Paynes Lane

Surprised we have no dedicated thread for Paynes Lane so thought I'd start one. Mods please move/amend as seemed fit but wanted to add this one from Paul Daly on FB. We've had similar before but not this exact image looking back towards Far Gosford pre-Sky Blue Way.

Excellent find, Neil. Remember it so well, as Lloyds on the corner was my first bank. You're quite right, it is surprising that Payne's Lane hasn't had its own thread in all these years. But.... it gets a whole host of mentions on the Forum, within shops, garages threads, Yardley, All Saints Lane, Binley Road, Gosford Green, Far Gosford Street, etc etc. So.... it is hoped that, before any questions are raised, members will use the "search" facility, just to see if the matter has previously been discussed. For example, I know that there are two pet shops in the row of four in the photo, but they've been mentioned in the past - so, I won't mention them again, here.

My son found this Coventry site with the 'Paynes Lane' post. We are the Payne family and I was told when I was a boy in the 1950's that Payne's Lane was named after my great grandfather who had the only cottage in that lane at the time. This is quite possible as my grandmother Payne lived in Hillfields originally which is just below Payne's Lane. The Payne family were very prominent in the city. There was Payne's electrical shops, Payne's newsagents and my grandmother Payne owned all of the street corner newspaper stands selling the Daily Telegraph. My father, Jack Payne, became a famous musical hall entertainer known as 'The Whistling Newsboy'. This was in the early 1930's.

'The Coventry Newsboy' has a mention on here.

Hi Gilfach, welcome to the forum Paynes Lane is there on the 1850 map and it was being filled with new houses on the west side. At the most northern end was Primrose Hill and a place called The Parsonage and the Lodge for Primrose Hill House. The building that became the Binley Oak PH (opposite East Street) was there but not really a cottage. One possible candidate is a small set of old buildings just opposite All Saints Lane. These seem to have been demolished to widen the road and there are pencil lines on the 1850 map to suggest it was already planned. South of those buildings look substantial later buildings with front gardens (which were also eaten by the road widening). Not sure if any of that was useful.

We've had other similar images from the era across the forum but this one is looking at bit more north than others at Paynes Lane west side. I think you can just make out the entrance to All Saints Lane.

My father was born in 14 Lansdowne Street, which was on the right just opposite All Saints Lane. This was the last one of a small row of "top shops” in that street and I often wondered why the row stopped when it did. The row was demolished and grandparents were shipped out to a flat in Deedmore Road in the mid-60s. Dad was 14 at the time of the 1940 blitz and was a messenger at the local AFS station - this eventually became Unit Sales, which is the white fronted building on the left.

matchle55 - you can just about see the junction with Lansdowne Street in this image shared some time ago by our member Covjb35. It’s one of my favourites. It’s the junction from Oxford Street looking at Paynes Lane and probably similar top shops to the ones you mention around the corner.

Neil, Yes a lot of memories here for me. When we used to visit said grandparents on a Saturday, the highlight was a trip to the faggot and pea batch shop in the picture. When my dad came back from the Pacific in 1946, he and my mother lived in a flat somewhere along this row and it was probably where I was conceived

In the 1911 census my great grandparents, along with my then 9 year old grandfather plus siblings, lived at 28 Paynes Lane. By the 1939 census they had moved to number 49. The 1955 directory shows one of my grandfather’s brothers Ade ran a cycle shop at number 30 (as previously mentioned on the Cycle Shops thread).

Would love to scan this image in high res and put it on Cov Dig.

It’s a great one, isn't it Ben. As mentioned it was posted on here some time ago by our member Covjb35 who took it. I don't think he has posted on here for a very long time though, sadly. Just checked - last post was 9 years ago. Hope he is OK. His contributions have been great. Looks like a film set.

Another cracking period shot has turned up on FB.

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