Trafalgar Street and Hertford Square

Hi to all members of this wonderful forum. Rob, thanks for such a great website. I am from Coventry, Spon End area. Trafalgar Street and Hertford Square. The square had a corner shop, called Lloyds. Trafalgar Street had one too, called Sadlers. Croft cottages was not far from the square. All of these demolished to make way for the Ring Road. Is there anyone out there, with more memories of these streets of my childhood Now in Galway, Ireland, it's really so good to relive the memories. Thanks to all of you.

I worked for one of the utilities and I well remember the Trafalgar Foundry and the little courts adjacent to it. How I wish I`d taken my camera with me!!!

Hello Marina I live in what used to be Trafalgar Street but is now a pedestrianised housing estate. The owner of Croft Cottages wanted to restore them to their pre-war condition but was knocked back by the planning department. I can still remember the last few houses in Moat Street and Rudge Road from when I lived in Craven Street and had to pass by them on my way into town. Trafalgar Street had already been blocked-off by then for the building of the new council estate.

This is the site of Hertford Square looking towards Croft Cottages:

Thanks Dutchman, It's a pity that we have no photos of the square, the houses, the neighbours, the children playing in the central area. And of course Mr Lloyd, standing at the door of the corner shop when there were no customers. I recall our home in Hertford Square, had a third storey which dad used for his woodwork. I remember he made me a lovely doll's house, which was worth the wait. I think we moved from here to Trafalgar Street, in about 1955. No photos either of Croft cottages. My cousins lived here. There were apple trees at the back of a pub in Albion St, which backed onto the backyard of Croft cottages. Some of the older kids, would climb the high walls, scrumping for apples. Us smaller ones, would have to wait for the apples to fall. Happily playing and skipping in the safety of the open back yard (not too sure if it was a court or not).

Hi Greg, Not too many cameras around in those days. Box brownie was the first one we had. The Trafalgar foundry, not far from us at all. We had the Coventry Radiator then across the road and there was a derelict site, on the opposite side to the foundry. Once a year, Romany gypsies would camp there, and sell pegs, etc, door to door. It's strange, but we were never afraid of walking through the site - it was a shortcut to Spon Street. Does anyone remember Vicki's shop at the top of what is Meadow Street. It was a sweet shop. On our way to school, into Vicki's for some of that lovely coloured popcorn. It was a safe time to be a child in the 50's as all the neighbours would know one another and mind would we do anything wrong! No!! First our neighbours would tell us off, then mam and dad.

Is this it? If I remember correctly there's a view from the opposite end in "The Coventry We Have Lost: Volume 2". The view of the Rudge/GEC building in that is obscured by bunting so I suspect the picture was taken on V.E. day or a similar occasion.

"The Globe"

Thanks Dutchman, I'm not too sure. Yes, it looks like the square. I was right thinking that we had a three storey house. The top one used by my dad, as a workshop. Gosh this is great to have. I recall my mum, hanging washing at the back of the house though not at front. The shop would be to the right of the van. At the top of the square, there was an exit, to another street. I think I can see it there. Ah, I'm sitting here smiling thinking of my childhood. Thank you for the memories and info Just saw the photos of The Globe and Croft Cottages. Great to see.

We used to cut through from the Technical College bus stop on Service 9 from Earlsdon to my grandma's in Spon Street. We used different routes, but they included Trafalgar Street and Rudge Road. Later, when I had grown up, we used to drink regularly in the Trafalgar Arms. Now I am probably in the wrong forum here, but it was reputed to serve the best pint of Guinness in the Midlands. Apparently, the cellars were located beneath the course of the River Sherbourne, which kept the beer at a constant temperature all year round. The landlord was a genial Irishman whose name was Frank, but he ran off with someone leaving his pregnant wife in the lurch. Frank used to have "lock-ins". After normal hours, he would carry on serving behind locked doors. One year, on Christmas Eve, actually it was 2.00am on Christmas morning, a fight broke out, with everyone hitting everyone else. One of our old, retired Irish friends asked us to take him home. We crawled under the tables and reached the door. After taking him home, we returned to find the police just leaving. Apparently they had put the instigators in the back of a Black Maria and asked Frank what the damage would cost to put right. They then extracted the money from their charges, handed it over to Frank and tipped the instigators out into the street. So in we went and Frank resumed the lock-in. I don't remember what time it was when we finally left.

They were built as weavers' cottages Marina. The top floor with the oversized windows was for the weaving loom. The odd square arrangement was to allow freshly dyed silk to be humg out to dry. Nearby Hertford Place had a communal boiler house where the silk could be dyed.

I think that's a slight exaggeration but the pub did back onto the Sherbourne which would have helped with cellar cooling. Note the neighbouring weavers' cottages which also backed onto the river:

You had happy days then at the Trafalgar! I don't know about the Guinness, but when I was about ten, I went to play with my friend Maria - her parents were landlord/lady of the pub. Of course I was not allowed to be in the pub. If only my parents knew. We were playing in the back kitchen, when containers of drink were delivered and lowered into the cellar. I never thought about that all my life, until now!! So you are probably correct re temperature etc.

I am not too familiar with this area, as I lived outside the town from age seven. However, most Saturdays, my Dad used to take me to the Gaumont cinema, and then we used to go to (I think) Spon End, where there was a grocers, which would be called a delicatessen today. There was a wonderful smell of ground coffee and smoked food. I think it was called Main's, or it may have been Maines. Anybody remember it, and have I got the right area? I do remember that the Rudge works was either nearby or en route.

"Main", 58 Spon Street It was one of many thriving family-owned businesses which survived the Ring Road development but were later pulled down in act of pure spite by the council in order to give pedestrians in Spon Street a better view of the new council estate!