South Street - Schools and Topshops

Thanks Dreamtime these photo`s just fell right for me, I can still remember my mum dragging me up that street to school (I hated it)

It looks worse than it was but all those houses bit the dust in the late 60s early 70s. I would say they weren't far off when that photo was taken judging by the boarded up houses. Thinking about it I think they just left the houses to rot after the war, there loads of bomb sites around that area, that's one next to the two storey building at the end of the road so it more than likely blew all the windows out and nobody bothered replacing the ones in the top shops. My mate lived in one of those houses for five years yet in all that time never went into the top floor as it was sealed off. I recall my dad on about the promised renovations but it never happened, they were more bothered about the city centre and cathedral yet a five minutes walk away you had slums but visitors didn't see that side of Coventry

It's uncanny to think my father went to South Street School all those years ago. I was wondering what that building in South Street was before it became the Disabled Children's Service as it is now.

Hi DT you`ve got me there now I thought It was still Southfields School

Morning Mickw, I have just checked again and on the OLD building, the sign says Children's Social Care, Referral & Assessment Service, and also a large sign with a big arrow pointing to Southgate Primary further up South Street. The car park is full.

Hi D.T. thanks for that well at least the planners have found a use for an old building instead of just bulldozing it which is rare these days

I see mattash remembers Mr French as do I. One day I was desperate to go to the loo, the teacher who was Miss or Mrs Butler eventually let me leave the room after several requests. I ran up the corridor to the toilet only to bump into Mr French, who was coming round the corner, who promptly grabbed me by the arm, slapped me on the backside saying "don't run in the corridors" and walked off, no explanation asked for at all, which resulted in me wetting myself. I've hated that man from that day to this, funny how things stick in the mind even after 50 years

Another picture which says South Street School from Read Street

Hi Annewiggy, you're spot on, this is a side view of Southfields School. I remember we used to play in that house on the left, it had no floors at all, just a shell, no window frames, we used to get in through the hole where the man is standing, it was a very strange building, it had no doorways either, that hole was the only way in. You can see the front of the house in your other photo looking down Little South Street where you can see it has no window frames

Similar aspect, taken this morning

Hi mattash, I also went to Southfields around the time you did. I loved it. My first teacher's name was Mrs Arkinson? The boy you mentioned from the pub, was his name Wayne? :)

Hello & welcome to you, 10net22 Thank you for your post & your recollections. The fears about walking the streets at certain times are well founded as I am sure many of our members will testify too. I avoid late evening public transport if on my own. This evening is a case in point, where my vision is playing me up, so I dare not drive & am therefore staying in.