Little Park Street

I think this might be Mr Shelton's post-war temporary home on Little Park Street. © Coventry Digital Was this where his little museum was? Love his use of medieval carvings!

We have images of this section before but not quite from this angle and of this period. This must have been close to being removed but an interesting shot of LPS looking at the old Registry Office row still in situ and Kirby House before it was saved. © Coventry Digital. Hope it’s ok, Ben, but I took the opportunity to zoom in on the old area as it’s an unusual aspect of the era.

The second oldest building in the scene is the small building sandwiched between the registry office and Kirby House. The earliest images of it show it stuck on the end of a row of half timbered buildings that were demolished to build the registry office but it's probably not contemporary with those, with a brick skin hiding the timber. The Georgian half of the Castle Grounds and the Georgian properties on Priory Row and Much Park Street had fancy coach way entrances next to the main building. It would be odd if Kirby House had been different (although there was stabling opposite). The little building sat over what had been the city ditch before the boundaries were pushed south to the end of Little Park Street. Was it built over a roadway, after Kirby House stopped being so prestigious?

CliffB posted the rebuilt pub in post #309, but not sure we've posted the original before.

Here’s the pub and the plaque

Does anybody remember the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows that used to be on the right hand side looking down from the old Council House. Not been in Cov for many years, was wondering if the buildings on that side are still standing.

Nice one, Cliff. Is that one missing from the pubs section, Rob?

There are a lot of images of the pubs that aren't directly linked, eg. a great image of Rob's of the end of Little Park Street by H Masters shows the previous King's Head Tavern.

This is a special image because it shows that there were eight window sections across the top (two hidden by the sign). If you look carefully at one of the sketches of Bridgeman's house, it shows a small cottage next door but one with eight sections in the upper window.

Did we ever confirm when Bridgeman's House went and why, Helen?

It was there in 1807 but gone by 1837. The land was empty for some time before they built on it, which is odd. The development was started on the Cheylesmore, garden, side and was full by 1888 but the LPS end came later. A very long time for that area to remain empty. I've a feeling that Mary Dormer Harris mentions it in the Troughton sketch book? The why might have been to redevelop it or just that it was too dilapidated. The point in time was when Coventry started expanding outwards because the laws were changed to stop those with common rights preventing development of the land. Having a big property in the city was no longer desirable and factories started springing up, to start with over those big garden plots but then across multiple small ones.

I'm still amazed by how many of the ornate gardens there were within the centre. Great info, Helen, as always.

Sorry, we buried your question. Alas I know nothing of modern or not so modern Coventry.

Lolipop They were at no.7 LPS. Try Google Street View, to see what’s there now