Spon Street

Thanks for that, I found it on one of your supplied maps. I found the Lime Tree Cottages intriguing, tucked away like they were.

I recognise the interior photo. My grandma lived in Spon Street and her living room was of exactly the same design. The range was always alight, night and day because there was neither electricity nor gas and, even to make a cup of tea, the kettle had to be boiled on the range. In the alcove to the left of the range was a low cupboard with a top drawer. All my uncle's (my father's step-brother Douglas - see below) Dinky toys were in there and, when we visited each Sunday afternoon, I used to get some out to play with. I once jammed the drawer and thought I would be in trouble because it would never open again, but but Dad's step dad, known to all as "Uncle" because he married his brother's widow, was able to insert a ruler and clear the jam. Phew! Uncle had a radio that ran on batteries. The radios were all valve in those days and so the battery had a tapped HT supply of 100 to 130 v for the valve anode supplies and a 6v supply for the valve heaters. He told me that he had previously had an accumulator radio, but that it had become too difficult to get the accumulators re-charged. The living room was the only room downstairs. It had a plank door to the passage that led from the road and another door that opened onto the bottom of the stairs with a further door to the communal back yard, where there was a toilet in an outhouse at the top of the yard. I have posted some of this before under the topic "Court Houses".

I was told by my gran, that her Aunt Pem refused to leave her house in Spon Street when they wanted to knock them down. The rest of Spon Street was demolished and the council had to wait for her to die before they could complete their project. Can anyone shed any light on any truth in this tale? I know that my gran did have an Aunt Pem (Mrs Emily Hyett nee Edge) who died in 1957. And I know they lived in Spon End somewhere. thanks Lisa

Hi Lisa, welcome to our Forum You'll find us a pretty friendly crowd, and helpful too! Hope you soon get a favourable answer to your question on this and another thread

There's an 'Emma Hyatt', wife of Charles, mother of Charles and Frederick, recorded at House No 9, Court 21 (Day's Court) Spon Street behind the Queen's Arms public house. The first wave of post-war housing clearance didn't begin until 1957 so I don't think your great-great aunt's presence would have caused much of a delay.

Hi Lisa, I lived at 16/17 house 37 court Spon Street Coventry with my gran Emily Hyett (nee Edge) who died in May 1957 a month before my 11th birthday, there were only 2 houses left standing in this courtyard, seems we might be related, small world isn't it, you may find things of interest in the other topics I've started on here about when I lived in Spon Street, take care, Sally Watson.,

That's amazing Sally! Well, your grandfather, Edwin was my great gran's brother. My great gran would have been your great aunt - her name was Annie Smith (nee Hyett). My gran was her youngest daughter Violet, who would have been cousin to your mum or dad. I am in touch with a branch of the Edge family in Australia! She also told me that Amy Davis, who was murdered at the Ring o'Bells pub in Hillfields, was her cousin. Do you know anything about this? Lisa

Our council is 'improving' Spon Street. On Tuesday I noticed that the old ornate lamp post opposite St John's Church has been removed and 'improved' with a new post. No one at the Council House seems to be able to tell me what the council are going to do with this post. Scrap??

Hi I've just read a book by John Ashby called Spon Street and Spon End. A lot of my ancestors lived on here, and in Shakespeare Yard which sounds a horrendous place in the 1800's. 111 adults and children and only 4 wc's with a water pump right next to them. Doesn't bear thinking about. Must have smelled lovely in the summer. (Also just realised that one of my ancestors married an Ashby.....mmmmmmmmmmm. just wondering. Have to try to find out more about this.)

