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1. Sixty Years of Cycling - 1897 magazine article
2. The Arno Motor Company of Coventry 1908-1916, by Damien Kimberley
3. The New Bablake Schools - 1889 article
4. Public Baths - The Building News, Jan 24th 1896
5. A short history of Coventry's Theatres and Cinemas, by Bill Birch
6. The Brough Superior, by Damien Kimberley
7. Proposal for St. Michael's Campanile c1890
8. Coventry's Rich Heritage, by Pete Walters
9. Coventry, the Home of the Cycle Trade - 1886 magazine article
10. The Dragoon Cycle Company of Coventry, by Damien Kimberley
11. Edwin Brown, Victorian Animal Artist, by Stephen Catton
12. The Old Vicarage, Binley, by Anna Eddleston
13. Coventry Volunteer Fire Brigade - Illustrated London News, Jan 4th 1862
14. The Great Flood of December 1900, and the lost Bridges, by Damien Kimberley
15. Coventry's Great Flood - London Daily Graphic, 2nd January 1901
16. New Drinking Fountain at Coventry - 17 Sep 1859
17. Henry Cave, and the 'Lady' Autocar of 1899, by Damien Kimberley
18. The Ira Aldridge Trail, by Simon Shaw
19. The Lion Bicycle Company of Coventry & Wolverhampton 1877-1882, by Damien Kimberley
20. The Beech on Wheels, by Derek Robinson and forum member Foxcote
21. Phil Silvers Archival Museum, by Paul Maddocks
22. Transport Museum pt.3 - Creating the Blitz Experience, by Paul Maddocks
23. What links a Spitfire's landing gear to a baby buggy? by Paul Maddocks
24. The sound that almost killed my Dad in the War!, by Paul Maddocks
25. D-Day and Monty's Staff Car, by Paul Maddocks
26. Transport Museum pt.2 - New Hales Street Entrance in 1985, by Paul Maddocks
27. Transport Museum pt.1 - How the Queen's 1977 visit sowed the seed, by Paul Maddocks
28. What links R2D2 to a Coventry Hydrogen/Electric cab company? by Paul Maddocks
29. Transport Museum pt.6 - The Royal Cars, by Paul Maddocks
30. Transport Museum pt.5 - The 1987 F.A. Cup Winners' Sky Blue Bus, by Paul Maddocks
31. The Tapestry and its Hidden Secret, by Paul Maddocks
32. Transport Museum pt.4 - Coventry's Land Speed Record Cars, by Paul Maddocks
33. Whitefriars Gatehouse and Toy Museum, by Paul Maddocks
34. WW1 and Wyley of Charterhouse, by Paul Maddocks
35. Miss Bashford, a Teacher's Tale, by Simon Shaw
36. Motor Panels (Coventry) Ltd, by Damien Kimberley
37. Not Forgotten, the 1939 IRA bomb attack, by Simon Shaw
38. Let's talk about Rex, by Damien Kimberley
39. Coventry, the Silk Trade and the Horsfall family, by Ian West
40. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards
41. A brief history of Saint Osburg's, in pictures, by Damien Kimberley
42. Trinity National Schools - Civil Engineer and Architect's Journal, Vol.XVII, 1854
43. The First Tudor Feast, by Richard Ball
44. 1930s Austin's Monthly Magazine articles, by John Bailey Shelton MBE
45. Plan for the City Centre - The Architect and Building News, 21st March 1941
 

1930s Austin's Monthly Magazine articles, by John Bailey Shelton MBE

as originally published in Austin's Monthly Magazine from November 1832 to June 1939

Compiled and transcribed by R. W. Orland, 2005

I'm sincerely grateful to the Shelton family for their kind permission and encouragement to publish these works.

J. B. Shelton's post-war book A Night in Little Park Street can be viewed here (in PDF format).

Contents

Display ALL articles

Date:Subjects covered:

1932

NovGosford Gate
DecCo-op Site, West Orchard

1933

JanWest Orchard, Bridge etc.
FebBroadgate Excavations
MarBroadgate Excavations
AprBroadgate Excavations
MayBlack Bull Inn, Pepper Lane
JunBlack Bull Inn
JulCox Street - River Excavations
AugCox Street - River Excavations
SepCox Street - River Excavations
OctCox Street - River Excavations
NovCox Street - River Excavations
DecPark Side Excavations

1934

JanPark Side Excavations
FebBurges Excavations
MarBenedictine Site Excavations
AprBenedictine Site Excavations
MayBenedictine Site Excavations
JunBenedictine Site Excavations
JulCoventry Castle
AugBenedictine Site, Palmer Lane Guest House
SepBenedictine Site, Wooden Bridge
OctAntiquities Exhibition at the Drill Hall
NovWell Street Excavations
DecPriory Pool & Mills

