Allwoods & Atkins and Turton / Martins Bank

Hi Kaga, I know what you mean about that - it seemed strange to me, too, on first glance, with it appearing as though Pepper Lane was on the left of Atkin's & Turton. But I've seen a few of those directory listings before, and that's not what was meant by "Pepper Lane to left".... Imagine you're reading the directory as you walk along High Street eastwards towards the Council House. First on the left is number 1, then 2 (Atkin's & Turton), then Pepper Lane, then number 3 (Harrison's Opticians).... etc. Then it all makes sense.

Rob, hi! Not for me. You see, there was an iron post in the middle of the entrance to Pepper Lane - for me it held a fascination to leapfrog it, more it was a challenge, but it was always from Pepper Lane. As the years went by it looked easier, but at the last second I would chicken out, telling myself that someone in the High Street got in my way. I never did master it, but it actually survived the bombs, although knocked wonkey, but the council removed it. Happy childhood days in Coventry.

I only recently noticed that Tickner was the architect who also designed both the Biggin Hall pub and the War Memorial in the park.

An update now to show everyone how wrong I was in this post in the High Street topic! At that time I was convinced that the amazing similarity between the architecture of Allwoods & Atkins and Turton and Martins Bank told us that the latter reused the premises of the former, with perhaps a little "tarting up" of the frontage. I was convinced that any new building in 20th century Coventry would surely have its own character and design. However, I've just discovered the following two newspaper articles from 15th April 1937 and 28th March 1938 respectively, which inform us that, indeed, the premises were demolished and rebuilt in a very similar fashion. Hey ho, we live and learn!

Well spotted. That might explain how J B Shelton got to look at the medieval walls underneath?

Ooh yes! There was indeed a decent sized article written about the castle in the Coventry Herald on the 22nd January 1938, based upon various excavations. I've kept it large enough to see in detail, but it's a bit too big to add to a post, so if you click this link the whole page should open in a new tab or window. Anyone is very welcome to download it to view however they find convenient. It's not of the best scans that the newspaper archives made, and despite me trying to darken the lighter text, some, I'm afraid, is simply missing, although most is pretty readable with a little effort! Here's a link to the Coventry Castle thread for convenience.

A new one to me from Dean Nelson on FB - great colour pic with detail of the Bank - 60's?

Thanks Neil The pictures made me look at the brickwork. It's very unusual for a repro building which might give cause to think that they just gutted the original and rebuilt the interior but the bond pattern is actually quite different from Atkins and Turton. In the original, the pattern was 2 layers - long brick, small brick then long brick, tiny brick. Whereas the bank's walls were 4 layers - long brick, long brick then long brick, small brick then long brick, long brick followed by small brick, small brick.

Wow.... now THAT'S what you call paying attention to detail !!!

Looks like its been lifted from here - at least you got a credit Rob!

I'll be honest, I was beginning to have doubts that they knocked the old one down, so similar are certain details of the building. To my untrained eye the bricks in the bank look authentically old. I've even got a picture of them dismantling parts of the old building, as if they were just stripping back. So I went looking for something that might prove it one way or the other.

Oh blimey, I had no idea that I'd got a mention on the Martins Bank page! How lovely - but shame they dated the blitz to 1941 !!!!!