1888 Board of Health map

This category of photographs is split into two groups: the first group shows some of the buildings that were restored under what is termed 'City of Coventry - Spon Street Townscape Scheme', that resulted from several building surveys to ascertain the state of preservation of individual medieval timber-framed buildings that still existed after the wartime bombing and previous destruction as a result of Coventry's development from the 19th century to the 1960's. Most extant medieval buildings were examined across the central area of the City, including Gosford Street, Much Park Street and Spon Street. Many argued against the Scheme, including official bodies like the 'Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings', and private individuals like myself. The argument for restoring and moving some of the better preserved medieval buildings to Spon Street appears to have centred on the proposition that it would be incongruous to leave behind ancient buildings in a new landscape of modern architecture. You will be relieved to know that I do not intend to follow up the various arguments for and against, its all water under the bridge now! However, I shall draw attention to the publications of the time, a booklet explaining the Spon Street Townscape Scheme, and a paper in the 'Birmingham and Warwickshire Archaeological Society Transactions for 1978-1979', 'Timber-framed houses in Spon Street, Coventry' pp.91-122, by F.W.B. Charles F.S.A. My photographs will sometimes refer to this paper as 'Charles', followed by comments. You may wonder why I trouble to show photographs of standing buildings, after all anyone can walk along Spon Street and take the same pictures, nevertheless I thought it a good idea to link what I took decades ago with Charles' paper referred to above. The second group of pictures include general shots of what was there (in Spon Street), including some 'action pictures' of demolitions. All photographs may have comments and, where known, dates. GROUP ONE Image 1 - This was 122-123 Much Park St. - now 20-21 Spon Street. Date of photo 1970. Ref. by Charles to Ray Wallworks excavation of the MPS site, & that it revealed probable evidence of a much earlier house on this site. (Coventry & Dist. Archaeol. Soc. Bull. 100 (1974), 3-4) Image 2) Another shot of 20-21 Spon Street, different angle. Image 3) 8-10 Much Park St. 163-165 Spon Street. Image 4) Including 163-164 Spon Street, Jan 1983. Image 5) Nearest building 167-168 Spon Street. 1970's. Image 6) 7 MPS - 9 Spon Street. 1970's. Image 7) 169 Spon Street, c.1970. Image 8) I am unable to compare Charles' report with this image, it would need to be sorted out on the ground. Date probably 1970's. Image 9) Same building as above, rear view. Date as 8. Image 10) As above, same building. Date as 8. Image 11) As above. Image 12) Another view of 21 Spon Street. Jan 1983. GROUP TWO Image 13) Spon End viaduct arches, date uncertain. Image 14) Spon End buildings (1). Date uncertain, probably 1969. Image 15) Spon End, R. Sherbourne view & backs of houses. Probably late 1960's to 1970's. Image 16) Spon Street view. Late 1960's - early 1970's. Image 17) Spon End houses. 1969-70. Image 18) Spon Street houses. 1969-70. Image 19) The Old Windmill, Spon St. Date Jan 1983. Image 20) View across backs of Spon St. properties during demolition phase. c.1970. Image 21) Coventry Movement Company. c.1970. Referring to Charles, 58-59 Spon Street had to be abandoned, hence you see the demolition in progress. Image 22) Coventry Movement Company, rear view during demolition. c.1970. Image 23) Interior view of Victorian workshop which ran at the rear of 58-59 Spon St. c.1970. Image 24) Workshop window, of above Victorian building - rear of 58-59 Spon St. c.1970. Image 25) Another workshop window view. c.1970. Image 26) Back image, Spon Street medieval buildings, c.1970. Can't say which building. Image 27) Back of Spon St. houses during demolition phase. c.1970. Image 28) Back of Spon Street houses, demolition phase. c.1970. Image 29) Window view. c.1970. Image 30) Gable view of timber-framed house, unfortunately I cannot say which, and therefore can't say if it was restored. c.1970. Image 31) 58-59 Spon Street. Bulldozer on site. c.1970. (notice the 1970's style hard hat!)

Great photos

Great pictures! Spon Street has been a huge success. Where else in Coventry can you get a 99p burger?

It's the Co-Op grocery store at No66. It was pulled-down solely to give passers-by a better view of the newly-built council estate. The foundations of the outbuilding dated back to Saxon times. None of it was preserved. The Bowling Green pub is just visible in the background on the far side of Windsor Street.

What was at the bottom end of Spon Street, behind the shops that are next to the city wall? It seems that it wasn't ever completed down here, as there's a large gap that appears to be a road but there's nothing in it. Just a load of hoardings and an open space dominated by IKEA's service areas. I've often thought this was a poorly planned area - I think it would look a lot better with the gaps filled in.