Spon Street

Talking about old pubs reminded me: in the 70s there were just four buildings in Coventry that had a Cotswold stone roof, and - I think - Ma Brown's was one of them. One was in Far Gosford Street. It was a shop whose name escapes me; the roof was almost obscured by the fascia, but the last time I saw it, the Cotswold stone 'tiles' had gone, and appeared to have been replaced with ordinary tiles. I think it was called Cookson's Warehouse? Rotherham's club; m'mm, I'd sort of forgotten about that, too. Intriguingly, that wasn't where the Coventry Tape Recording Club in the 1950s; they used a large room that was entered via the main entrance to Rotherham's, on the left of the entrance hall. I'm wondering what that room was, now! And, m, I think the issue with pulling down various buildings isn't so much that they were pulled down, but that doing so destroys the sense of organic growth and development that has taken place over centuries. You can't create that sense, that atmosphere, artificially, like "Medieval Spon St"; you might as well bulldoze the lot, and re-erect them somewhere else as an open air museum (e.g. 'Den Gamle By', in Aarhus, Denmark), because it's just as artificial as Spon St has become.

Hi, I've since been told the Lady Mayoress was Pearl Hyde, her shop was the other end of Spon St. but I do remember Mrs Scott's shop, my mother used it often, I'm sure your aunty will remember the Woolpack pub, I lived in what was left of the courtyard next to it, I just love this site, so many childhood memories come flooding back! Before I go, does anyone remember the fantastic faggots and gravy from Hunts shop, I can still remember their scrumptious smell as I took them home in a big crock pudding basin.

Yes, I well remember Pearl Hyde as Lady Mayor(ess? not sure which title is correct); she gave out the prizes about 1960 for KHVIII prize giving day, at the Methodist Central Hall. Was she the only Lady Mayoress? I thought there might have been another one too?

She was the first female to be appointed Lord Mayor in Britain, an event of such significance at the time her inauguraiton was televised live. (Lady Mayoress being merely a courtesy title for the wife of a sitting Lord Mayor).

Sheila Collins was Lord Mayor in 2000 - I think there is a list on this site of all mayors. [Edit] Sorry, that should read Sheila Collins JP

I'm sure she would recall you and the Woolpack, perhaps that's the one which sold the lovely faggot batches if it was a pub. Another Mayoress was my mum's friend Mrs Cresswell, she used to tell me to go into her garden to pick the fallen apples while here and mum chatted, she lived in Foster Road, Radford, in an ordinary council house.

Hi again, the pub never sold the faggots, it was a shop on the other side of the road called Hunts, opposite was a cake shop which would sell unsold cakes just before closing time for 1d a bag, great when you got a cream one! Also a crisp factory at the side of our courtyard which sold 1d bags of broken crisps and the chippy would sell you a bag of scratchings for 1d and if you were really lucky you might get a few bits of battered fish among the scratchings, we lived like kings on the 1d a bag food (lol)

Hunt's was an early victim of the council's relocation plan. Most people probably only remember the 'temporary' shop on the corner of Queen Victoria Road which stood for around three decades. Was that Godfrey's? Brown's?

Strangely, I can't remember it on the corner of QV Rd, but the original shop. I seem to recollect that it had woodgrained paintwork.. I can't recall exactly where the shop was, but there you go!

It would have been the 'other' side of that infernal subway Keith if the subway had been built back then. It's immediately right of the entrance to the watch movement works in this photo:

Thank you I shall inform her and jerk her memory yes I to recall the scratchings,1/6d for fish and chips from a different chippy, 1d for a scollop, yes you wouldn't get them at that price now, but I have tried saying to same boss of chippy in Jubilee Crescent, I can recall coming in here and getting fish and chips for 1/6d can I have it for the same price please

Yes, I remember that! The Coventry Movement Company had ceased long ago making watch stuff by even the time of your photograph (30s, I assume); they made cycle and then car parts. Small things, like bicycle tools. They somehow got into making car seats - I guess by firstly making parts of seat frames - and were eventually absorbed by Callow and Maddox. There was a factory by the arches in Spon End, almost opposite Bunty, Coventry Motor and Sundries Co, and I seem to remember that Callow and Maddox took over the factory in the 60s or 70s. Part of CMC's business was in Ford St for a time. BTW - I remember Main's as well. And I like the sign for 'Home Made Cakes' in front of Hunt's - and the guy on the bike with his basket - I bet he was delivering them! Also, I remember now - the shop was painted in a sort of golden brown, not grained. It went right across. And of course, the ubiquitous gold lettering with black edges!! Note the Midland Red bus stop in front of Hunt's...?

Must've been the late 1970s Keith? The factory was owned by Len Owen all the time I knew him (1967-75). I still own an ottoman made by Len personally for a charity raffle.

Could've been after '75 - or was it rented by Mr Owen to a business? I don't know when C & M put their sign up; I just became aware of it one day whilst driving past. It was certainly before we left Coventry in '82. I looked on the net, but couldn't find any detailed info.

The shop on the end of Spon Street in your picture was Herbert Goddard's newsagents. A real Coventry character. He always wore gaiters. I believe that when the morning papers were delivered by train, many years ago, he used to cycle to the station early in the morning, about 4 a.m. I imagine, so that the men on the train could throw the papers to him before it stopped and he could rush back to his shop to be the first in town with the papers. When the workers from the GEC finished the night shift and many cycled home he would rush into the road at the Queen Victoria Road junction and wedge their papers between their brake lever and handlebar.