Old Grammar School

Everyone conveniently forget that the neighbouring Garibaldi Inn was pulled down as part of the so-called "restoration" project.

Has it Dutchman? Gosh yes! though I did not think that the building there was the original dating back to the Garibaldi?

As far as I can tell the Garibaldi was the original 1868 building and also the last one in Silver Street since the Turk's Head is a comparatively modern rebuild.

I always remember that as a butcher's shop, with the legend above the shop front, complete with rogue apostrophe, "Meat at it's best"

The Turks Head/Tramway/Diplomat was still a wholly medieval building in Sydney Bunney's era, as he drew a copy of it in July 1926 (I think). From Britain From Above it looks like it changed about 1941 (not the war). The Garibaldi does look like it was the same building back before then and I suspect the reason they left the gable wall from the Garibaldi next to the Turk's Head is because it has no brick wall of its own if it is a brick clad timber building and not a total rebuild. The foot print of the Garibaldi doesn't look like it changed right back to the Board of Health maps which are about 1850.

I think the Turk's Head was rebuilt around 1934, there's a gap in the records and a change of name around then. Many Coventry pubs were rebuilt in the 1930s as trade was slack and labour was cheap. Oddly, many were given mock Tudor frontages but the Turk's Head seems to have bucked that trend. The war of course put an end to new building projects.

They've now rebuilt the Garibaldi in the style of the original building!

Wonderful news Dutchman lets hope they carry on around the town.

Yes I walked down there specifically to take a look the other day Dutchman - looks great as does the Grammar School. Pity I did not have a camera. As has been mentioned here before my great great grandfather ran The Turks Head from 1862-1874 - George Yardley. In 1862 it belonged to the Free Grammar School and was let to him for £19 10s 0d per annum. In 1882 it was sold. I'm hoping to find some documents relating to this once the work is done.

Neil, I don't know if you have access to the newspaper archive but there is a list of the properties for auction in 1882. There are 21 lots of the properties around the Grammar School including The Turks Head and The Garibaldi. Interestingly lot 16 was occupied by Mr Guy Fawks The Turks Head was sold to Henry Brocklebank for £570.

Thanks Anne - no access, no. I'm sure there would be a document or two relating to the lease from the Grammar School to the pub for my g-g-gramps, and hopefully a signature which would be interesting to see! I'm still amazed there's not a single photo around of Silver Street (aerial photos and the above snippet of one excepted). Indeed why Silver Street? Were there Silversmiths there at one point? The intrigue continues.

Yes Neil, the Turks Head always seems to be hiding just round the corner in any pictures of the end of Silver Street. I wonder if the name is anything to do with the shine of silk rather than silver as there seems to have been a lot of silk weavers round there. On the list of streets it just dates it 1748-9 and says part of Cook Street. I am sure you will find documents in Coventry Archives. If you search "Coventry Collections" there is a reference to notes about the Turks Head and other properties dated 1822 to 1963 including reference to a picture! I think that John Hales did pretty well out of the dissolution of the monasteries. There are letters patent in the archives when Henry VIII granted in 1545 to John Hales the site of the former St John's Hospital (now dissolved) with its church and what looks like half of Coventry including the Bastille mill where my ancestors lived. He also got Stoneleigh Grange and quite a lot of property outside Coventry, all for £400.

Thanks again Anne - Yes the Museum chap that showed me around Whitefriars during the last open day talked about Mr Hales as he lived there at one point as well!

There's one left in Lamb Street which isn't that far away so there may have been many more at one time?