Pool Meadow to the Priory

he first two conclusions I can draw from this artist's impression looking across the Pool Meadow area are; either the town planners were dreamy idealists.... or they were attempting to pull the wool over the eyes of the Coventry people! It certainly does look like a beautiful open area and would have made the town centre a pleasant place to go - even ironically including an ornamental pond in roughly the same place that the pool used to exist before 1830. (Giving "Pool" Meadow its name.)
However, let's consider some of the items that haven't been included in this ideal plan.... Firstly, Coventry would've been without a central bus station. In 2004 we were quite close to losing that facility again, but I believe a bus station near to the main shopping area is far preferable to scattering bus-stops around the town, or as the council planned at that time; - to have the buses congregate at the train station. I doubt if many would've been happy to lug their shopping all the way across Greyfriars Green and the Ring Road!

There also seems to be a lack of car parking facilities. Obviously this was not as big an issue in 1945, but within a decade or two cars were no longer a luxury only afforded by the rich. The plan appears to have done away with the ancient street "New Buildings" too, and not only that, but unforgivably, it doesn't show Fishy Moores! OK, I'm stretching the argument a bit now, but many Coventry folk have fond memories of eating there.

One feature of the artist's view above which does stand out is the unspoiled view of our three spires. The third spire (Christ Church) has been subtly drawn into the vista by the use of a large square "archway" leading into Hertford Street as a continuation of Trinity Street. Broadgate Island is just visible on the right but doesn't appear as large as it would eventually become in this early view.

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