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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

Post Office Excavations

January 1939

EXCAVATIONS ON POST OFFICE SITE

Lying at the rear of the Post Office sorting station is a piece of ground which might be called "No man's land." Bounded on the West with Grey Friars Lane, on the North with High Street, on the East with Little Park Street, and on the South with Cow Lane, it has lain idle for a long period and now is being included in large extensions taking place for the ever growing Post Office. At the present time about one eighth of an acre is being built upon, the buildings nearest being Masonic Hall, and Messrs. Waters Garage.

Some of this ground was once the site of the stables and coach houses of the old Stage Coach Station so well known as the "Craven Arms", but in the coaching time as the "White Bear Inn" for long kept by Mr. Dan Claridge; and another part, was once the garden, shedding and stable room of Mr. Warwick, a greengrocer, whose shop stood in Grey Friars Lane at the present entrance to the sorting office. At some time a very large stone building had stood on a part of this site running from the direction of Messrs. Waters Garage, but as no basements are being made, no dimensions can be arrived at. Near this wall was one of nine dung heaps found on this site. Most of the ground had in the 13-14th century been quarried for clay and sand and after-wards, as was usual, filled up with the dung from the cattle sheds, and out of this a number of boots of the period were found. One boot had a long narrow toe filled with hair betwixt the sole and upper. The leather, which was of calf skin, was as good as the day it was shaped. Another boot, perhaps a girl's, had the upper cut from one piece of leather, and folded over, being stitched at the side, and having a small piece of leather for a stiffening in the heel. The sole had had a heel grafted on, and again this boot was in excellent condition. Leather laces were also found near by. In another place a piece of a leather shield was discovered, and was decorated with embossed work, of St. Catherine's wheel. A number of pieces of pottery, jug handles, a part of a sauce vessel, which had three compartments in, and encaustic tiles of the same period. On the south side before coming to Cow Lane site is a garden, a part of which is to be built upon, once belonging to the "Kirby House." This garden once extended to the old Baptist Chapel, of George Eliot fame, built in 1793. On the demolition of Cow Lane a great deal of stone walling was found and I have often wondered if the Castle of Earl Ranulph and possibly of Earl Leofric and Countess Godiva stood here, where a part of the massive wall is yet to be seen beneath the chimney stack of "Kirby House." This wall ran for a great distance at the rear of the buildings, and a few stones yet bore the marks where some warrior had sharpened his axe or arrows. The diggings for the foundations of the Post Office concluded for the time being at the north side of this garden and the last thing to be found was a large stone wall with foundations 10ft. deep and what appeared to be a large entrance betwixt that wall and another large building of stone. If this was the castle it was destroyed in Stephen's time about 1141, and although nothing earlier than 13th to 14th century has been found as yet, time will tell what may be between these massive walls.

At a depth of about 6ft., four perfect wine flagons of the 17th century were found, one bearing a crest in a ring I.R.

I am expecting to find in about the centre of this garden the "Red Ditch" the first sewer of about the 13th cent. which ran to the Grey Friars, and was found in Union Street in 1825, where the Christ Church Parochial Rooms now stand.

On the ground now built upon, a large stone sewer was found and is thought to be a tributary to the "Red Ditch."

I would like to continue the story of this site, but it may be 12 months or more before other buildings are commenced.


 
 
 
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