Little Park Street

The Telegraph clipping that Rosemary sent me from August 1961 states The Buildings are falling to make way for the proposed Unity Way which will include new Civic buildings for the city. I'm sure we've had this one before but for the record as I cannot seem to see it.

Thanks Neil, good picture, I don't remember seeing it before.

Neil, I have not seen that picture before either, but is that where the Registry Office used to be?

Yes Neil, its the same view of the side of LPY, I can just make out the entrance to the Yard with some little windows on the right of it (I could show you with a magnifying glass!). I remember the Police Station and the Telephone Exchange being built and finished, whilst our family were still living in LPY. The Telephone Exchange was directly opposite and the Police Station further down towards Cheylesmore.

Yes Dreamtime - I think the registry office was just off to the left. I had posted it earlier in the thread Osmiroid but the picture disappeared from an old link. It's now stored on Rob's server

NeilsYard. Work began on the Central Police Station in July 1953. It was completed in June 1957. The Police started to move in during July 1957 and it was fully operational from September 1957. Edit. From what I heard recently, West Midlands Police are planning to demolish it. Edited by Midland Red, 22nd Oct 2018 2:55 pm (Copied into 'Coventry Police' thread)

Yes. I remember the Little Park St Register Office, it was where I first went to start my Family History research almost sixty years ago.

Thats interesting Cov Police as I was always led to believe that Little Palace Yard was required to be bulldozed to get the new Station in? Rosemary?

The newspaper articles say they are being demolished for the new "Unity Way " which I think we have discussed before that wil include "Civic Buildings " which I suppose includes the police station. Another little fact I found which I did not know was that after 13 Little Park Street was damaged in a raid in May 1941 the register office was temporarily moved to Little Palace Yard in a large wooden structure belonging to Bushill & Son. Weddings took place the day after the raid. It was shortly moved back to Little Park Street. I wonder when as my grandmother remarried in July 1941 at the register office.

Thats sounds like it may have been Bushill's yard visible here behind Court 20 - Rosemary will confirm but that is my Dad's Uncle Ray's house to the right.

Coincidentally whilst looking for some information on the Police Station thread - I had not noticed this one on Historic England before. This shows Court No.16 Little Park Street looking east over towards Much Park Street - the tall building in the background would be on MPS - Court 16 backed on to the small area between the Midland Brewery and what was known interestingly as Green Dragon Alley (right out of Harry Potter!) I get the feeling the tall building was on the east side of MPS. The Green Dragon pub was one of the buildings moved to Spon Street and still exists next to the Old Windmill pub. My 1949 map shows that tall building as I think the British Trades Club (whatever that was?!). Needless to say given the war damage - not too many years after the war heading in to the 50's it all disappeared for the Cop Shop! It's also interesting to note that the course of LPS changed at the southern end once the Police Station went in - then obviously curtailed for the Ring Road.

The newspaper archives mention a Building Trades Club at 28 Much Park Street, but a new one was built in Whitefriars Lane in 1962. It appears to be a social club which at first was for building operatives but later for anyone. I should thing this is it, Neil.

Actually looking at this one in Robs' Library I think the tall building at the back was the tower part of the brewery - I should've noticed that earlier.

Hi Neil, the police station was definitely built before LPY was demolished. It was built a bit further on towards Cheylesmore. The wooden Bushills building would have been the one I remember and visible in your picture looking down the Yard. Bushills must have let the Registry Office use it or part of it temporarily. It was quite an attractive building.