Far Gosford Street

Hi Doug & Dutchman. Hi all I must admit that I had the same general impression about the Odeon & war films. The Gaumont often showed war films too, even on a Saturday morning childrens programme. I do remember watching "Swiss Family Robinson" at the Odeon, though. The shipwreck & the child drinking ink stick on my mind from the film. Most people remember where they were when President Kennedy died, I was at night school in Priory High school doing 'principles of accounts' prior to going to uni.

I meant 'war films' in the broadest sense of the term. You might call some of them 'historical epics' or 'western dramas' but from our point of view they were mainly about fighting I remember being bitterly disappointed by 'Barabbas' as there were no Roman battles in that. We were expecting it to be something like 'Spartacus' shown a year earlier. "Swiss Family Robinson" wasn't the kind of film any of my friends would have gone to watch anyway. The problem with the Gaumont was that many of their films were "A-certificate' so kids weren't allowed in on our own while the Paris was mainly X-certificate* except during the school holidays. That left the Odeon and Alexandra as the only 'child-friendly' cinemas in the area. The Odeon had the additional benefit of a nearby chip shop we could visit on the way home. *As free-pass holders we were required to exhibit the movie posters for the Paris. One of these was a rip-off of 'My Fair Lady' called 'My Bare Lady' which left me confused for some years afterwards.

Far Gosford St pdf with some pictures taken before restoration here.

Great find Adrian, may I just mention that this document is a 13Mb download (just in case anyone has a slow internet connection)

Brilliant Adrian! Although I left the area in the late 1960s I can still relate to some of the photographs.

Great find Adrian; like dutchman, I can relate to some of the photographs.

I've always had a soft spot for FGS, as when I lived in Coventry as as a student I walked down it almost every day and used to use many shops and businesses - especially the Hand and Heart where we used to get lock ins. The landlord was an Irish ex boxer who ran it with his wife. I always wondered why the relief road could not have been more sympathetically built. It creates a dismal street scrape with all those back yards. And all those 'gap sites'. Not just a problem here, but all over the city.

I think I can too Tricia, and I wonder which shop front used to be the old Milk Bar in the 50's. I enjoyed looking at the photo's Adrian, many thanks

I've just been looking at Adrian's photos again and spotted Luckman's Antique Shop. In the late 50s/60s my dad used to play dominoes at the New Inn in Gosford Street and I seem to remember a shop that sold old books, medals, and probably a lot more that I don't remember, a few doors from the pub. The name 'Luckman's seems to ring a bell, does anyone know if this was the same shop? I think this is one for you Dutchman.

Same name, different shop Tricia. There were several 'Luckmans' in Gosford Street at one time but the one in Adrian's post was nearer to All Saints Church. It probably moved there some time in the late 1960s, early 1970s when the New Inn and adjoining buildings were demolished.

Thanks dutchman.

A further example of the redevelopment taking place in Far Gosford Street Dec 2008 Today

It's ridiculous. The building on the right would originally have been a mirror image of the one on the left.

Have you any photographs of it as it was before it lost its upper floors? I think what they have done is good - they have put the new build the same height as the buildings on the other side of small road/lane so the street 'line' continues. It looks good, in my opinion, and it's not often I say that about any of the terrible developments in Coventry over the years.

The street hasn't been 'restored', it's been rebuilt in a mock-retro style as per Spon Street. The whole thing is fake.