Helen F - Modelling the city

Definitely an 'Ace' Helen

Do you mean St John's Street, Helen? I'm sure you've seen this but Anne sent me this Bunney picture of my great grandad's Turks Head in Silver Street (the original building!)

Thanks Dreamtime Neil, yes St John's Street. I keep forgetting the 'modern' name because I think of it as Dead Lane but most people don't know that name at all. Yes thanks, I've got a copy of the Bunney but it's good to see it again. The Troughton shows the Turk's Head too but he ran out of paper on the right hand side and squished the other three buildings into the picture at a small scale in front of the pub. Artistically it was very dodgy but for information purposes it's a gem.

Don't think I've seen that one - if you get a chance?

The Turk's Head is the taller building on the right. You can even see the sign.

Brill! Thanks - do you know what year that was done?

He wasn't one for dating his images. I'm guessing it was from a range of about 1820-1868 unless he started in childhood. The cross had gone before that point but there would have been people alive who remembered it in the early part of the period. He combined what he could still see with other artists' work to logically fill in his drawings. Much as I'm doing. The buildings agree with what other images show so apart from the cross and the dodgy size of the right hand size, it's probably a good representation of the early 1800s.

I have started to read JB SHELTON's articles in the Forum, and find them absolutely fascinating. He is mentioned in Levi Fox's book "Coventry's Heritage" which I have had since I was nine years of age.

Thanks again Helen - my great great grandfather was at The Turks Head between 1862 to 1874

We all help each other Neil. The school was modified in 1794 to widen Bishop Street and again slightly later when Hales Street was built. so your great, great grandfather would have seen much the same view as Troughton looking towards Cook Street but the Bishop Street end was modified several times. I don't know when the stone buildings next to the school were built but it was after 1874. The other building that might have been different was the north corner with Bishop Street. That replaced a 2.5 storey building (still there in 1850) with a 3 storey brick building you see in photographs of Bishop Street. Change was starting in earnest by then but Silver Street itself wasn't important enough to change radically until the 20th century. Prof - Those articles are a mine of information but need time to do them justice. I have an interest in pinpointing where he and others found stuff in the ground. The Derby Lane, Broadgate areas are still a mystery to me, but I've got maps of some of the other digs. The library pictures have some of the photos of his digs.

.... and he told his wife he was only popping out for a loaf of bread!

Yes - still amazes me how few images there are of Silver Street but I've mentioned that before! According to Real Ale Rambles - In 1862 it belonged to the Free Grammar School and was let to Mr Yardley for £19 10s 0d per annum. In 1882 it was sold. Hoping the Archives might have some documents relating to that somewhere in The Herbert.

Don't know if there us anything here for you Neil Coventry Collections

Hi Neil. In the Sydney Bunney book, next to the picture of the Tramway (The Turk's Head) there is a picture of the east end of Silver Street. On the opposite page at the bottom is a picture of Rood lane looking east to the pig market, a small open area that joined Rood Lane, Silver Street and Cook Street. To the right of that is a picture of the back of a pub facing the pig market with the rear of Silver street on the right. Looking out of Silver Street towards Cook Street Silver Street looking west (at the Tramway) Silver Street to the bottom of this Britain from Above image I have a few other partial pictures of Silver Street and if we ever end up at the same Saturday meet up, I'll let you have a copy. No photos though. Got great photos of Cook Street though. There are a few aerial photos that capture bits of Silver Street.