Trinity Church Hall / Art Schools

I recall in the 60's a building just inside Fairfax street (from the corner of Trinity St, just next to where the opening to Priory Place now is) in which the upstairs was a large hall, complete with a stage. The single width doorway opened onto the street, with the stairs leading directly up to the back of the hall. No idea what its general use was, but I recall a DJ named Pete Star organising a dance or two there with a live band. Does anyone have any clue what this building was? Tony

Tony This was Trinity Church School, and in the early-mid 60s, Holy Trinity Youth Club held "gigs" there - off the top of my head, I remember Woody Allen & The Challengers and Tony Martin & The Echo Four as two of the bands - perhaps some other old chap will remember some more

Thank you, kind sir. The knowledge of this forum never ceases to amaze me! I helped out at a couple of gigs there. The first time we put a table and chair at the top of the stairs where a girl would sit and take the money, however, the attendance was so small we ended up dragging this table down the stairs and out into the street so that the punters couldn't see, until they had paid their entrance fee and got to the top of the stairs, just how bad it was!! Sorry, no refunds given! Happy days! Tony

What happened to the building? Presumably criminally bulldozed?

Just remembered, the "girl on the door" was called "Diane" (no idea of her surname) who used to work in Jill Hansons Record Shop in Smithford Way.

Yes, I think it was Trinity Hall. In the early 60s I played in a square dance band and we did gigs there.

Here are two images taken from old film slides given to my late mum, have just scanned them after seeing this item. Could also be an entrant for 60s advertising re Barnwells Furniture Showroom. Last time I was in the place was to buy some decorating equiptment in 1965, I still have and use the wallpaper seam roller I bought there. I think it was Unit Sales who later opened up in an old garage in Paynes Lane. The first picture shows the steeple, is it the gatehouse at Lady Herbert's Garden in the foreground?

Yes I can remember demolishing this old sandstone building, I think it was on the corner of Ford Street but I don't recall what it had been used for. Barnwells rings a bell.

I can't believe they demolished these.

Pool Meadow bus station was directly behind this building and, when I started work at Tile Hill in the late 50`s, I well remember running for the Tile Hill South bus at 7.30 in the morning. Sadly a lot of the interesting old buildings which survived the war were subsequently pulled down in the apparent rush to be the first city to be `Americanised`. Some, of course, came down to make way for the ring road (Terry Wogan famously said that Coventry was the only city with a ring road through the middle) but there did not appear to be anyone trying to preserve the `feel` of the old city. To be fair, when you look at Corporation Street and Trinity Street, the seeds of `change` were under way before the war started but it does appear that the war just speeded things up.

Nor me Flap Criminal! So I can try to picture the exact location of these - what's the row of shops in the bottom left corner of Herbert's second photo?

That would be Ford Street, I think Here's Ford Street looking towards the "hall"

That picture holds some very pleasant memories for me. My wife and I used to catch the no.13 Broad Lane bus and from the top deck the ability to see the quality of the building never ceased to impress. I was most sorry to see it and the church hall go. That seemed to be the price we were paying for a new Coventry.

There's a good shot of the building on this one

These shops have been discussed in other threads but I thought I would put it here. Post copied from topic Coventry shops of yore by Midland Red, 24th Oct 2013 6:58 pm