3D models of Coventry

Hi, I'm looking to improve some of the shop fronts in the model. Unfortunately most of the photographs are taken with a view up/down a street, so the majority of times I've had to guess what they look like. However, old shop adverts sometimes have a picture of the shop front - If anyone has any old adverts showing shop fronts (with the address - the street is good but ideally the number as well) I would love to use them to help refine the model. All the best Pete Ps Helen - Sketchup is good for applying textures but can be a bit limited in making the model look completely realisitic - have a look at the extensions - something like twilight is really good for rendering.

Ahhh, welcome to my world I've spent ages trying to get the best images of the medieval buildings possible and every now and then a treasure like the Spon Street photo pops up. I downloaded all the relevant Pictures of Coventry web site images so I could zoom in and cut out the bits I needed. At first I assumed that they were of limited use but gradually you spot useful variations. Different camera angles, slightly different locations, canopies up or down, that sort of thing. I bought loads of books on ebay, many of them a penny plus postage. Even the images after the war are useful because they show places that were never photographed before or were obscured by other buildings that didn't survive. And I've almost hit the end of the line. I now need to guess what the original looked like. It will be a massive guess for most buildings. If I know how many floors, jettied or not, what sort of roof and roughly where the windows and doors were I'm happy. While you've got it easier in terms of upper building, the street level is more complicated. If I may make a suggestion - you need to be either picking a specific year and getting a directory of who was where and seeing if you can tick off some of them and then guessing the rest (eg in 1910, there was at least 2 dentists). If you can't get a good image of the shop front, you could look up a similar shop at that date somewhere else. Alternatively find an image for each building and don't worry too much if they never existed at exactly the same date. eg does your recreation have the crenelated library or the fancy opticians that at different times occupied the same spot as can be seen on page 44 and 45 of Memories of Coventry by Alton Douglas? The hairdresser Haddens was next door in both photos but it didn't have a big sign half way up in one of them, but it did have a big canopy. There are good photos of specific buildings like the Kenilworth Castle Pub at no 39 in 1908 selling Burton Ales, which is next to the Geisha Café but in 1912 when there's a half decent picture of the café the paintwork on the front has changed and it's selling Thornley's prize ales. While I have come across a few adverts, they've been fairly rough and very much scattered round the city and through time. It would be easier to search for a specific business. Not very helpful, sorry but I ran into the same problem.

The 1897 insurance maps should give you a good idea of the building footprints, and for some, there's even coded details to help guess at the appearance. But maybe you've already done that.

Hi all, just to let you know I've just posted a new clip - not exactly as planned but it kind of worked out well. Next one should be butchers row / near the cathedral area. And cheers mcsporran for the tip, I've used the maps for a details

Astonishing. I can't believe how accurately you can position the virtual camera precisely where the original photographer held theirs!

Brilliant again Pete!

Fantastic!

You may be able to find partial views of buildings in the background of images taken for other purposes, for instance, try looking on google or ebay for Coventry Trams. There are several books dealing with the tramway too, and of course they cover just the dates you're interested in. Coventry Transport 1884 - 1940 Part 1 by Denton&Groves Coventry Transport 1884 - 1940 by Roger Bailey But as Helen said, at these dates you're unlikely to find everything you need. I chose to model the City in the 60s because photos are far more plentiful (and the buildings by then were all nice straight lines!).

Excellent! Nice atmosphere from the start with the bell

I've had a quick skim and I've found:- An ad for the Geisha Café Picture of Salmon and Gluckstein on the corner of Broadgate and High Street A picture of boarded up Broadgate with Salmon and Gluckstein, Kendall & Sons Ltd and a few more A picture of England's shoes down in Cross Cheaping next to George Mason Franks The Stores 44 Cross Cheaping Johnson and Mason shop (wine merchants) Hertford Street Wilson Dental Surgery over a bike shop next door to a Kodak photographic studio in Hertford Street Newtons, and Heyward in Broadgate Matteson & Huxley in Cross Cheaping Comley & Son in Cross Cheaping What comes across is that apart from the shop sign, with the business name in a variety of fonts, the windows displays are just a jumble of as many products as possible eg the bike shop has a rack of bikes in the window. I can send you these if you don't have them or can't find them on the library pictures. The pictures aren't very clear and only really give hints. The Godiva procession sometimes has a useful photo.

Ooooh Best one Yet?!! Thanks again to Pete - and includes Spicerstoke The council should be paying Pete to run these in The Herbert IMO.

Agree and agree Neil. I find the white on white quite haunting.

That's brilliant! I should mention for the sake of accuracy that it is currently titled Butchers Row rather than the correct Butcher Row.

So glad you all like the model/film! At times I could appreciate the 1950s desire for a straight line! And thanks Osmiroid, I had a feeling I was going to make a mistake uploading the film late at night, but couldn't wait to share it. But then I'm sure there was more than one Butcher on Butcher Row! I'm still not happy with my cathedral so I'm running away from that area for now - I think the next instalment will be from St John the Baptist Church up Smithford Street. Hope you all have a good bank holiday!

Brilliant and thanks again Pete If you are taking requests, I'd love to see/be able to imagine how the turn from Smithford Street into Market Street and around the Market Clock Tower could be re-imagined.