A collection of composite ‘then and now’ photos showing scenes we have loved and lost around Kenilworth, for better or for worse. Readers are welcome to submit their own then and now offerings, ideally keeping to the same format of two photos in one image.
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This Then & Now comparison shows the site of another casualty of the night of the 21st of November 1940, when a lone Luftwaffe bomber dropped a parachute mine over Abbey End. This is where a centuries old timber framed building known as Lord Leycester’s Lodge stood until it was fatally damaged during the tragic… Read More Site of Lord Leycester’s Lodge – Then & Now
On the night of the 21st of November 1940, a lone Luftwaffe bomber dropped a parachute mine over Abbey End. The above-ground explosion destroyed a swathe of the densely packed shops, houses and pubs and resulted in the tragic deaths of 26 people, many of whom were refugees from Coventry who had come to Kenilworth… Read More The Site of the Globe – Then & Now
This week’s Then & Now comes courtesy of prolific local historian Robin Leach, whose recent research on Kenilworth’s involvement with animal skin processing, in particular on two major sites in the town centre and at Mill End, will soon be available in his new book Kenilworth People and Places, Volume 3 (Rookfield Publications, 2018) which is due to… Read More The Tannery Pits – Then & Now
This week’s Then & Now comes courtesy of prolific local historian Robin Leach, whose recent research on Kenilworth’s involvement with animal skin processing, in particular on two major sites in the town centre and at Mill End, will soon be available in his forthcoming book Kenilworth People and Places, Volume 3 (2018). Henry Street established his fellmongers… Read More The Fellmongery – Then & Now
The pictures above show a much modified Edwardian terrace, now numbered 44 – 46 The Square, Kenilworth. The ‘Then’ picture was taken from a Kenilworth Weekly News article published in May 1979 in the KHAS archives. The article explains that the original photo was snapped in 1950. It shows that numbers 44 – 46 were… Read More Midland Bank, Warwick Road – Then & Now
This etching comes from a beautifully printed invoice from the wonderfully named “Mrs T.R. Stevens, Milliner and Costumier, Ladies & Children’s Outfitter, Depot for Dr Jaeger’s Clothing”. The millinery shop stood at the mouth of School Lane, at its junction with Rosemary Hill. This etching shows just how narrow School Lane was at this point.… Read More Kenilworth House – Then & Now
This colourised postcard shows a collection of wonderful old timber-framed properties on Bridge Street, which were the subject of our very first Then & Now comparison back in December 2015. It was a very pertinent bit of subject matter for the Society, as it is the destruction of these buildings in 1961 that caused a… Read More Old House, Bridge Street – Then & Now
This Then & Now comparison shows a photograph from 1883 of Kenilworth Fire Brigade posing with their manual pump fire engine on Upper Rosemary Hill. At the time, the brigade’s engine house was situated round the corner, fronting onto Savage lane (now Richards Close). The subsequent engine house stood at the mouth of Richards Close,… Read More Fire Brigade – Then & Now
This postcard shows the Cosy Cafe on Castle Green, which served teas to tourists who came to the town to take in the majestic ruins of Kenilworth Castle. It boasted sumptuous interiors such as the Lustre Room, with lace tablecloths and horse brasses hanging from the ceiling, and a small garden for those brave enough… Read More Cosy Cafe – Then & Now
This quaint postcard of Kenilworth Common shows a pair of semi-detached Victorian houses, with smoke pouring from the chimney stack. A family gathering of the inhabitants poses for the camera. A side-by-side map comparison with the OS 25 Inch, 1892 – 1905 map shows that these houses were reachable only by a trackway which ran… Read More House in The Common – Then & Now
This Then & Now comparison shows Lord Leicester’s Stables, Kenilworth Castle, when it first became used as a cafe for visitors. Later renovations and alterations have since removed extra beams and props and made subtle alterations to the brick and stonework, which make an exact ‘now’ match more troublesome than it might first appear. Hence,… Read More Leicester’s Stable Interior – Then & Now
Readers of this Then & Now feature will be familiar with the fate of some of the buildings shown on this Then & Now comparison. The surviving timber framed cottage buildings in the ‘now’ image are Chase Cottage and Little Chase Cottage (centre). At the rear of the ‘now’ image we can see the white… Read More Clinton Lane – Then & Now
