Whale's Chippy

Browsing the guest book I came upon the following entry from Josie Lisowski-Love (California), dated 2nd October 2009:- "THANK YOU! Your pages just keep getting better. I left in 1969 age 20 back only once in 1974. I have pix but need to look for them. My family 'Whale' on grandad's side owned a fish and chip shop up near the hospital (gone now?) Someone once said we had a part in Fishy Moores too but ?? I remember the Christman Pantos at the Hippodrome. I could spend all day here. Here and Google Earth!! Thank you once again. Josie" Well Josie, I don't know whether you will find this entry but if you do I hope you find it useful. The chippy you speak of was in Howard Street, I don't remember the number but I know that it was opposite number 76 and was just around the corner from the Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital. It was owned and run by Mr & Mrs Whale and their son Frank. I was only a child at the time (born 1939), but I remember they were a lovely family... very warm and friendly. I can remember that I used to go there for fish and chips, I would get a large piece of cod and a bag of chips for one shilling and tuppence (I think that's about six pence in decimal currency, if I went to buy the same today it would cost me about £5). I was born just around the corner in Jenner Street and lived there until I married in 1962. They had a very high wall right around their garden and used to grow prize dahlias and regularly competed with their blooms.

Hello & welcome Scribe Whilst we wait to see what replies arrive on this, whether this is relevant, but Nuneaton has a really good fish & chippy called "Wales" in Bond St. A forum member & I have feasted there. https://plus.google.com/110460327017198770692/about?gl=uk&hl=en ps Thank you MR for your correction. Brill!

Hello PhilipInCoventry (and MidlandRed) The chippy that I referred to in Howard Street was of the 'mammal' variety not the 'geographical' sort I know that this is 'off topic' Philip, but I notice that you are in Holbrooks. This reminded me that I used to go to a Barber Shop (Fred Thompson) on Holbrook Lane some 55 years or so back for a trim and 'a little something for the weekend'! I had a look on Google Maps and see that the shop is still there on the bridge between Holbrook Lane and Lockhurst Lane, but is now called 'Tobias Barber Shop'. In those days I used to work as a Displayman for Imperial Tobacco, and used to build a new tobacco advertising display in Fred's window every six weeks. Sorry, I had better stop before I digress any further... so easy to do on such a wonderful site as this one

In the television archives there may still be the clip of the family being interviewed when they refused to move from Howard Street when they were served with a notice to quit order.

Thanks for that Harrier. Do you have any idea of when this was? I left Coventry in 1969 and have little idea of the things that happened after I left other than the total destruction of the city centre (the one carried out by the planning dept that is, not Hitler).

It must have been either 50 or 51 years ago, almost certainly one of those years. There certainly was a media interest in the events because Mr Whale could be less than agreeable in such circumstances if he wanted to be!! And does any know of the bookies a bit further down Howard Street. It operated from a prefab type building on a piece of 'waste' land where the bookmaker used to have a house before it was bombed. Before the house was flattened the bookie operated from a counter in the front room of a house in Harnell Lane opposite the bus depot.

I seem to remember that my dad used to send me on errands to that bookies when I was about 8 or 9!!! From memory it was towards the Springfield Road end of Howard Street, a little way past Mrs. Long's sweet shop and on the opposite side. I think it was close to where two brothers lived... Alfie & Ernie Collins.