New Buildings

Thanks Rob - I'm going with that!

I'm so pleased it's proved useful, Helen! Yes, we also managed to identify a couple of Harry Secombe and Morecambe & Wise photos using that archive. The "Pajama Game" photo nearly caught me out though, because it was spelt differently to our more familiar "pyjama".... the Americans do struggle with our language a bit, don't they!

I think that modern white building on the end was a Bookies at one time (80s). Think I've mentioned before I used to go in to the side there to a small open 'Court' to get my hair cut as my sisters friend had a hairdressers there and she would cut it on the cheap. At that time before the Digs, the back of the old Bluecoat school was almost completely hidden away.

I remember a second hand shop just behind where the figure is (was it Exchange and Mart, or something like that??). They always seemed to have a dustbin in the doorway, full of odd golf clubs.

See the pic in post#9, Ian.

When in town as schoolkids, we often went to Exchange and Mart, most times just to look in the window. One day, my best mate and I, aged 12 or 13, saw a display card in the window full of flick knives, each with a black handle and a 6" blade. Well, we'd just got to have one of those. But there was no price on them. So into the shop we went, having circumnavigated the dustbin in the doorway, and this big bloke, presumably the owner, came up. I asked him the price of the flick knives in the window. I can remember his answer. "Flick knives?! Phworr, they ain't flick knives. Cor blimey, get caught with a flick knife and you'll get locked up for 20 years. Them's LOCK knives." I can't remember the price, but I bought one. All perfectly legal, you understand. A very useful tool, I had it for years, until it was stolen by a 7-year old tearaway boy who lived two doors away. But that's another story. Ironically, lock knives are now illegal in this country.

A-ha!! Thank you. That's just how I remember it.

Hi All. Would anyone have any photos of New Buildings in the 1920s, particularly 23a New Buildings? My Great Nanna owned a confectionery shop there. I would absolutely love to see photos or find out the name of her shop. Thank you

Hi Gemma. In 1921 the name of the confectioners at 22a and 23a New Buildings was Cattell. There tended to be no quirky names at that point, just the name of the owner of the business. I believe that the building on the left of the picture below (with the advertising hoarding) started with 22. 23 and 24 were part of the same building. The 'a' may refer to a level as it was a 3 block, 3 storey building, so the confectioners might have been the two left hand windows on the ground floor as you looked at the front of the building. It all fronted onto the timber merchant, including the chimney. I'll have a look to see if I can find a picture from the front. You can see below where it used to be, in relation to the fire station - the three white walls. It at least shows you where to look in other photos. The top two floors are visible in this Britain From Above photo (get a free login to zoom). Look along the top of the picture (about two thirds from the left) to find the fire station.

Wow Helen, that's amazing. Thank you so much. I'm guessing this building doesn't exist anymore? Also, is there a way to find out what happened to the shop in 1924 when Mary Lavinia died?

23a was still listed as Cattell - confectioners in 1926, but not 22a. At 23 Mrs Selina Hewitt is living and at 22 Jarvis B Cooper. The building was demolished to make way for Trinity Street. If it still existed it would be about here under the traffic island.

Thank you so much. Mary's sister married a Hewitt. I know there were a lot of Hewitts in Coventry, but I wonder if Selina was a relative. It's nice to know the shop continued even after her death. When she died, her husband John (Jack) Eaves got rid of all photos and she was never spoken of again. I would love one day to see a photo of her or her Cattell family.