Three Tuns Garage, White Street

After the war my late grandfather, Richard (Dick) Twigger of Raleigh Road built and ran The Three Tuns Garage on White Street. I'm presuming on the bomb-site of The Three Tuns pub? He bought and sold cars, vans and motorbikes and used to hold motor auctions on Saturday mornings. We have no photographs of the premises which were sold on sometime in the late fifties and I wondered if anyone has any photos or other memories of the garage.

Welcome to the forum Tim The Three Tuns pub was in Warwick Row and was never bombed. To the best of my knowledge the garage in White Street was always known as "The Swanswell Garage"

Hi Dutchman Thank you for posting that photo. One of those shops "Marcia Gowns" was my mums. The Ford parked next to the lamppost on the left was her car. She did not park it outside her shop as that was where there was a No9 bus stop. I only discovered the registration number of my mums car this year. Next to my mums shop was Tuckers school wear, which she also had an interests in. People in business often did that. ps Thank you for welcoming Tim. Hi Tim.

Three Tuns Garage, White Street, tel. 62086 - 1954 Telephone Directory Swanswell Garage, White Street, tel. 62086 - 1957 Telephone Directory

Thanks for that. I've consulted my father a bit more and he tells me the garage was in fact built on the site of a doctor's house but has no idea where the 'Three Tuns' name came from. Perhaps that's where the idea was concocted over a few pints!! The telephone directory entries are really interesting, apparently my grandfather was originally in partnership with a chap named Payne who eventually bought the business out in the fifties and changed the name. It seems then that the Swanswell Garage was the successor to The Three Tuns. As a point of interest I still have my grandfather's last car, a 1961 Morris Minor still with original Coventry registration number, purchased by him in 1964 from the Parkside Garage Ltd, it's fully operational and on the road but only when it's sunny.

I suspect that was Charles Payne who owned a number of TV, radio and music shops in the area. A planning application dated 1955 shows the name of the garage had already changed by then. Edited by member, 28th May 2014 3:41 pm

When I was at art college in Ford St in the mid 60s Swanswell Garage was directly opposite. I think my dad was one of their best customers

I think you'll find that was Swan Lane Garage Matchle55. Swanswell Garage was on the corner of Wheatley Street

Yes, Swan Lane Garage listed at 10 Ford Street

Thank you for all the information and the kind welcome. Upon consulting my father a bit more he tells me the following. His father did indeed set up the business with 'Charlie Payne' whose son also worked there. The big building at the rear was a flour mill and the building next to the garage that has 'Optician' on it was originally part of the garage, being a showroom. The garage premises extended up the side of the showroom and round into a back yard where they used to hold motor auctions on a Saturday morning. I have also unearthed the remains of an old invoice book!

I was brought up in the area mentioned, I cannot recall it being called Three Tuns. So that's something else I have learned from this forum.

My guess is that even if the official name was The Three Tuns, most people will have referred to it as "The Swanswell Garage" due to its close proximity to the Swanswell. I'm still baffled as to where the original name came from as it's indelibly linked with the brewing trade yet I'm unable to find any record of a pub in that immediate area.

It maybe they moved there after being based nr Three Tuns pub originally, or they may have had 2 premises with the same name. As present Ace Garage off the Radford Road are also in Earlsdon - just a thought

Woops,

It could well have been in the yard behind the Three Tuns. The pub had a vehicle entrance at the front and large collection of outbuildings at the rear, some of which had previously been stables.