Cow Lane

You can see from that picture just how much the rebuilt pub differs in position and orientation from the original. It was previously directly opposite and parallel to the buildings on the other side of Cow Lane. Incidentally the pub was one of only two buildings to survive the bombing in the area bounded by Cow Lane, Cheylesmore Lane, St Patrick's Road and Little Park Street. Everything else was totally destroyed.

This is an aerial view of the pub taken in 1946 before the construction of New Union Street:

That shop on corner of Cow Lane. I served apprenticeship as a carpenter with H L Bates starting in 1946. We had a contract with the head Post Office doing general repairs. My mentor, Wal Coplin who lived in Sydnall Rd, Longford, would frequently send me down the lane to get tobacco for his clay pipe or Zubes for his hacking cough. Walter Coplin had a big house in Sydnall Rd but lived in a shed in the back garden. The house was stuffed with timber and half finished projects.Norman

I think this shows the Baptist Chapel and Reverends House that Rob has images of in the Library collection -

The Cow Lane Baptist Chapel is through the archway to the right of the picture. This was attended by Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) when she lived with the Misses Franklin at their school in Warwick Row (building still standing). In her books George Eliot based one of the clergyman (Rev Rufus Lyon in the 1866 novel Felix Holt) on the minister at Cow Lane. What a shame that these buildings, to include Bird Grove still in Foleshill, were not saved, we would have had much more for a George Eliot trail in Coventry, including Holy Trinity which she attended with her father (under his insistence) though she was 'allowed to think as she wished'.

Library photo of Cow Lane.

Can anyone confirm this one on Historic England please? Its states the Chapel but does not look like the other images of the Chapel we/Rob already have on here?

It's the school Neil on the south side - there's at least 1 painting of it in the Bunney book. Or at least the building that fronted onto the road - exactly opposite the Sunday School on the north side of the road.

The school was started in the parlour of the local Rev's house by Mary, the elder sister of the Franklins. Not sure where it landed up. Prof. Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) (13) was sent to that school when the riots were in progress. She would have known of the burning of the silk house of Beck's, the death penalty that was rescinded in the last hour. She would have known of the out-of-work ribbon-workers through clothing clubs, but she also knew all the gentry, as she still studied at Arbury Hall Library. Later she would become friends with Samuel Courtauld, whose sons moved to Coventry.

Bushill and Sons, the cardboard, printers, etc that ended up with a big factory on the corner of Cow Lane and Little Park Street, took over a ribbon factory that ran parallel to the south side of Cow Lane. The original ribbon factory building was set back from the road behind modest 2 storey buildings but as Bushill's was developed it was incorporated into larger, taller blocks, including a showroom to the east of the entrance on Cow Lane. The 2 storey showroom was almost twice as tall as the original houses. While there are good pictures of the north side, the south is very poorly covered at the east end. The section on Little Park Street is equally missing images.

In post 28 Neil links to a photo on Historic England. This is a Bunney painting of the same building.

Pretty sure this is the corner of Cheylesmore and Cow Lane, pre 1930 as that row had the original Hare & Squirrel pub. You can see the same building here. I've messaged Cov Archives as it's listed as unknown on the digital site.

Yes it is. I've been through the door on the extreme left of the bottom photo, into the little shop, many times as a youngster on my walk or cycle ride home from town - it was the easiest route for me to take. The photographer in the top photo would be standing at the lower end of Greyfriars Lane, and in the bottom photo in Union Street.

Do you recall when that shop went, Cliff?