Priory Street, upper end

Right in front of the ruins of the Old Cathedral is Priory Street, shown here in 2024 - a scene that will look familiar to anyone who has visited our cathedrals or Coventry University on the right.
Clicking on the photo will reveal a rather different scene from 1912 when the pace of life was somewhat more relaxed. The railings on the left in 1912 surrounded St. Michael's, and the small gap in the railings was the entrance to St. Michael's Avenue, which we are facing in the second pair of photos of the avenue on this Now and Then page - now the position of the adjoining porch between the ruins and the new cathedral.

Opposite this on the right hand side of the road was New Street, which, although largely surviving the bombing in the war, unfortunately needed to be demolished to make way for the polytechnic (now the university) in the post war years.
Also on the right in the 1912 and the 2024 photograph is a large tree.... could this be the same one nearly 100 years on? If anyone knows, please enlighten me.

What would the view have been from New Street, looking towards St. Michael's church? See our Steven's website to find out.

Previous page: Priory Street, lower end

This page: Priory Street, upper end

Next page: Queen Victoria Road flood of 1900