Jordan Well

Thanks Dutchman - did not realise Freeth Street went westbound as well.

What a great image. What a sad sight compared to the current view.

I have the birth certificate of my Grandmother Florrie Reddington that shows she was born 21st March 1891 at 17 Freeth Street. She appears on 1891 census aged 1 month at same address. I think Freeth Street was where Herbert Gallery is now. Is that correct.

Yes, and also the former polytechnic on the side nearest the camera.

I think that Freeth Street was slightly further down, just above Cox Street, and so would have been where the Coventry University building is opposite the old Gaumont cinema.

Here is a photo

It's still there Charabanc! It runs north/south between the Herbert and the Coventry University building and also east/west behind the Herbert for a short distance as well as under the Coventry University building, exiting in Cox Street.

Nice picture Neil. Can't post image directly but here's a link to a painting that has recently been sold. Directly on the right is the Dun Cow. The buildings pushing out into the road on the right are directly opposite Cox Street and the building in the distance in the middle id in Gosford Street. Rare painting of Jordan Well

Despite its name "The Carpet Shop" in this photo of Jordan Well sold lots of different things including toys which were at the back of the shop. It was quite deep inside but as far as I remember was only a single saleroom. It was pulled down to make a car park for the Lanchester College very shortly after this photo was taken in the early 1960s.

William Birchall, 8 Jordan Well. Probably 1901 to 1928.

I'm beginning to feel frustrated and annoyed at this forum, the hours and hours we spent queuing in Jordan Well in the fifties for the Gaumont and can't remember one damn building now. It was mainly derelict and water if I recall. On the other side behind the shops wasn't there flour mills?

I hope you don't mind me giving you a gentle reminder, here's the page from the 1955 directory.

I'm afraid there's a glaring error in that list Heathite, the businesses were numbered consecutively, not odd-even. Nos.1-26 from Earl St. to the corner of Cox St. were all on the north side, Nos 28 to 47 from Whitefriars St. to the corner of Much Park St. were all on the south side. As Kaga correctly remembers the last building on the corner of Much Park Street was a bombed-out basement filled with water. In later years Billings baby linen became a second hand shop and the Blouse Box became the Alpha Restaurant. There was also a very large florist-greengrocer stall between the Dun Cow and Dewhurst. Osborne's had become Mountford's paper shop by 1952 and later moved across the road to the corner of the Gaumont.

Hi Dutchman, I hear what you say but please don't shoot the messenger. As you probably know, there are and have been many errors in the directories, even whole streets numbered backwards. I blame the council, and I blame them at any given opportunity. If the moderators feel they need to move this to the humour section then I have no objections

Here's an image of the 1926 Cov directory for Jordan Well, a bit different from the 1955 listing.