W.R. Barnett and W.H. Watts – Then & Now
This row of Warwick Road properties has undergone so many alterations and demolitions that there aren’t very many clues as to which are their modern day counterparts. However, from similar…
32 Warwick Road Demolition – Then & Now
This Then & Now image shows the demolition the frontage of what is now numbered 30 Warwick Road. As We will see in subsequent Then & Nows, this work was…
Boots the Chemist, Warwick Road – Then & Now
This Then & Now pairing shows Boots the Chemist on Warwick Road, some time in the early 1960s and its modern day equivalent location. This grand old double bay windowed…
December 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - December 2017 Newsletter » Last Month: Dr John Hunt on Warriors, Warlords and Saints – themes in Mercian history. Solid stuff, full of meat and excellent in…
Abbey Hill – Then & Now
This Then & Now image is taken from Upper Rosemary Hill and shows the Abbey Hotel which stands at the junction of Priory Road, Abbey Hill and Rosemary Hill. Very…
Cumnor House – Then & Now
This then & now pairing shows an etching of the grand property named Cumnor House, which sits opposite the War Memorial at 17 - 19 Abbey Hill, along with a…
The Blacklow Hill Dig – Part Four
When we left Part Three of this Blacklow Hill ‘From the Archives’ feature it was June 1972 ad the dig had concluded but the official report remained unpublished. The extent to…
The Blacklow Hill Dig – Part Three
When we left the story in Part 2 of this mini-series, the dig team were coming to terms with the scale and importance of the discoveries on Blacklow Hill, and…
November 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - November 2017 Newsletter » Last Month: Robin Leach gave The Complete History of Abbey Fields to what was almost a capacity house. He aroused a great…
KHAS Meeting on Monday November 13th
Dear KHAS Member, Just a reminder that there will be a KHAS meeting on Monday November 13th at 7.45pm, in the Senior Citizens' Club at Abbey End. Dr. John Hunt will be speaking to us…
The Blacklow Hill Dig – Part Two
When we left the story in Part 1 of this mini-series, the Society was grappling with the somewhat underwhelming task of digging and recording a bit of a backwater site…
The Blacklow Hill Dig – Part One
Introduction – The Importance of Blacklow Hill What follows is part one of four of the remarkable story of how KHAS came to be involved in the discovery of stunning…
Warwickshire Hunt – Then & Now
This pair of then & now photos show a once familiar scene when the Warwickshire Hunt gathered for its traditional Boxing Day meeting in the car park of Kenilworth Castle.…
Postcard of The Square & Clock Tower – Then & Now
This postcard of The Square can be dated between 1906 when the clock tower was constructed and the 1930s when alterations were made to the buildings comprising Numbers 1 &…
Two Forthcoming Events
Dear KHAS Member, I give below details of two events which are being held in the locality during October. First of all, I have been asked to draw to your…
October 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - October 2017 Newsletter » Last Month: Norman Madden recounted the fate of some of the Elizabethan recusants and their supportive priests, particularly those associated with Baddesley…
Tannery Gates, Warwick Road, early 1965 – Then & Now
Pictures of the gates of the old Tannery on Warwick Road, where Talisman Square now stands, are relatively few and far between. This one was taken in early 1965 by…
Randall Road Junction, 1971 – Then & Now
Here we see yet another Then & Now pairing which illustrates the scale of the demolition along Warwick Road in the 1960s and 1970s. This scene shows a row of…
Post Office, 1969 – Then & Now
This then & now pair shows the old Post Office building on the corner of Barrow Road and Warwick Road in 1969, shortly before its demolition, taken by John Drew…
Free Talks at Kenilworth Library this Autumn
Here is a copy of a poster advertising the series of free talks on Historic Kenilworth available at Kenilworth Library this autumn. Tickets are available on www.eventbrite.co.uk or in the library:
Mr Hughes’ Bakery, St John’s – Then & Now
The postcard above shows an undated view of Mr J. Hughes’ bakery, opposite St John’s church, with the proprietor and presumably his son and daughter in the doorway. A horse…
King’s Head Sign, Then & Now
For a number of years the location of the former King’s Head pub, known to have existed from licensing records, was lost to us. All that changed with an intriguing…
September 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - September 2017 Newsletter » Last Meeting in June, Jan Cooper: “The Footsteps of the White Monks”. A comprehensive and interesting account of the Cistercian Order…
Fairview, July 1964 – Then & Now
Younger readers may be unaware that a row of houses, named Fairview, once stood where the entrance of the Sainsbury’s carpark now lies. This ‘then’ photo was taken in July…
Old Vicarage & Tithe Barn – High Street
This famous old postcard shows the demolition of the old Old Vicarage, in preparation for the building of the Parochial Hall. The vicar of St Nicholas’ Church, to which the…
Cars Parked at Abbey End – Then & Now