In previous Then & Now comparisons we saw how the old fashioned terraced shop belonging to W.H Watts at number 30 Warwick Road was converted to a modern supermarket by knocking it through into the house at number 32 next door. This Then & Now comparison shows the finished article, complete with a supporting pillar… Read More E.H. Watts VG Stores – 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 images it is possible to deduce that the properties on the left of the image, up to and including W.R. Barnett’s Fried Fish and Oyster… Read More W.R. Barnett and W.H. Watts – 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 done in preparation for the widening of the E.H. Watts grocery store at number 32 next door, the doorway to which is just visible on… Read More 32 Warwick Road Demolition – 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 house, known as The Limes, was subdivided and converted into two shops. It stood next door to the Tannery Gates, out of shot to the… Read More Boots the Chemist, Warwick Road – 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 little appears to have changed in the two scenes, but there are some vital clues in the ‘then’ image which allow us to provide some… Read More Abbey Hill – 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 modern day equivalent photo from 2017. The name is perhaps a reference to Cumnor Place near Oxford, in which Amy Robsart, wife of Robert Dudley, lived… Read More Cumnor House – 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. The hounds are gathered and the horses seem to be mounted by exceptionally youthful riders except for one or two older members, which leads one… Read More Warwickshire Hunt – 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 & 2, The Square behind the clocktower. Long distance shots of the same scene can be found in previous Then & Now comparisons here and here.… Read More Postcard of The Square & Clock Tower – 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 John Drew for his book Kenilworth – A Manor of The King (Pleasaunce Press, 1971). Harry Sunley records in A Kenilworth Chronology (Odibourne Press, 1989).that… Read More Tannery Gates, Warwick Road, early 1965 – 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 houses at the junction of Randall Road and Warwick Road, taken in 1971 by John Drew for his book Kenilworth – A Manor of The… Read More Randall Road Junction, 1971 – 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 for his book Kenilworth – A Manor of The King (Pleasaunce Press, 1971). According to Victorian Kenilworth and Its People (Rookfield Publications, 2006) by Robin… Read More Post Office, 1969 – 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 and cart has stopped in the road outside to pose for the photographer. The sign above also advertises a sideline “Sacks for Hire”. Fresh loaves… Read More Mr Hughes’ Bakery, St John’s – 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 discovery during demolition work next door. The King’s Head, incidentally, is not to be confused with the nearby King’s Arms & Castle on the opposite… Read More King’s Head Sign, 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 1964 by John Drew for his book Kenilworth – A Manor of The King (Pleasaunce Press, 1971) shortly before the row was demolished. According to… Read More Fairview, July 1964 – Then & Now
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 hall belongs, seems to be taking an unusually hands-on approach to the proceedings and is pictured here half way up a ladder surrounded by workmen.… Read More Old Vicarage & Tithe Barn – High Street
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 mine in November 1940. The rubble of the old buildings was cleared away and the site was used as a car park for many years… Read More Cars Parked at Abbey End – 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. Given how idyllic these cottages are today and given their prime location adjacent to historic Kenilworth Castle it seems inconceivable that they lay derelict. This… Read More Little Virginia Cottage – 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 Warwick Road, photographed by John Drew in 1964 for his book Kenilworth – A Manor of The King (Pleasaunce Press, 1971) shortly before its demolition.… Read More 151, 153 & 155 Warwick Road, 1964 – 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 pictures were kindly supplied by Kally Radcliffe to mark the branch’s closure. The text was provided by another ex-branch employee Mark Francis, taken from a… Read More NatWest Bank – 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 group was posed just off the carriageway but thanks to road widening it would not be advisable for children to linger there today! A pair… Read More High Street Children – 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. In fact, only the tip the chimney of the neighboring Sagar’s carpet shop, poking above the roofline of the now demolished cottage, gives us any… Read More 86 Warwick Road – 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 the castle itself is now obscured but the remainder of the scene is largely unaltered. Obscured by the foliage (far right in the ‘now’ photo),… Read More Castle Hill & New Row – 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, historic village. The area most scarred by this destruction is Warwick Road. At the turn of the 20th Century, Warwick Road still resembled the sort… Read More 17 – 23 Warwick Road, 1964 – 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 Victorian Kenilworth and Kenilworth in WWII and will be the guest speaker on the History of the Abbey Fields at October’s KHAS meeting. The photos… Read More The Swimming Pool, Abbey Fields – 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. The scene looks remarkably unchanged today, save for the differing