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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. Coventry Volunteer Fire Brigade - Illustrated London News, Jan 4th 1862
13. The Great Flood of December 1900, and the lost Bridges, by Damien Kimberley
14. Coventry's Great Flood - London Daily Graphic, 2nd January 1901
15. New Drinking Fountain at Coventry - 17 Sep 1859
16. Henry Cave, and the 'Lady' Autocar of 1899, by Damien Kimberley
17. The Lion Bicycle Company of Coventry & Wolverhampton 1877-1882, by Damien Kimberley
18. The Beech on Wheels, by Derek Robinson and forum member Foxcote
19. Phil Silvers Archival Museum, by Paul Maddocks
20. Transport Museum pt.3 - Creating the Blitz Experience, by Paul Maddocks
21. What links a Spitfire's landing gear to a baby buggy? by Paul Maddocks
22. The sound that almost killed my Dad in the War!, by Paul Maddocks
23. D-Day and Monty's Staff Car, by Paul Maddocks
24. Transport Museum pt.2 - New Hales Street Entrance in 1985, by Paul Maddocks
25. Transport Museum pt.1 - How the Queen's 1977 visit sowed the seed, by Paul Maddocks
26. What links R2D2 to a Coventry Hydrogen/Electric cab company? by Paul Maddocks
27. Transport Museum pt.6 - The Royal Cars, by Paul Maddocks
28. Transport Museum pt.5 - The 1987 F.A. Cup Winners' Sky Blue Bus, by Paul Maddocks
29. The Tapestry and its Hidden Secret, by Paul Maddocks
30. Transport Museum pt.4 - Coventry's Land Speed Record Cars, by Paul Maddocks
31. Whitefriars Gatehouse and Toy Museum, by Paul Maddocks
32. WW1 and Wyley of Charterhouse, by Paul Maddocks
33. Miss Bashford, a Teacher's Tale, by Simon Shaw
34. Motor Panels (Coventry) Ltd, by Damien Kimberley
35. Not Forgotten, the 1939 IRA bomb attack, by Simon Shaw
36. Let's talk about Rex, by Damien Kimberley
37. Coventry, the Silk Trade and the Horsfall family, by Ian West
38. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards - Part 1
39. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards - Part 2
40. The Saint Joseph the Worker parish in Coventry, by Terence Richards - Part 3
41. A brief history of Saint Osburg's, in pictures, by Damien Kimberley
42. The First Tudor Feast, by Richard Ball
43. 1930s Austin's Monthly Magazine articles, by John Bailey Shelton MBE
44. 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

Cow Lane Site Excavations

August 1937

COW LANE SITE

Cow Lane is mentioned in history books of Coventry less than any other lane or street I know. It could not have been looked upon as an important lane. Its name denotes the use it was put to, viz., for the driving of cattle to the Cheylesmore Park. From about 1550 until 1788 this park was used for pasturing cattle, and many were the poor men or cow keepers who had one or more cows kept up his yard at the back of his house. In 1850 there were 39 cow keepers in Coventry, one only in Cow Lane, named W. Taylor, and strange as it may be, I have a token with the name "Taylor, Cow Lane," on it, and it appears to be a man carrying a vessel, possibly containing milk.

There were also 17 farmers in 1850, living in Coventry, making a total of 56 people who kept cows in the town. In 1874 there were 30 cow keepers, and Cow Lane is again mentioned once, this time a cow keeper named Thomas Reynolds, possibly of the family of Reynolds living in Little Park Street forty years ago. Only about 11 farmers were at this time living in Coventry, making a total of 41 cow keepers."

Coming again to 1550, we have a very interesting tablet in St. Mary's Hall recording a charity to the poor cow and horse keepers, by the Earl of Warwick, later Duke of Northumberland who was beheaded on Tower Hill on 22nd August, 1553, for proclaiming Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England. It is to the effect that the Cheylesmore Park was leased to the Corporation of Coventry for 99 years on condition that the 80 poor cow keepers of Coventry should be able to turn a cow into the park for the sum of 1d. per week, and 20 poor horse keepers one horse each for 2d. per week. In consequence of the Duke losing his head, his son Robert, Earl of Leicester, obtained a grant from Queen Elizabeth in 1568 to hold the park in fee farm for ever, and the same number of cattle be pastured. The "for ever" in this case is like many other cases, it soon ends, for after about 60 years it passed to Henry, Prince of Wales, the son of James the First, as belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall. In 1620 however Prince Charles, later Charles the First, granted a lease to the City for 21 years, with the privilege of pasturing the usual number of cattle, to complete the 99 years. In 1659 the park came to the Commonwealth, but on the restoration of Charles the Second to the throne, he passed the park away from the City to Sir Robert Townsend, probably as a punishment for refusing his father entrance to the city in 1642. In 1690 Sir Robert permitted the inhabitants to pasture for three months of the year at 4d. per week for a horse, and 2d. per week for a cow. This went on until 1730, when it again came to the Corporation, and Freemen of the City were allowed to pasture. From 1740 until 1788 the pasturing was let half-yearly at a charge from May Day until Michaelmas of 6/- for a cow, and 8/- for a horse, and from Michaelmas until May Day 4/- for a cow and 6/-for a horse.

Note: This article was repeated in the next edition of April 1938.


 
 
 
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