Albany Road / Butts

I'm guessing but it could have come from a collection marked 'bomb damage'. These photos have only been uploaded recently and some of them I photographed at the Herbert in 2019 (eg Freeth Street). To me the damage is too random to be demolition. Some glass panes remain. Some woodwork gone, some not. There's no evidence that someone is working along the row. That doesn't mean they didn't repair them and then some years later they looked very similar as they demolished them.

mods - the Archives have a great deal of mislabelled and 'unknown' imagery which I am trying to assist working with, once a lottery fund digital volunteer grant is approved. As such, could well be wrong although that one is grouped with another couple which are definitely bomb damage on Hope Street. What numbers were your family connected with, do you recall? I agree though that one appears more like its final demolition days as the structures appear to be mostly intact.

On the 1950 map the buildings that survived and were numbered on Hope Street - west side 1, 2, 3, 4, gaps, 13, 14, un-numbered (U), U, U, U, 18, U, U, U, 22, 23, river, gaps. east side 30, 31, river, gap, Vincent Street, 33, 34, gaps, 43, U, U, 46, U, U, 49, 50. Does that help? I'm guessing that the un-numbered were standing but uninhabited/uninhabitable and that the photo shows 26-29, so yes, it looks like the photo is bomb damage.

Additional - the numbering on Hope Street looks a bit odd right from the start, probably because it started at both ends. The south end was called Union Street and the north end was Waterloo Street. It also looks like they were going to build over the river and then changed their mind, so certain house numbers may have always been missing.

Neil, no.4 comes to mind but I'm not sure. Maybe someone with access to the Census/Electoral Roll can tell. It was the Eaves family home for generations. I recall seeing a Family Photo taken outside the house pre-WWI, but like a lot of things which would be of historical importance today, it's long gone unfortunately. I suppose that's one of the reasons I love to see the old images which you have posted to date.

William and Edward Eaves lived at No.15, according to the 1939 Register

This is labelled 7&9 but is clearly more properties than that and numbering wasn't odds and evens in that area. This style seems to have been the norm to the south of the river, whereas the previous photo was the style to the north. So this image shows the type of building I think your relative would have lived in.

Yes, you are right, Helen. Looking at the house to the left, that's how I remember it. The front door architrave in the earlier picture just didn't seem to fit with my memory of the place. It surprises me that it would appear none of the windows had been 'taped' in crosses to prevent glass shrapnel. All the same it's a sad photo.

Hi, Midland Red. I looked with awe at your posting of Cliff Jones's Coventry photographs. The variety and comparisons of locations had me holding my breath. I couldn't believe the photo of St Thomas's church in ruins. Thank you for putting these on the Forum. Post copied from topic Photographing Coventry on 27th Dec 2021 6:59 pm

MR, is this St.Thomas's Church at the bottom of Albany Road that Lindatee refers to? If so, can you post said picture please, thankyou.

Wearethemods... here it is

Thankyou MR, I didn't realise it was demolished so long ago! The guy who tended the church grounds was charged with murder in the early 1970's after a local child disappeared and his body was found in a dustbin if I recall at the rear of the houses shown to the left of your photograph. Terrible.

Anyone know where Albany Terrace was?

Hi Neil, there seems to be several sales of shops and offices in the CET. Its address is given as Butts. One advert says the corner of Windsor Street. In 1919 property being sold was by order of the trustees of T D & Martha Yardley!