River Sherbourne

Good spot Neil. Yes, I hope they did too. Thats a bit naughty of them if they didn't!

There's a 'trend' at the moment to 'daylight' urban rivers - it's been happening in various towns and cities around the world. I suspect Coventry council are jumping on the bandwagon and looking at another desperate attempt to bring some life back into the dead city centre. I've read some articles that (as usual) throw around huge sums of money that will flow into the city if they uncover this 'river' - which is bizarre, as there was no interest into doing anything like this when they could have done so as part of other developments (IKEA and the so-called 'Phoenix' initiative.) What is of more interest is the plans for the river around Charterhouse.

Weren't they going to do this years ago when they bulldozed the area The Smithfield was on? It would look nice but I cannot see an area where there is space to develop a river opening with banking etc.

They were planning to turn that area into some sort of shopping area/artists workshops/creative people, I believe, and an apartment block was going to go on the site of the Smithfield (The last plan was for student flats, though). Clearly, Fargo has become the destination for creative industries/artists... So I don't really know what's happening there now, but it's a pretty awful cityscape. Needs building up again - who needs views of service areas and semi-derelict sheds?

Agreed Flap though the view along the back of the buildings in The Burges is a rare insight into a row of old original Coventry little seen today.

Yes, I wandered down there a few months back you could see some medieval timbers. It makes you wonder if there's some hidden gems down there like Far Gosford Street. Apparently, a lot of the old timber buildings were 'bricked up' but the timbers left in place. I believe the plans for the area were going to include utilising the backs and any uncovered timbers... Could have been quite interesting, using the little lanes to built up some sort of development... A route down from 'Ironmonger square' down to the museum...

Good evening. I run a blog called Coventry Culture @ http://coventryculture.wordpress.com. I will shortly be developing a feature on The River Sherbourne on the blog and would really like your help. Having read this post, there's clearly already some great discussion around the Sherbourne but if members have further information, content etc that you feel could be of use or you would like to contribute yourself, just contact me in the usual way. I would also at this point like to thank Rob Orland for his continuing support and assistance as regards to the blog. I really do appreciate it

The Telegraph has an article that involves the Sherbourne, Charterhouse and London Road cemetery in the plans for a 'Coventry Riviera'. I tried to add this to the Charterhouse topic but it is locked.

LOL - are they gonna try to get Coventrians to speak French too

We already do . With a bit of the Romance and Nordic languages thrown in.

@ Midland.. Great photos but you are going to need more water before Stratford can be challenged.

It's an interesting idea to create a 'green' corridor from (almost) the city centre outwards, using the Charterhouse as an 'attraction', and the other various interesting things such as the bridge. Sheffield has a series of parks that run from the city to the countryside around streams, mill ponds and lakes. I think it's far better than plans to try to reopen the river/stream in the city centre, where it would probably be more of a hindrance!

I've always liked that sighting of the Sherbourne at the back of the Burges, near Tuck & Blakemore, where it disappears into the culvert somewhere beneath 'Gilbert's shop and clock'.

Where it goes after the Gilberts shop and clock - link