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Annewiggy
Tamworth |
121 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 10:56am
The Lower Precinct was always a last resort shopping place in the 60's. There was not much need to go further than Woolies unless we needed the fabric shop and I think there was a Scholl shoe shop along there. I would go to C&A if I was desperate but I always felt that shop was an afterthought tucked under as it was. The back of the Co-op was there too. I found the layout of the Co-op very confusing. I can't remember if there was an old pre-war bit in Corporation Street and the bit in the Lower Precinct was added on, pehaps someone could tell me. It always seemed on different levels and it was difficult to access one part from another. I suppose that is still the same. I think the Lower Precinct looks better from the pictures as it is now, but I have not seen it in the flesh! |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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Mike H
London Ontario, Canada |
122 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 12:37pm
LP wasn't all bad. The Mushroom served Wimpies, I think, Fennells had booths where my friend and I used to listen to Beatles and DC5 and I got my first cat from the pet store there. It was just all go go go, the cat, that is. LOL
In '65, my family moved to Royal Leamington Spa, I left Cov Prep School and never needed to go to the outfitters in LP again for uniform, and I can honestly say that I never looked back. It was a good five years before I visited Coventry again, and that is only because the family business was based there. |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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dutchman
Spon End Thread starter
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123 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 2:29pm
On 17th Dec 2013 10:56am, Annewiggy said:
I found the layout of the Co-op very confusing. I can't remember if there was an old pre-war bit in Corporation Street and the bit in the Lower Precinct was added on, pehaps someone could tell me.
The pre-war Co-Op was in Fleet Street which roughly corresponds to its present position in the Lower Precinct. The Corporation Street store originally belonged to Lord Iliffe of Coventry Telegraph fame and the Co-Op was extremely reluctant to move into it, preferring to operate from the bombed-out ruins of their pre-war store..
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| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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MisterD-Di
Sutton Coldfield |
124 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 4:16pm
On 14th Dec 2013 11:16pm, PhiliPamInCoventry said:
Hi all
Hi Philip.
I was quite surprised to hear that Sutton was busy on Saturday, as that is not usually the case. I tend to avoid it at weekends, but whenever I go during the week there always seems to be very few people around. The centre has certainly deteriorated over the past few years and there are now numerous closed down shops. There is a poor selection too, the usual collection of corporate coffee shops, phone shops, pound shops, tat shops, and very little else. It is a continuing sore point with locals that there is precious little to attract anyone into the area at all. It is a great pity when I recall how things were when we moved to Sutton in 1996.
I am sure you are right about the centre of Coventry, which we used to visit on a fairly regular basis until 7-8 years ago. It went downhill quite quickly as I recall, as we did love the area, and even lived in the city centre for 4 years. I would say that the most vibrant and busy town centre I have seen recently was undoubtedly Solihull. We were there on a Saturday a few weeks ago and it really was buzzing. There were certainly plenty of independent shops and the place was clearly thriving. Sutton, like Coventry, just oozes dull despair, I'm afraid. 
I keep hoping that someone from our city's planning & business development, even if retired, might contribute. The difficulty is that so much is wrapped up in politics. For a long time Leamington, for example, has had a much higher ratio of property owner traders than Coventry. Our "City of Coventry Limited" dictates who will trade what & where, which is not always in the best interest of traders. Coventry is not on its own in this degree of management, which is one of the reasons why so many city centres have the same named traders trading. Whilst managing traders does have some advantages, many traders argue that it kills innovation. At the end of the day though, the final dictator is the level of trade. I came through Coventry both at 9am & 2pm today, after visiting Sutton Coldfield. Sutton was bristling with shoppers, whilst by comparison, Coventry seemed slack. Since this is supposed to be one of the busiest pre-Christmas trading days, it does not bode well. From what I saw the busiest bit of our city was around the Belgrade with the pantomime in full swing. Just a week ago, the Saturday of our last forum breakfast, two of us walked around from Trinity St, Broadgate, passing the Council House & Cathedral, & the comment made to me was how quiet it is. So, I am not on my own with this observation. 
