Fish and Chip shops

The fish & chip shop at the corner of Gulson Road / Carmelite Road was called Coopers and was run by Mr / Mrs Cooper for many years - believe that was in the 1950/1960s. My mum Elsie served in there for many years - believe the name Coopers had to be carried on with later owners of the business but that may have changed now, not been passed there for some time. After Coopers retired it was taken over by Stelianos & Helen who came over from Cyprus.

Browsing the guest book I came upon the following entry from Josie Lisowski-Love (California), dated 2nd October 2009:- "THANK YOU! Your pages just keep getting better. I left in 1969 age 20 back only once in 1974. I have pix but need to look for them. My family 'Whale' on grandad's side owned a fish and chip shop up near the hospital (gone now?) Someone once said we had a part in Fishy Moores too but?? I remember the Christman Pantos at the Hippodrome. I could spend all day here. Here and Google Earth!! Thank you once again. Josie" Well Josie, I don't know whether you will find this entry but if you do I hope you find it useful. The chippy you speak of was in Howard Street, I don't remember the number but I know that it was opposite number 76 and was just around the corner from the Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital. It was owned and run by Mr & Mrs Whale and their son Frank. I was only a child at the time (born 1939), but I remember they were a lovely family... very warm and friendly. I can remember that I used to go there for fish and chips, I would get a large piece of cod and a bag of chips for one shilling and tuppence (I think that's about six pence in decimal currency, if I went to buy the same today it would cost me about £5). I was born just around the corner in Jenner Street and lived there until I married in 1962. They had a very high wall right around their garden and used to grow prize dahlias and regularly competed with their blooms.

Hello & welcome Scribe Whilst we wait to see what replies arrive on this, whether this is relevant, but Nuneaton has a really good fish & chippy called "Wales" in Bond St. A forum member & I have feasted there.

Hello PhilipInCoventry (and MidlandRed) The chippy that I referred to in Howard Street was of the 'mammal' variety not the 'geographical' sort I know that this is 'off topic' Philip, but I notice that you are in Holbrooks. This reminded me that I used to go to a Barber Shop (Fred Thompson) on Holbrook Lane some 55 years or so back for a trim and 'a little something for the weekend'! I had a look on Google Maps and see that the shop is still there on the bridge between Holbrook Lane and Lockhurst Lane, but is now called 'Tobias Barber Shop'. In those days I used to work as a Displayman for Imperial Tobacco, and used to build a new tobacco advertising display in Fred's window every six weeks. Sorry, I had better stop before I digress any further... so easy to do on such a wonderful site as this one

In the television archives there may still be the clip of the family being interviewed when they refused to move from Howard Street when they were served with a notice to quit order.

Thanks for that Harrier. Do you have any idea of when this was? I left Coventry in 1969 and have little idea of the things that happened after I left other than the total destruction of the city centre (the one carried out by the planning dept that is, not Hitler).

It must have been either 50 or 51 years ago, almost certainly one of those years. There certainly was a media interest in the events because Mr Whale could be less than agreeable in such circumstances if he wanted to be!! And does any know of the bookies a bit further down Howard Street. It operated from a prefab type building on a piece of 'waste' land where the bookmaker used to have a house before it was bombed. Before the house was flattened the bookie operated from a counter in the front room of a house in Harnell Lane opposite the bus depot.

I seem to remember that my dad used to send me on errands to that bookies when I was about 8 or 9!!! From memory it was towards the Springfield Road end of Howard Street, a little way past Mrs. Long's sweet shop and on the opposite side. I think it was close to where two brothers lived... Alfie & Ernie Collins.

Just thought I'd link this one in here to Dutchman's image as I'd not seen it before, which shows how Trinity Street came to form into Hales Street and the line up to New Buildings with Fishy Moore's and The Alhambra in the background, obviously pre-Sainsbury's.

I'm sure there was a chip shop somewhere in that area too although I only ever visited it once very late at night. Post copied from topic Shops of yore on 8th Mar 2016 9:12 am

There was Dutchman, but it was farther down Melbourne Road (on the right hand side facing Spon End), a house down from the corner of Latham Road. I've just 'Googled' the street view and notice that's been converted to a private house now as well. The other local F&C Shop (quite popular) was Whitmore's on Broomfield Road across from Melbourne Road.

My parents used Whitmore's most Saturday lunchtimes for fish 'n' chips - I usually had hake The shop was a fishmongers as well as a chippy

Oh I love this site!! So many things to respond to. Spending all my years in Heathcote Street, Radford, when courting - if I could encourage him to walk part of the way home - we would always call at the chippy in Bulwer Road. Being a truly liberated woman I would pay for his and allow him to pay for mine. 6d for chips and and extra 3d for a scallop. Many pork and stuffing batches, bought from the batch bar on Foleshill Rd, were consumed waiting for the No 14 Inner Circle bus to get me back to Radford, having been to watch my father play bowls at Courtaulds sports ground. When at college and subsequently working at the Tech, Stans Plaice in Broomfield Rd was my lunch or evening haunt, with many a pint of cider in the Hen and Chickens. Now living in France it is home made chips and a bottle of wine, but it is not the same! Regards, Little Nut

Hello & thank you for your lovely opening comment to your post. I wish that I had paid more attention during my French lessons, Little Nut. Salutations.