Gibo

Gibo was one of the original volunteers that established the new ROSE ("Residents of Spon End") community centre in 2010. For Gibo, “the centre is about trying to bridge the gap between the kids and the older generation and get a sense of community back" (in Coventry Telegraph, 2011). It seemed fitting, therefore, that Gibo would commence…

Colin Dick and Painting Spon End

As we walk, talk and listen to people's stories, we also try to listen to the traces that Spon End is leaving in different archives. The other day, I spent some time looking into a website that exists no more- Spon-Line. It is archived in the Coventry Archives of the Herbert Museum. The now non-existing, 'offline' website…

Avi

Avi, the new owner of the Synagogue on Barras Lane, was among the first Spon End residents we interviewed. We met on the last Sunday of July for a coffee at  MacDonald's in Alvis Park, named after the legendary factory that stood here once. It took a while to find out who the owner of…

Jewish Spon End

It is a little known fact that Spon End used to host a sizeable Jewish community. The only book written on Jewish history in Spon End is Harry Levine's The Jews of Coventry. The text, which is difficult to get hold of, was published by the Coventry Jewish Community at the centenary celebration of the…

Spon End at Night

Remember ever walking in Spon End late at night? Professor Nick Dunn, the author of the book Dark Matters: A Manifesto for the Nocturnal City, writes and comments on rediscovering the city at night. To reclaim some of what is being lost, I propose walking in the night. This is not the chest-beating, public declaration…

Then and Now

This post host a number of now and then photos to show how Spon End has changed over the decades. We will continue to update this post as the project progresses. Photos 1971 - 2018, 9 -14 Spon Street "The building under reconstruction (no. 9 Spon Street) was formerly located on 7 Much Park Street.…

Animals of Spon End

These pictures comprise a number of fellow travellers we met during our walks in Spon End. Feel free to contact us if you wish to share with us photos of your companions.

The G.E.C., Rudge & Whitworth and IKEA buildings

The now-demolished G.E.C. Factory on Crow Lane, Spon End, was built in the final decades of the 19th century. Before G.E.C. purchased the building in 1939, it was the home of the well-known Rudge & Whitworth Cycles company. The Coventry (Rudge) / Birmingham (Whitworth) -owned enterprise employed at its height over 1,800 people and was among the largest cycle…

The Chapel of St James and St Christopher

There is not much left of the chapel, which is believed to have been built in the late 14th century. Unlike many other religious buildings in Coventry, the chapel survived The Dissolution of the Monasteries (1536 - 1541), and was later turned into a private residence. The building's condition started to deteriorate as early as the…

Spon End, 1939-2018

The images below provide an aerial overview of how much Spon End's built environment has changed over the last few decades. Only the streets seem to suggest a level of continuity. And perhaps even that is questionable, as the Ring Road (A4053) cuts Spon Street and Holyhead Road into two with everyday consequences for people…