garden features. Norman Stevens proposed in Kenilworth History 2001 – 2002 that these properties might… Read More Castle Green Chapel of Ease – 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 cottage on the right, which has since been demolished. Cob is defined as “a natural building material made from subsoil, water, some kind of fibrous… Read More Old Cob House, Fieldgate Lane – 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 bricked number 44 on the extreme left has been re-fronted since the original photo was taken. Every self respecting English market town should have a… Read More The Red Lion – 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 the background of the 1960s ‘then’ image it is clear that something had recently been demolished. Today’s slightly unusual ‘Then, Then & Now’ post provides… Read More Little Chase Cottage – Then, 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 to modern eyes. In fact, only the differences that really stand out are the models of the cars on display. A few more front gardens… Read More Waverley Road – 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 telephone box and belisha beacon represent pretty much the only substantial changes in the foreground of the image. Parking was still permitted along Warwick Road… Read More The West Side of The Square – 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 was built in 1906. The right hand side of the scene is not unfamiliar to modern eyes. The buildings either side of Station Road, including… Read More The Square from Warwick Road – 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 visible progress in building a replacement. Both stations are visible in the Then & Now scenes above, taken from the Priory Road footbridge. The curve… Read More Kenilworth Station Platforms – 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 the road compared to its neighbours. It shows the rank of cottages and shops that preceded the modern day building in which Peacocks now resides.… Read More Randall Road Junction – 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 top hat. A lady in fine attire and an elegant hat walks alongside on the pavement. A child in a smock is ambling along in… Read More St John’s – 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 Lord Leycester’s Lodge, shown here in an early 20th century postcard view. The origins of Lord Leycester’s Lodge are somewhat lost in the mists of… Read More Lord Leycester’s Lodge – 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 status didn’t exist until the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 and even then it only really applied to exceptional historic properties. Local conservation pressure… Read More Poundland – 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 but the clock faces and weather vane are yet to be added. In the background we can see the buildings of Abbey End as they… Read More The Clock Tower – 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 be seen in this previous Then & Now pairing showing the building of the square from Warwick Road. The text of the billboard proclaimed the… Read More Talisman Square Plans – 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 brook at the bottom end of School Lane and across to Lower Ladyes Hills and the Common in the distance. At the bottom of the… Read More Hyde Road – 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 once known as the Drovers Inn, having been used by Welsh drovers, although further dates and details of the pub itself are hard to come… Read More Drovers Inn – 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 swept away several historic properties in the area. They stand on Clinton Lane, which forms the approach to the Castle for travellers coming from the… Read More Little Chase Cottage – 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 and local character. A nation confident of a better future, with a buoyant economy for the first time since WWII, sought to clear away the… Read More The Old Cottage, Clinton Lane – 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 at the photographer. Warwickshire, like all counties nationally, had been forced to provide a constabulary by Act of Parliament since 1858. Kenilworth Hall was owned by… Read More Bridge Street from Kenilworth Hall – 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 point for the ‘now’ photo because it would result in a photo containing a wall of foliage that obscures the scene to be captured! This… Read More Abbey Fields & St Nicholas’ Church – 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 the path between Bridge Street and Abbey Hill is newly planted. Following the dissolution of the Abbey of St Mary, Kenilworth in 1538, the land… Read More Bridge Street from Abbey Fields – 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 building shown (centre) was a millinery shop that once stood at the corner of School Lane and Rosemary Hill. It was demolished for road widening… Read More Rosemary Hill – 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 in Street Names – Third Edition by Robin Leach and Geoff Hilton (Rookfield Publications, 2015) Rosemary Mews was developed in 1987 on the site of… Read More Rosemary Mews, School Lane – Then & Now
