Coventry's lost subways

I've posted this link before, but this seems like a better topic to put it in, and new members might like to walk through the subway under Hertford St in a 'virtual' Broadgate.

Unusual view of one of the old subways.

It's not 'unusual' to me, Neil, as I took the photograph in 1960! Link. Where did you find it???

Nice one Cliff - someone posted it on the True Coventrian Facebook page. I wondered what year it was.

This one shows the stairs to one of the Broadgate subways Post copied from topic Owen Owen on 3rd Nov 2017 12:41 pm

I'd forgotten about those and that entrance Cliff

As far as I recall, this is the layout of that corner of Owens: For convenience the ground has been removed and the subway walls are translucent! There were entrances to the store both at the top and bottom of the stairs.

You are right, McSporran. Those stairs remained even after the subway was closed off. I used to live across the road from there and often went down to the basement entrance, which was by the bakery to collect bread early in the morning. Owen Owen was my corner shop and their bread was excellent.

I have recently heard that early 1960's (height of the cold war) sales assistants working at Owen Owens were trained for nuclear war. I do recall that there is a large basement in the building. Can anybody throw any more light on this. Coincidentally I was in the Auxiliary Fire Brigade in the mid 60's and we too were trained for nuclear war.

I wonder if the Broadgate subways were totally dug out of untouched ground or did the ones on that side partly use up some big basement that was already there from Owen Owen (if there were any subways on that side)?

I think there was one, Osmiroid, that went from near the bus stops in front of Holy Trinity to Owen Owen basement and I think it also came out by the side if OO as well. I think this is the one mentioned here.

Thanks Anne, interesting reading, a big underground world going on down there!

My thoughts exactly Osmiroid.

Hi Anne - interesting article. Do you have a date for it?

Sorry I meant to put it on, April 15th 1950