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flapdoodle
Coventry |
125 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 4:21pm
Lower Precinct was great when it had Browns and Spinadisc in it. That Co-op store is absolutely bizarre. I've been in a handful of times in 15 years, and there's always more staff than customers. Its layout is odd. I don't know how it's still in business! |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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MisterD-Di
Sutton Coldfield |
126 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 5:11pm
I have never been much of a fan of the Co-op, although the quirky and rambling store between Corporation Street and the Lower Precinct was quite interesting to a young child, I recall. My favourite childhood memory is of their wonderful sleigh ride in Santa's grotto. I always preferred it to Owen Owen's grotto and if I was lucky I would get to go on the ride a couple if times each Christmas.
When my daughter was a child I was delighted to discover that the sleigh ride was still operating, over 30 years later.  |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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deanocity3
keresley |
127 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 5:14pm
Mister D Di, you can watch the sleigh ride on YouTube |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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dutchman
Spon End Thread starter
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128 of 308
Tue 17th Dec 2013 6:12pm
On 17th Dec 2013 5:11pm, MisterD-Di said:
When my daughter was a child I was delighted to discover that the sleigh ride was still operating, over 30 years later.
It still is and the first people to have a go on it every year are the shop's staff!
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| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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mick
coventry |
129 of 308
Thu 19th Dec 2013 4:38pm
On 14th Dec 2013 2:09pm, mcsporran said:
Does anyone else recall the escalator that long ago was on the other side of the precinct near Broadgate House? Or did I dream that?
mcsporran
You did not dream it! In my post on the 3rd December I referred to the Home and Fashion Stores being subtenants of Hepworths in the first floor of Broadgate House. This letting was facilitated by the Council taking a lease of 5/7 The Precinct from Ravenseft and this was used almost exclusively to give access to the Home and Fashion Stores. This is the first unit which is not part of Broadgate House. |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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mick
coventry |
130 of 308
Thu 19th Dec 2013 4:44pm
On 17th Dec 2013 2:29pm, dutchman said:
The pre-war Co-Op was in Fleet Street which roughly corresponds to its present position in the Lower Precinct. The Corporation Street store originally belonged to Lord Iliffe of Coventry Telegraph fame and the Co-Op was extremely reluctant to move into it, preferring to operate from the bombed-out ruins of their pre-war store.
The modern part of the Corporation Street shop was built by the Co-op on a ground lease from the Council. The Lower Precinct link was leased from the Council who had built both sides of the Lower Precinct. However the Co-op had leased some of the older buildings in Corporation St alongside the main store and I think this is where the Lord Iliffe connection might be. |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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Old Lincolnian
Coventry |
131 of 308
Fri 20th Dec 2013 10:56am
On 17th Dec 2013 4:21pm, flapdoodle said:
That Co-op store is absolutely bizarre. I've been in a handful of times in 15 years, and there's always more staff than customers. Its layout is odd. I don't know how it's still in business!
We regularly go in the Co-op for a coffee and the staff to customer ratio is quite fascinating, especially on the upper floors, but it obviously works. Having said that we (and other members of our family) have bought most of our white goods from there because in most cases their prices are comparable, and if you are a member you get free delivery
(and before anybody asks, no, I don't work for them  ) |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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Annewiggy
Tamworth |
132 of 308
Wed 1st Jan 2014 3:43pm
I apologise if this link has been posted before but wonderful shots of the Precinct
LINK |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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heritage
Bedworth |
133 of 308
Wed 1st Jan 2014 6:24pm
Who is old enough to admit seeing Peter Brough and Archie Andrews when they opened the Home and Fashion store all those years ago. I see there is a photograph on Flickr of Dickie Valentine signing autographs at the store in 1955. |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
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deanocity3
keresley |
134 of 308
Wed 1st Jan 2014 9:16pm
Archie Andrews at Coventry
Mods note: If you click through these photos there are lots more great pics of Coventry from the 50's |
| Town Planning and Development - City centre shopping precincts | |
| PhiliPamInCoventry |
135 of 308
Thu 2nd Jan 2014 9:33am
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