Broadgate

I believe these were taken away during March 1956 as new telephone kiosks had been installed under the bridge in the precinct:

Do you remember the underground loos in Broadgate. In the ladies they they had a child- sized one next to the regular one in a least some of them. The only other place I've seen that was many years later in Ikea.

Good post 20A I certainly didn't repair any of those under the elephant because as you say they were removed in 56 and it wasn't until the early 70s that I was a subs app and linesman for GPO/ PO Telephones, later BT, and would regularly visit the 2 banks of 3 public call offices either side of the water feature to repair.

Fabbo capture of 1939 Broadgate. Must've been taken outside the Provincial Bank -

Another we've possibly seen before however resharing thanks to CliffB because of all its pre-war fabbo detail...........

How ironic, I was talking about Dunn & Co hat makers this morning and stumbled across a Wordpress article about the business. The Story of Dunn the Hatter

Yes this is a wonderful shot, showing much detail of the shop fronts and it can be dated. It's a cropped version of an image, one of two almost identical taken from the same vantage point and registered on 5 June 1933 by J Valentine of Dundee. The full view is available on the following website: https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/smithfield-street-coventry/103347/view.... They got the street name wrong of course. There are 75 photographs of Coventry, some 1930s and others post-war and they are all zoomable so it's possible to pick out lots of details.

Whilst I fully understand that the old city did have areas of severe decay & couldn't 'all' be saved, what was done prior to the war and for many years after is extremely saddening. The wind swept boneyard the centre is now has been hollowed out & left with little soul. Rather depressing thought on my part I do admit. I really do believe that if it wasn't for "re-development" the city centre would still be something to be proud of. I notice in many parts of Europe the war time destroyed buildings were rebuilt, still retaining the original structure. It's strange that during a time I could have asked the people who recall the pre 1930's development I didn't, now I fully regret not doing so!!!

Thanks rocksolid, a nice collection - even a good image of the Greyfriars cannon. Gumnut, yes, we kick ourselves for not asking/doing something when we had the chance. There was a real boom in development in the early 1900s. They had restored a number of timber buildings on Smithford Street and elsewhere and built new mock Tudor buildings too. Both Spon Street and Gosford Street had decent areas of timber buildings remaining after the war, although other areas like Smithford Street, Broadgate and Bishop Street had lost all of their ancient buildings and most of the newer ones too. Sad

Shame about the clarity but more Coventry Graphic goodness.................

Thank you Helen. I'm finding the older I become the more I reminisce, can't change what happened but certainly can change what I now do. Trying not to "rose tint" everything, I do though seem to miss a period I never actually experienced though.

I've sent them a message via their update link to correct from Smithfield Street