This somewhat forlorn picture shows the final stages of clearing the plot of the former Liggins’ Bakery site at the junction of Park Hill and Stoneleigh Road. A Midland Red bus turns from Park Hill into Albion Street and a Renault 5 starts the steep climb up the hill. Behind can be seen the 1970s… Read More Empty Plot of Liggins Bakery – Then & Now
This pair of Then & Now images shows the demolition of the estate of post-war prefabricated houses (or ‘prefabs’), just off Stoneleigh Road in the mid 1970s and the housing estate that replaced them, shot in 2016. In case you are struggling to place the scene, the modern day vantage point is at the junction… Read More Demolition of Prefabs – Then & Now
This Then & Now pairing shows the demolition of Joseph Liggins’ bakery buildings which stood at the corner of Park Hill and Stoneleigh Road, opposite the Wyandote pub. The Victorian buildings of the Albion Street area have suffered badly over the last 50 years, culminating in the recent demolition of the Albion Tavern. The Victorian… Read More Demolition of Liggins’ Bakery – Then & Now
This then and now shows the windmill on Tainters Hill, built in 1778. Rob Steward records in Kenilworth History 2000 – 2001 that “this mill battled on, driven by the wind, grinding com for the inhabitants of Kenilworth for seventy-six years until it succumbed to the power of steam”. Rob also speculates, that whilst the… Read More Tainters Hill – Then & Now
Joseph Liggins’ Bakery stood at the corner of Park Hill and Stoneleigh Road, opposite St Barnabas’ church and the Wyandotte pub. The bakery premises was formerly Parkhill House. Robin Leach records some details of Joseph Liggins in his book Kenilworth People & Places Volume 2 (Rookfield Publications, 2013). In the census of 1871, Liggins was… Read More Liggins’ Bakery, Park Hill – Then & Now
This Then & Now pairing shows the site of the Brethren Meeting Rooms near the junction of The Close and Park Road. It was one of a spate of ‘tin tabernacle’ constructions built during the mid 19th century as a result of the development of corrugated galvanised iron for the use of constructing prefabricated buildings.… Read More The Brethren Meeting Rooms – Then & Now
Harry Sunley tells us in A Kenilworth Chronology (Odiborne Press, 1989) that various of the common lands of Kenilworth were enclosed by act of Parliament in 1755, with the exception of “forty acres of Hilly Wast Ground [which] are to remain as unenclosed and common land so that the poor of the parish should from… Read More The Common – Then & Now
The Square must have been established along with the building of the new Castle End borough on lands granted to the de Clintons as lords of the castle manor in the early 12th Century as a result of a charter issued by the pope on land issued to them by Henry I. Residents of the… Read More The Square from the Clock Tower – Then & Now
This remarkable street scene, dated 28th November 1965, shows the building of Talisman Square in progress. In the ‘then’ photo, both the Almshouses that used to front onto Warwick Road and the Tannery buildings behind have been demolished and building the new shopping precinct is already well under way. A sign proclaims the forthcoming pedestrian… Read More Building of Talisman Square – Then & Now
This characterful property, known locally as Noah’s Ark, was situated at 95 – 99 School Lane. It was an 18th century building with a distinctive mansard roof; a roof with sloping sides, each of which becomes steeper halfway down. This row of houses sat at ninety degrees to School Lane, with the lower end butting… Read More Noah’s Ark – Then & Now
The Vaults, which fronts onto Station Road behind The Kings Arms & Castle. This building has a long and varied history to it. The first incarnation of this structure was on a completely different site, originally as the town’s station opened in 1844. An engraving of this can be found on the Windows on Warwickshire… Read More The Vaults – Then & Now
This shot of the rear of the Kings Arms & Castle shows just how much it was altered during the 1985 demolition and rebuilding. The original building, also used as the Abbey Courts Leet in the 16th century, was later extended by the addition of gables to the rear of the building which can be… Read More The Kings Arms & Castle From the Rear – Then & Now
Harry Sunley tells us in A Kenilworth Chronology (Odiborne Press, 1989) that DS Fancott established Fancott’s Bakery in the high street in 1825. It remained in the Fancott family until 1979. The D.S. in question was David Soden Fancott, who became a master baker and a well-established figure in the town. Robin Leach’s excellent book… Read More Fancott’s Bakery – Then & Now
Rob Steward’s book The Inns and Roads of Kenilworth (Odiborne Press, 2000) records that the ancient brook side trackway that would later become Lower Ladyes Hills was improved by the Enclosure Award of 1756, where it is referred to the be description “One other footway leading from the North side of Odiborne Bridge along the…… Read More Lower Ladyes Hills – Then & Now
Here’s a view which is almost impossible to recreate today – a view through the breach in the tiltyard beneath Mortimer’s Tower, taken in 1964. The ‘then’ photograph probably shows the end of the stone bridge eastern side wall in the bottom left. In which case the camera was about three metres below the general… Read More Preparing to Repair the Breach in the Tiltyard, 1964 – Then & Now
