Coventry Now & Then
n these pages, I have attempted to stand in the footprints of photographers who pictorially documented our City of Coventry many decades ago. Wherever possible, I have tried to recreate the same direction and perspective that is recorded in the original shots, so that a direct comparison can be made, between the views that we now recognise, and those seen by our ancestors.
For the benefit of those of you not familiar with all the places on these pages, I have placed links next to each Heading labelled Camera No. 1, 2, etc. Clicking these will reveal a map showing where each photograph was taken from. Clicking on the correspondingly numbered camera icon will return you to the page you came from. You may wish to use this map as an index to this "now and them" section, although unfortunately, a small number of places are outside the area covered by the map.
For those of you with JavaScript enabled on your computer, (most should be) I've made some of the photos a 2-in-1 picture. Some will require a mouse-click to fade-in and fade-out (like the one below) - others will change when the mouse is held over the image. I've explained which is necessary by each one.
Arts School, Ford Street. Camera No. 49
Many will be familiar with this view across the back of Pool Meadow, with Swanswell gate in the background. But as time rolls on, fewer people will remember that Ford Street once continued on from its crossroads with Cox Street, and joined with the junction of Hales Street and White Street.
Click the image to fade back in time to a 1911 scene, showing that in Ford Street there used to be an Arts School, which is the nearest building. Just beyond that with the small steeple is the Holy Trinity Church School, which forms the corner of Ford Street and Hales Street. Hidden from view behind the art school lies the old Fire Station, clearly visible in the 2006 photo.
To bring this place to life, you can read Liz Bayly's memories of attending the Art School on this page.
Broadgate Special Page | Engraved Coventry
This page last updated on 6th December 2009