This then and now pair shows a snowy Abbey End as it appeared in the 1960s, still unoccupied since the rubble was cleared away from the destruction of the parachute…
Little Virginia Cottage – Then & Now
This pair of Then & Now photos shows just how poor the state of repair of the cottages in Little Virginia had become by the late 1960s and early 1970s.…
151, 153 & 155 Warwick Road, 1964 – Then & Now
The narrative of this then & now post will be familiar to regular readers. This mid 1960s photo shows a row of brick cottages that comprised 151, 153 & 155…
NatWest Bank – Then & Now
This week’s Then & Now comparison is provided by two local guest contributors who worked in Kenilworth’s NatWest Bank branch before it closed on the 13th of June 2017. The…
High Street Children – Then & Now
This Then & Now pair of photos shows a group of children posing for the camera at the junction of High Street, New Street, Bridge Street and Fieldgate Lane. The…
86 Warwick Road – Then & Now
Had it not been for the fact that the mid-1960s ‘then’ photo above was labelled as ‘86 Warwick Road’, it would have been very difficult to identify the ‘now’ equivalent.…
Castle Hill & New Row – Then & Now
This undated postcard shows Castle Hill and Little Virginia, with the keep of Kenilworth Castle looming behind. An abundance of foliage has sprung up in the intervening years which means…
KHAS Evening Walkabout on Monday July 10th
Dear KHAS Member, This is a slightly earlier than usual reminder that there will be a KHAS evening walkabout on Monday July 10th. Sue Martin's information about the event, as published in…
17 – 23 Warwick Road, 1964 – Then & Now
If you were to gather together all of the timber framed and thatched properties demolished in Kenilworth from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s you could build yourself a very pretty,…
The Swimming Pool, Abbey Fields – Then & Now
This week's Then & Now comparison comes from our guest contributor, the esteemed local historian Robin Leach. Robin has written numerous books on the history of Kenilworth, maintains two websites on…
Castle Green Chapel of Ease – Then & Now
This then & now pairing shows a 1960s view of numbers 12 and 13 Castle Green, the origins of which have been the source of much speculation in recent years.…
Old Cob House, Fieldgate Lane – Then & Now
This rustic looking mid-1960s scene is an image of Fieldgate Lane at the junction of Fancott Drive. The ‘then’ photo was captioned as ‘Old Cob Building’ which relates to the…
June 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - June 2017 Newsletter Guide Books Richard Morris was an inveterate collector of guide books, particularly of places of architectural note. Jenny has so many of…
The Red Lion – Then & Now
This Then & Now pairing shows the High Street in the mid 1960s looking down towards the direction of New Street. The scene is gratifyingly unchanged today, although the red…
Members Only Outings – July 10th & August 19th
Members Only Outings - A reminder that our July and August meetings will comprise a local walk about and an outing further afield respectively: Bridge Street Walkabout - Monday 10th July For our July…
Festival of Archaeology and Heritage Open Days, 2017
A quick reminder of two forthcoming events for the CBA's Festival of Archaeology and Heritage Open Days, 2017: Sunday 30th July 2017 - Free guided walk of the ruins of the Abbey…
Little Chase Cottage – Then, Then & Now
In March 2017 we posted a Then & Now image showing Little Chase Cottage on Clinton Lane featuring a 1960s colour photo, presumably taken by KHAS member Rob Steward. In…
Waverley Road – Then & Now
Not all Then & Now articles relate to dramatic changes or destruction and reconstruction. This Then & Now comparison shows a Waverley Road of the 1960s that is immediately familiar…
The West Side of The Square – Then & Now
This mid-1960s image shows a rank of shops on the west side of The Square, opposite the clock tower, which survived the blitz and look remarkably unchanged today. A lost…
The Square from Warwick Road – Then & Now
This scene of Warwick Road and The Square is much like many other postcards of the scene from the era. It does however show The Square before the Clock Tower…
May 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - May 2017 Newsletter Guide Books Richard Morris was an inveterate collector of guide books, particularly of places of architectural note. Jenny has so many of…
KHAS Meeting on Monday May 8th
Dear KHAS Member, Just a reminder that there will be a KHAS meeting on Monday May 8th at 7.45pm, in the Senior Citizens' Club at Abbey End. Mathew Morris will be speaking to us…
Kenilworth Station Platforms – Then & Now
This is a timely Then & Now pairing, insofar as Kenilworth, which has been without a station since the old station was shut in the 1960s, is at last making…
Randall Road Junction – Then & Now
This Then & Now pairing shows the junction of Randall Road and Warwick Road, taken from the niche where the estate agents opposite is a little bit set back from…
St John’s – Then & Now
This sedate looking scene of the St John’s end of town shows a horse and cart heading towards the direction of Warwick, watched over by an elderly gentleman in a…
