House of Industry, Brick Kiln Lane

Hi everyone, I'm looking for help again!!! This time in trying to locate the 'House of Industry' in Brick Kiln Lane (now known as Broad Street), in Foleshill? Sarah, an ancestor of mine, features in the St Laurence's burial records, with her abode in 1830 being listed as House of Industry which, I gather, is a more glamourous name for an early workhouse! I am aware that the main Coventry Union Workhouse was also on Brick Kiln Lane, later renamed Gulson Road - but my ancestor would have been living in the Little Heath area of Foleshill at the time, and I have come across many references to the House of Industry in Brick Kiln Lane, Foleshill (erected in 1797, and closed around 1859 supposedly?), which leads me to think this is the one in question? However, despite much searching, I cannot find any reference to the exact site of the House of Industry on Brick Kiln Lane - can anyone help please? For extra points, does anyone know if there are ANY records of 'inmates' at the House of Industry still in existence (I'm getting the impression that there's not)? The reason I ask is that Sarah died aged 1yr, and I strongly suspect her mother, Jane, would have remained there although I have yet to find her year of death, or any record of a burial? Thank you in advance if you are able to shed any light on this. OddSock

Leicester Street was called Brickiln Lane on the 1749 map. On that there was the Swanswell Place Industrial Home. It's been mentioned before. I've copied your comment and will delete this if you confirm that it's what you were looking for.

Hi Helen, Not sure if this is the same area? 'My' House of Industry was reportedly erected in 1797, suggesting a new building rather than a name change? Also, 'my' Brick Kiln Lane runs between Foleshill Road (just before St Paul's church as you drive out of the city centre), along to Stoney Stanton Road? On 'old-maps.co.uk', their 1887-1889 map clearly labels it as Brick Kiln Lane, (but 'm sure there were several Brick Kiln Lanes in Coventry at one time or another?) however, by this time, the House of Industry reportedly would have closed (c.1859) and may even have been demolished? It's proving to be quite elusive!! OddSock

I think that we're talking about the same bit of road. By 1911 the east side of Leicester Street was called Swanswell Place. The home was just northeast of Swan Street. The building predated the 1850 map but only the road dates back before 1749. You can see it on one of Rob's maps

Heritage posted this message on the 'Coventry Workhouses' thread (probably a better place for this discussion?): "In 1859 the Foleshill workhouse moved from Brick Kiln Lane (Broad Street) to a new site close to what is Foleshill Fire Station. (Off topic but does anyone, but me, remember the Fire Station when it was in Holmsdale Road?)" This supports the theory that the Brick Kiln Lane site was closed c.1859 and has since been demolished - but still the exact location on Brick Kiln Lane remains a mystery. The House of Industry is not to be confused with the Foleshill Union Workhouse which, as Heritage rightly states, was close to the Foleshill Road Fire Station (opposite Old Church Road - formerly Chapel Lane). Oddsock

Ok, different locations but two roads linking the Foleshill Road and Stoney Stanton Road, called Brick Kiln Lane and both with a house of industry on them - how confusing is that?

Hi Helen, Too damn confusing! - probably not helped by Foleshill being its own planet back then?! Thanks for trying though OddSock

Gulson Road was formerly Brick Kiln Lane too

Who'd be a postman back then?

