Albany Road / Butts

Hi Neil, I've found some references online to it being 1970, although I thought I remembered it being built, (I came to Coventry in 1972) but I could be wrong. I believe it was originally built for the DHSS

Thanks Lincolnian. I have an image looking NE towards Butts Road from Albany Road and you can see they have cleared the buildings that were to be replaced by Apollo House but not built yet. There is a Vauxhall VX estate in the photo and they were only produced from 1972 I believe so must be after then.

I always like to give a thumbs up to your pics. Neil, brilliant no matter what their date/age. Thank you.

Hi Neil, is that the bridge at Spon End opposite the Old Dyers Arms? If so, I reckon mid-fifties?

It is indeed. Yes 50's I think though happy to be corrected. Spon Gate House went up in '61/'62 so I was interested to see the building on the corner.

I remember the shop/house on the corner and all the others on that side along to the Summerland Tavern when they were derelict prior to demolition along with the others on the opposite side which became the car park for the Butts Stadium. I have no idea why the former were compulsorily purchased and earmarked for demolition as nothing was built on the site until much later with the garage being (as far as I recall) the only building between the bridge in the photo and the Summerland. Likewise the houses on the other side of the pub up until the corner of Windsor Street which I have mentioned before. None of the houses between the bridge and pub had any impact on the land Spon Gate House was built on.

Thanks mods What year would that have been when they went - Fred's brilliant Real Ale Rambles site marks the Russell Arms as closing in '68. I always wonder why not much went up along there. Where they all empty in the '60's? You are right about the impact on the site with Spon Gate House going up. As you can see on Fred's great image here from the Telegraph - the tower is already standing in the background. The shot of the landlady makes me smile - bet no-one messed about in her pub!

Thanks to the Bygone Spon End FB page - an early 1900's shot of the cycling track / Butts but what I was interested in was the backs of some of the original rows on Butts behind. Note St Osburg's spire in the background.

Are they 'Top Shop' windows just visible Neil?

The Butts track was built in competition to the original track in Earlsdon, both being cycle 'paths', hence the reason for the grass athletics track being a strange distance!!! Open athletic track handicap races were not common in Coventry at the time of the photograph, the main focus always being on cycle races with a token couple of athletic events at most. The cycle track actually was 440 yards. The stand is the one on what was to become the 'back straight', the main stand overlooked the cricket field, the road boundary part of which being used later for the site of the Technical College. I have a similar earlier photograph of 'ordinary' bicycles showing the whole sweep of the houses as, I think, is also shown on the often used shot of a motor cyclist when the Butts is discussed. Both tracks drew large crowds to their promotions, often billed a 'World Championships'. Indeed, Stevens in his silk Stevengraph of 'R. Howells', cites him as 'World Champion', the minutiae in the background being 'historic Coventry' items. Both of Stevens' later cycle race depictions (Stevengraphs) are unquestionable of each track, determined by the peculiar layout of the tracks which are unique to Coventry.

Whilst doing a bit of research - thought I'd do a comparison utilising Britain from Above and GoogleMaps. 1920 - 2014 - If anyone wants any specific area in this format let me know

Neil, don't tell me they are the same trees!

Probably!

Here's my latest favourite current new find from the Bygone Spon End FB group - pretty sure that is the Butts junction with Windsor Street with St Osburg's spire in the distance