April 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - April 2017 Newsletter Guide Books Richard Morris was an inveterate collector of guide books, particularly of places of architectural note. Jenny has so many…
Abbey ‘Barn’ Museum Reopens This Weekend
A reminder that Kenilworth’s Abbey Museum and Heritage Centre, at The Barn, Abbey Fields, will re-open for the 2017 season on Easter Sunday 16th and Easter Monday 17th April from…
Lord Leycester’s Lodge – Then & Now
Possibly the saddest casualty of the November 1941 Luftwaffe parachute mine, after the tragic loss of life itself of course, was the wonderful property at 1 Borrowell Lane known as…
Poundland – Then & Now
The chipping away of pre-20th Century buildings on Warwick Road during the last 75 years has left us with numerous Then & Now examples such as this one. Listed building…
KHAS Meeting on Monday April 10th
Dear KHAS Member, A slightly earlier than usual reminder that there will be a KHAS meeting on Monday April 10th at 7.45pm, in the Senior Citizens' Club at Abbey End. Dr. Sylvia Pinches will be…
Healey on Tour talk
Kenilworth Library has asked us to let our members know about their forthcoming free talk Healey on Tour on Saturday 29th April at 10:30am - 11:30am:
The Clock Tower – Then & Now
This unusual postcard, dated 1906, shows the clock tower in The Square during its construction. The scaffolding and hoardings are still in place, the stonework appears to have been completed…
Talisman Square Plans – Then & Now
The ‘then’ image above shows a photo of the somewhat tattered billboard that stood at the entrance to Talisman Square as it was being built in 1965. It can clearly…
Hyde Road – Then & Now
This Then & Now pairing shows the open land now occupied by Hyde Road. The ‘then’ photo shows what looks like an idyllic view across the fields, over the mill…
March 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - March 2017 Newsletter Guide Books Richard Morris was an inveterate collector of guide books, particularly of places of architectural note. Jenny has so many of…
Drovers Inn – Then & Now
This property, which hugs the bend of Clinton Lane opposite the entrance to Avenue Road, was once an inn. As Robin Leach records on his Victorian Kenilworth website it was…
Details of Forthcoming Events
The Abbey 'Barn' Museum Kenilworth’s Abbey Museum and Heritage Centre, at The Barn, Abbey Fields, will re-open for the 2017 season on Easter Sunday 16th and Easter Monday 17th April…
Little Chase Cottage – Then & Now
Little Chase Cottage, and its partner Chase Cottage (out of shot, left) are welcome survivors from the pre-conservation era of demolition and modernisation in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that…
The Old Cottage, Clinton Lane – Then & Now
Time and time again in these Then & Now images, we see how the push for modernity in the 1950s, 60s and 70s swept away old properties of historic value…
AGM
February 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - February 2017 Newsletter Guide Books Richard Morris was an inveterate collector of guide books, particularly of places of architectural note. Jenny has so many…
Bridge Street from Kenilworth Hall – Then & Now
This slightly sinister looking scene shows Bridge Street, presumably taken from Kenilworth Hall. The ‘then’ photo shows what might conceivably be a local bobby peering suspiciously round a gas lamp…
KHAS AGM on February 13th
Dear KHAS Member, Just to remind you that the Society will be holding its Annual General Meeting on Monday February 13th at 7.45pm in the Senior Citizens' Club at Abbey…
Abbey Fields & St Nicholas’ Church – Then & Now
One thing that is apparent when trying to recreate Then & Now pictures is how much leafier today’s scenes are than those of yesteryear. Sometimes it’s difficult to match the exact vantage…
3D Model of Kenilworth Castle – Leicester’s Stables
As we reported recently, for a number of years a KHAS member has been researching and creating a virtual 3D model of Kenilworth Castle as it might have been in 1645. Here…
Work to begin on Kenilworth Abbey Gatehouse
The Abbey Gatehouse, sometimes known as the Tantara gatehouse, is one of the few surviving parts of the Abbey to still exist above ground and has the added distinction of…
Bridge Street from Abbey Fields – Then & Now
This postcard scene shows Bridge Street and Rosemary Hill from the Abbey Fields. The ‘then’ postcard must date to about 1905 or 1906, as the the avenue of trees along…
Rosemary Hill – Then & Now
This then and now view shows Rosemary Hill looking towards Bridge Street. According to Helen Scott & Richard Storey in ‘A Second Kenilworth Collection’ (Odibourne Press, 1988) the elegantly gabled…
3D Model of Kenilworth Castle – A Work in Progress
For a number of years a KHAS member has been researching and creating a virtual 3D model of Kenilworth Castle as it might have been in 1645. Here are some preview…
January 2017 Newsletter
KENILWORTH HISTORY & ARCHÆOLOGY SOCIETY - January 2017 Newsletter » Last Meeting: Before we indulged ourselves in an orgy of food and drink, Chairman Jan pronounced the Siege well and truly…
Rosemary Mews, School Lane – Then & Now
This pair of Then & Now photos shows a small factory on the south side of School Lane, where Rosemary Mews is now situated. According to A Portrait of Kenilworth…