Mystery churches to identify

Hi. I'm new to the forum. I live in Peterborough but many of my family were from Coventry and the surrounding areas, including Foleshill, Wellesbourne, Stratford and Rugby. I'm hoping someone may be able to help me confirm whether a church in an old family wedding photo is or was located in Coventry. I'm pretty sure the man in the photos is my great-grandfather's brother, so confirming the location of the church would help me narrow down the possible father and two brides (at least I'm hoping he's the father else he twice married two ladies much younger than himself!). In the picture on the left, I'm sure the arch behind them and the buildings behind that are distinctive enough that anyone who knows them will know exactly where they are. In picture on the left, there's not much of the church to be seen, but you never know. Thanks in advance for looking. Jemma

The top picture looks a but like Chesford Grange and the wording seems to start with CH. It does not look exactly the same now as they had a fire there some time ago. The nearby Church of All Saints Leek Wootton seems to have a bit at the bottom of the wall like the second picture but I can't find one you can see more detail. Just a couple of ideas!! Edited by member, 12th Mar 2014 6:48 pm

Looks like steps leading up the arch, if that helps find where it is, can't make out the letters on the building in the background

Thanks so much to both of you for replying. I've had a look at Chesford Grange and it does look very similar, but the central apex in my photo seems to be lower than the left-hand apex, whereas they're a similar height in the current photos of Chesford Grange, and no church nearby. I do think it's a 'CH' at the beginning of the wording though, so something to work with.

I thought the CH might be the start of Charrington, the brewery. A pub is less romantic than Chesford Grange, I know! If you can tell us the names of the brides and the approximate dates of the marriages (and spouses' names perhaps), it might be possible to find the registration districts of the marriages on Ancestry. That could rule out some of the potential locations and narrow down the field.

Hi Primrose, thanks for the reply Pub or grange, I don't really mind if it means I can track them down! I've been a bit vague mainly because I don't want to narrow down the possibilities as I'm not 100% sure it is him, because the more I go back to the photos, the more I think they may be leaving a wedding rather than going into the wedding (particularly given the [surprising] number of people looking on in that first photo) and the more I wonder if the outfits in the background are a little too late for the 1920s. But, if it is my great-grandfather's older brother, Frederick Jelliffe Carter, and he does look remarkably like my great-grandfather, Arthur Carter, at the same age in the pic below, then the marriages would be of Caroline Mary Carter to Tom Reeve registered in Coventry in 1921 and Florence May Carter to Eric Marson registered in Coventry in September 1928. Thank you again - all help greatly appreciated as I hate having all these beautiful photos and not knowing to whom the faces belong :) Edited by member, 14th Mar 2014 2:11 pm

Hi BugJemm, Lovely photos, just a little detail I have noticed. If the bride was going in her face would be covered and her veil is lifted after the ceremony and as you can see her face they must be coming out. As I say just a little detail for what it is worth as it may help with the background view.

But if they were coming out wouldn't they be with the groom, unless that is the groom! I did notice that both brides have the same tiara. I agree dreamtime they are lovely photos but so frustrating for BugJemm with no names. A lesson to us all to put a little note on the back of our photos for the next generation. I wonder what will happen to all our digital images. The first picture also has a carpet they are about to step on which may suggest they are going in to somewhere.

I think they are going in somewhere. If it was the bride with her father, surely the congregation would already be inside the church and not waiting outside for the bride to arrive, even so I think it is a church due to the archway, very odd. Also noticed the man doesn't have a ring on his wedding finger, Edited by member, 14th Mar 2014 9:27 pm

Also had a thought that maybe the photo on the left, the bride may be someone famous, and the man may not be the father but just giving her away. So people have turned up to see her married. I'm still searching google

Could they be sisters, wearing the family tiara. A very good tip Anne with regard to signing the backs of photos, but then it would put all our expert forum sleuths out of business. Edited by member, 15th Mar 2014 12:28 am

Yes, Dreamtime, they do look at a bit like sisters but I think BugJemm may be right in thinking that it is later than the 1920's. I have a picture of my gran's second wedding in the early 1940's and she is wearing shoes just like the lady on the left, two tone, probably black and white! That archway confuses me as it does not look like a natural old arch. I think it is in a town and in a street with buildings on the other side of the road. It must be quite a big church or building as where they are walking up the paving slab path is quite wide with steps down to the road perhaps. There is also street lighting, perhaps some of our technical experts could date that. I can't also work out the dome shape in the top left corner, is it a separate building? Enough ramblings for now !

There's a similar "Turret" on this photograph of the "Chace" at Willenhall? The Chace, Willenhall

Hi all sorry to throw a spanner in the works but I`ve just looked at the wedding photo again with a stronger magnifying glass and the first three letters look like OMM or CMM I thought it looked like CH at first like everyone else but not so sure now

I'm wondering if the sign is curved and reads _ omm_____ What do you think? Commodore Inn ? Edited by member, 15th Mar 2014 10:41 pm