1935

JanPriory Pool & DIstrict
FebNew Buildings, Tower Foundations
MarCity Wall, Cook Street Gate, Plumb House
AprPriory Tower
MayPriory Tower, Gulson Road, Round Tower, New Gate Foundations
JunBroad Well, Burges Ford, Palmer Lane
JulWhite Friars
AugMeeting House, Smithford Street
SepMeeting House, Smithford Street
OctMeeting House, Smithford Street, St. John's Hospital Excavations
NovSt. John's Hospital, Barracks Square, Black Bull Inn
DecBarracks Square, Black Bull Inn

1936

JanBarracks Square, Black Bull Inn
FebButcher Row
MarButcher Row
AprButcher Row
MayButcher Row
JunOwen Owen's Site
JulOwen Owen's Site
AugOwen Owen's Site
SepOwen Owen's Site
OctTrinity Street
NovTrinity Street
DecTrinity Street

1937

JanBenedictine Museum
FebPool Meadow to Priory Street
MarPool Meadow to Priory Street
AprPool Meadow to Priory Street Excavations
MayBull Ring, Pottery Kiln, Hippodrome
JunHippodrome, Rex Cinema
JulBablake Excavations
AugCow Lane Site Excavations

1938

MayRex Site, Trinity Street
JulBroadgate Excavations
SepBablake Excavations, Co-op Site, West Orchard
OctTrinity Street, Bull Ring
NovSt. Mary's Cathedral Site, Bull Ring
DecSt. Mary's Cathedral Site, Bull Ring

1939

JanPost Office Excavations
FebSt. Mary's Cathedral Site
MarArt Gallery and Museum
AprArt Gallery and Museum
MayArt Gallery and Museum
JunBablake Excavations

St. John's Hospital, Barracks Square, Black Bull Inn

November 1935

EXCAVATIONS ON SITE OF ST. JOHN'S HOSPITAL

One important discovery was not mentioned in my article last month. At a depth of 10 feet a large quantity of oak beams and planks were found, morticed together, and at that time (about two years ago) I thought it may have been part of foundations for a building or a bridge, but since finding the wooden ford in the river near the Burges, mentioned a few months ago, I believe this to be a part of the same roadway. Did this roadway lead to the quarries of Broadgate, or a quarry discovered beneath the old cellars of Messrs. Caldicott & Feltham at the top of Palmer Lane ? or is it a part of the roadway discovered in 1818 in Broad-gate, at a depth or 8 feet, which at that time was stated to be a Roman road ? In fact a coin of Nero was found there, and also a small figure supposed to be Roman.

BARRACKS SQUARE

BLACK BULL INN

This site was once a large valley, and part of the Poddy Croft. Across it once ran the City Wall in a direct line from Grey Friars Gate at the bottom of Warwick Lane to Spon Gate near the Bablake or St. John's Church. The wall was discovered in the gateway leading into the Square, and in digging for the New Market a quantity of stone was discovered just outside the hoardings, which I believe to be a small tower of the wall shown on Speed's map of 1610, which tower gave a right of road to the Bull Inn. As it is two and a half years since I wrote the story of the Bull Inn, may I repeat myself for the benefit of any new readers? This Inn stood in Smithford Street, and a record in picture is to be seen. Its site was where Woolworths now stands. The old barracks was built on the site in 1793. In 1485 Henry the Seventh visited the Inn with part of his army on his return from Bosworth Field, where he was conqueror over Richard the Third. At that time Robert Olney held the Inn, being Mayor part of 1484-5, and after presenting King Henry with £100 he was knighted. This Robert Olney was also Mayor in 1474. In 1569 Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned at the Bull Inn for two months. In 1642 the Earl of Northampton had to escape through the back doorway of the Inn when he found the Cromwellians held Coventry. The Gunpowder Plotters paid a visit also on November 4th, and hoped to have captured the Princess Elizabeth, who as a girl of 10 years was being educated at Coombe Abbey, by Lord Harrington. The story runs thus:

Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of James I., was well known to the plotters as being educated under Lord Harrington at Coombe Abbey. On Nov. 4th, 1605, there arrived at the Bull Inn one named Wyntour, and two brothers Lyttleton, along with about two more. Their plan was to meet as though for the purpose of hunting at Dunsmore Heath, where in the quiet of the country they might secretly make their way across Stretton towards Coombe, and knowing Coombe was not fortified, there was little to stop their plan, which was to take the Princess to Ashby St. Ledgers, where Catesby's mother lived, and there she was to be married to a Catholic, and then placed on the throne as Queen.


 
 
 
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