After a little more digging...... In the Coventry Weekly Times, and North Warwickshire Advertiser, on Wednesday 12th January 1859, a notice was placed offering the Brick Kiln Lane Workhouse & Land, Foleshill up for sale, stating....... "THE large PILE of substantial BUILDING, now used as the WORKHOUSE of the FOLESHILL UNION, situate in BRICK KILN LANE, FOLESHILL, within Two Miles of Coventry. The Site comprises nearly Two and a Half Acres, and has an extensive Frontage to the Road. The Building is convertible into a large Factory, and the Land is desirable for Building Plots." Then, on the front cover of the Coventry Standard, Friday 11th September 1868, another notice..... "TO BE LET, at Michaelmas next, that large and commodious BUILDING, in Brick-kiln Lane, Foleshill, formerly used as the Union Workhouse, with more than two acres of excellent land adjoining the premises. All enquiries will be satisfactorily answered by the wardens of the Parish Church." The story of the site continues when, on September 11th 1891, The Coventry Herald And Free Press print a notice relating to a forthcoming auction at the GENERAL WOLFE INN, Foleshill, on TUESDAY, September 15th, 1891....... "THE whole of the BUILDING MATERIALS contained in the Old Workhouse, Brick-kiln Lane, Foleshill, including about 250,00 bricks, about 28 squares of capital slates, blue quarries, oak beams, oak scantlings, oak principals, rafters, flooring, doors, partitioning, and cupboards, oak staircases, York stone shelving, stone walls, stone chimney pieces and grates, window frames, etc, etc. The whole of the materials to be removed at a date to be named by the Auctioneer at the time of sale." So, it would appear, that although the workhouse (or 'House of Industry') was closed c.1859, the actual buildings survived for some time after? Certainly until c.1891 when the building would appear to have been, or was about to be, demolished. As proven in the notice of 1868, the building was available to rent and this may explain the 32 years between workhouse closure and building demolition? I have come across an interesting article, printed in The Midland Daily Telegraph, on Friday 18th August 1933 (page 3), entitled "FOLESHILL "O'ER THE BRIDGE". The author, Laurence J. Watson, writes...... "A new workhouse, in Brick-Kiln Lane (now Broad Street) was opened in 1800. It was here, after a new institution was built at Little Heath in 1860, that the young people of Foleshill came for dancing lessons. Only the frivolous, however, attended, as dancing was still looked upon by many of the Foleshill folk with Puritanical disfavour." ........dancing lessons? Shame on them!

Oddsock, that's some good digging. Perhaps this is the site of the House of Industry? This is taken from Old-maps and shows the 1889 map of Brick Kiln Lane. The site numbered 803 looks like it could be the acreage that is mentioned, so the building would be just to the top right of those figures on the road front.

OddSock, You have done as good as anyone can. Nearly every street in those days made their own bricks, so Brick Kiln Lane was a dirt track, with just a couple of shacks,and graveyards, only a piece of odd land. The canal was about the first thing to be built, and ran from the north to south the whole way through Foleshill. And those old maps aren't reliable for those old farm tracks changed daily. Now Old Church Road goes back to about the 14th century, so may have records? To me the old workhouse was on the opposite side of the Foleshill Road, close to the tram depot, I believe nearer to Lythalls Lane Farm. Oddsock, I was at Foleshill fire station, early fifties, for a short time. Between us and the tram depot was a five barred gate that led into our practice yard and the allotments and farm buildings that were badly neglected - you couldn't tell which from t'other. I also lodged at the church house in Broad Street for a time. and the area was being rebuilt all the time. Between Foleshill Road and the canal bridge there were only two large houses, until Courtaulds moved in in 1925.

Firstly, thanks Heathite & Kaga for your responses - both appreciated. HOUSE OF INDUSTRY, Brick Kiln Lane (Broad Street): Heathite, I think you may be right! I'm told a visual representation of an acre of land is 15 tennis courts? That said, the entire House of Industry site was described as two & a half acres - therefore, we're looking at a plot roughly the size of 37/38 tennis courts?... so your plot would fit the bill. Looking at the Old Maps site this morning, I notice that the 1903 map shows that the site had been redeveloped. Where the House of Industry building would have stood, a row of 12 houses had been built fronting onto the main road. In addition, 'North Road' had been laid out, vertically splitting the House of Industry land, and approximately 40 houses constructed. North Road is now named Francis Street but, apart from the name change, little appears to have changed? FOLESHILL UNION WORKHOUSE, Foleshill Road: Kaga, you're spot on! When it was decided to move premises, the Foleshill Poor Union did build their new workhouse close to the tram depot on Foleshill Road, opposite what was Chapel Lane (now Old Church Road). It's fascinating how this area has changed over the years! Incidently, The Midland Daily Telegraph, Friday 6th May 1916, reported that the inmates of the Foleshill Union Workhouse were to be moved out to Nuneaton Poor-Law institution at Chivers Coton. The main buildings of the Workhouse were let out for the accommodation of workmen employed on the construction of a munition factory in the district. Only the Master, Matron and a handful of inmates stayed on - the latter to keep the gardens 'in a proper state.'

Hello OddSock, I think it was your constructive digging that laid the foundation to discovering the House of Industry. Old-maps helps enormously but I feel we need more detailed maps of Coventry for the time period of 1880 to 1930ish. Thanks to Kaga, too, an eye witness to many things.

Heathite Again in the early fifties, the old Lythalls Lane Farm farm buildings became an engineering factory, the corner of Lythalls Lane from Foleshill Road. I think that George Eliot may have mentioned the workhouse in Chivers Coton in one of her books?