Coventry Technical College

Eddyboy, I don't think parental choice could have had any influence at all on the 11+ because my parents dragged me off to a local councillor to see if they could change the decision that I had passed for 'Tech' rather than Bablake. They couldn't and perhaps it was just as well. I obtained an Honours degree as a mature student much later in life, in my fifties, but I am sure the foundations were laid in my earlier education and years spent in College at Bristol, for which I am eternally grateful. My father and grandfathers all worked in Coventry factories and my guess is that was the deciding factor: socio-economic grouping.

A cousin of my father, I believe taught Maths at the Tech pre-war, Leonard Turner. Apparently he wrote a Maths textbook - did anybody remember using it?

Hi Roger, It looks as if he wrote quite a few maths books. There are some listed on this site.

Thanks Annewiggy All I can say is thanks again and OMG. I can now see why my father became a Maths master - mother's milk or something

To update from the reference ages ago on this thread - here's a very rare shot which include St Thomas's on Albany Road. Post copied from topic Albany Road / Butts on 23rd Nov 2016 5:39 pm

Thanks NeilsYard Here's a view from when it still had its iron railings:

Whereabouts was the Butts annexe? I cannot picture it - so to speak.

Opposite the Aadvark/Fox & Firkin/Hen & Chicks (whatever you want to call it). It's now the Liberty Park apartment block.

Argh of course Dutchman thanks - could they not have just converted that?!

I seem to recall that the Annex was called Winfray in the 70s.

Like other cities have done you mean? Nah, it might remind people of the old Coventry.

Yes, us GEC apprentices knew it as "the Winfray block" in the early 80s, although we never knew why!

After the war it was home to Winfray Engineering Co Ltd

Confirmed, my father knew all about Winfray Engineering, having been in machine tools all his life, and told me about them. I once did a short course (half day a week for one term) 30-odd years ago; and yes, officially an annexe, everyone called it the Winfray block. There was a café called the Coltec Café on the opposite corner of Upper York Street, in which I never set foot (it was probably an excellent place, it was just that I never had any need to go there). Most of the industry we once had has now become residential buildings or shopping malls.

I did my C&G Electronics Part 3 evening classes at the Butts in the Winfray Building in the 70s. The building was somewhat dismal but the teachers were excellent. The three who spring to mind are Frank Swann, Jack Brophy (who was retired but used to come back to teach the audio course) and Alan Bilsborough. They all appeared to love their subjects and were very good communicators. I probably learnt more in two years of evening classes from them than in three years at University