Coventry's Markets

I remember parking on the Market Car Park in the early 60's on a Friday and Saturday night's when going to the Locarno. When getting back to my car I had a Helfos spot light fixed to my windscreen so I would light up the clock on the tower to see what the time was.

Am I imagining it or were you able to get into the ten pin bowling from a door off this carpark?

You’re not imagining it, Mick - there certainly was an entrance into the Top Rank from the carpark. The door was adjacent to the clock tower.

I attended a motorcycle training course on Sunday mornings in the Market Car Park run by the Coventry Road Safety Officer in conjunction with the RAC-ACU organization. We trained on hill starts on the ramp from the circular section up to the next level; upper right of the circular section. I still have my badge and certificate awarded on 2nd March 1969. We were warned that if we pulled a wheelie we would end up on the ground. My first hill start, on a Suzuki 80cc, was a wheelie when the clutch bit at the same time the throttle came in. Miraculously I stayed on the bike and made the top of the ramp on the back wheel before the front wheel came back down. After that I always tried to obtain the Triumph Tiger Cub, a much more controllable motorbike!