depot, Spon End'

At the same time as Drake Street, there is an advert here for White & Poppe in Lockhurst Lane. White & Poppe

Hi to you both, There are not many English words or names that end in 'HITE'. White & Poppe were well established in Drake St, 1905 supplying hi tech motor parts as well as engines. I know that. During the first world war they were making munitions, the likes of which would have blown Coventy into orbit, (that is a quote) so where were they doing that? The only solid clue that we have is the viaduct in the picture. Steam hauliers usually used road locomotives with bigger & wood block clad, driving wheels, rather than a roller wheel as in the picture. When an area of the city was being developed, it was usual for the corporation to make a temporary depot, which is what I suspect here in the picture. I remember several as a child, like where the Jackblock flats are in Stoke. That was a corporation construction depot. Our friend LesMac made this point about the roller not being in steam, on page one of this thread. You Foxcote made the link with White & Poppe on the same page. What are we missing? I need a cuppa for for me to think this through.

Hello again to all. This pic we are all on about is a "Road Roller". Not in steam and in a yard, or a work site. A new road being built, maybe? It is different to a road hauliers vehicle. It takes 5 men to work this one.

Hi Baz, Lovely pic. That is a road locomotive, with the grips attached to the driving wheels. Those grips are sometimes wood or can be a cast iron for off-road. Love the pic. There are three main groups of steam locomotives for roads. The roller, the road locomotive & then by adding a winch cable wheel, they become an agricultural locomotive. There are others like tandem, but it is easiest to think of them as just one of the three groups. Two aspects of these vehicles that held back development was the lack of pneumatic tyres & Ackermann steering geometry. Road vehicles these days all have Ackermann steering geometry, but the loco in the picture has crossbar. It means that if one wheel hits a bump in the road, the chain holding the steering is likely to break, which will then usually cause the loco to topple over.

If I am right, which probably I'm not, we can rule out Coton Arches in Nuneaton, as it does not have the brickwork as highlighted. The only part of Spon End Arches that have this type of brickwork is the rebuilt section from the main road going back towards the old Alvis. Spon End Industrial Estate on one side and what is now Cumbria Close on the other. Sorry for mucking up your picture. PS This section of Spon End Arches also does not have the metal railings on the side of the track like above the main road. Still got to find out about Nauls Mill Park. If it has three or more arches, it's still in the running?

Baz, there is a boundary wall between the yard and the ?hite factory. If you google the bridge and walk up towards the chain gardens there is a similar wall on the left, well graffitied now. Can you see enough detail to see if it is the same sort of wall.

Hello there Annewiggy. The pic shows what seams like a row of top stones on the wall, these may of been used or took down. There is a large bush in front of most of it so its hard to see. But looking at Google, the river Sherbourne runs next to it and for a steamer like these, you need lots of water. If this is the case of where it is, then the depot/workplace would be at the end of Spon End Ind Est, and the large chimney would be part of a factory there. One other thing. The factory is at ground level, therefore the bridge must continue past as I cannot see an embankment. Must be at least 4-5 if not more arches?

Except there was no industrial estate back then when the picture was taken which I estimate from the style of dress as being around the turn of the 20th century. Even the Coventry Chain had not yet been built. There was just a collection of abandoned flour mill buildings and as you can see from this 1905 map their chimney was quite some distance away from the arches: Old-Maps.co.uk

Thanks Dutchman, looks like it back to the drawing board again. It's also not Nauls Mill Park bridge, it's too small.