It was widely assumed that Colonel Hawkesworth drained the mere and breached the Tiltyard dam to render the former royalist stronghold indefensible. However an article on page 32 in Kenilworth History 2015: “The question has often been asked when the breach in the dam was made? This is not known. Hawkesworth may have just opened… Read More Laying the Pipes Under the Tiltyard, 1964 – Then & Now
The ‘then’ photo shows the preparations for filling in a gap in the castle’s Tiltyard by the Ministry of Public Building and Works in 1964 . The restored Tiltyard entrance opened in 1967, replacing the lower walkway which sits beside the Tiltyard. The dam was probably constructed in three phases; initially circa 1125, then subsequently… Read More Filling in the Gap in the Tiltyard, 1964 – Then & Now
Another shot attributed to J. Tarver from 1963, this time of St Nicholas Church taken from within the Abbey ruins, with matching a 2016 counterpart shot. It is not known when St Nicholas’ Church was established. The nearby Priory (later Abbey) of St Mary was established by Geoffrey de Clinton in 1122 and we do… Read More St Nicholas Church – Then & Now
This Then & Now set is part 2 to the earlier part 1 posting here: http://www.khas.co.uk/garden-rest-stonework-pt1-now/ According to The Abbey of St Mary guidebook by E. Carey-Hill (Odiboure Press, 1985) “What is now known as the Lapidarum Wall was completely rebuilt from its foundations, including the bench, in 1984. The work was carried out by… Read More Garden of Rest Stonework part 2 – Then & Now
According to The Abbey of St Mary guidebook by E. Carey-Hill (Odiboure Press, 1985) “When the north cloister wall of 1890 was rebuilt in 1984, the carved stones were grouped according to architectural type”. He goes on to say “Not all examples of each type have been exposed, as some are buried in the wall… Read More Garden of Rest Stonework part 1 – Then & Now
Today’s Then & Now pairing is an updated version of an earlier post showing the Tannery, Warwick Road. Thanks to Robin Leach for pointing out that the original ‘now’ photo was taken from the wrong angle. The updated ‘now’ photo is taken from as close to the original spot as today’s buildings will allow, as can… Read More The Tannery, Warwick Road Updated – Then & Now
This pair of pictures from 1963 and 2016 shows the Abbey’s Tantara Gatehouse with St Nicholas’ Church in the background. The 1963 shot is labelled as having been taken by a J. Tarver. As can clearly be seen from the ‘then’ picture, the gatehouse had become overgrown and it was later designated as dangerous and fenced… Read More St. Nicholas Church from South-West, 1963 – Then & Now
This black and white photo from 1964 shows the mill taken from what is now Forge Road, Mill End, shortly before its demolition. Originally built as a mill for bread flour, it was later used as an oat mill for cattle feed. According to Harry Sunley in A Kenilworth Chronology (Odibourne Press, 1989) the mill was… Read More The Mill in 1964 from Forge Road – Then & Now
The mill was powered by water wheel, fed from a pool called Woodmill Pool, located over the modern day allotments between Manor Road and Lower Laydes Hills. The pool was created by damming Finham brook at the spot where the mill stood (off screen, to the right of the photos above). According to Rob Steward… Read More The Mill, Mill End, from the yard 1964 – Then & Now
For readers under the age of 60 or so, this ‘then’ image will present a completely unfamiliar scene. It shows the mill buildings which once stood on the edge of the Common at Mill End, to which it gave its name. According to Rob Steward in Kenilworth History 1997 – 1998: “Townpool and Woodmill Pool… Read More Mill End from The Common – Then & Now
This remarkable pair of aerial photos shows the castle from the air, taken from the west. The ‘then’ photo dates from before the Elizabethan garden had first been restored in the 1970s. The ‘now photo’ dates from 2016 showing the Elizabethan garden, now bedding in nicely following an archaeological dig in 2006 and the completion… Read More The Castle from the Air – Then & Now
In the days when the Abbey Fields was a patchwork of farmers’ fields, the ‘tumbledown’ or ‘clappergate’ stile shown in this old postcard was situated in the Abbey’s Tantara Gatehouse to prevent cattle straying out of the fields. A larger field gate was situated in the main archway. In June 1973 it was destroyed by… Read More ‘Clappergate’ Stile – Then & Now
Today there is comparatively little to see above ground of the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey in the Abbey Fields. Following the Abbey Excavations in 1840, in the 1880s and in the 1920s, in which the ruins were steadily uncovered for the first time since their destruction following the Reformation, the ruins have long since… Read More Abbey Ruins 1960s – Then & Now
This shot from 1963 shows the Abbey building known as the ‘barn’, clad in ivy and bathed in the July sun. There appears to be a rickety fence and style between the barn and the stone wall opposite. Other than that, and the loss of a stone cross grave stone head, the scene is relatively… Read More The Abbey ‘Barn’ – Then & Now
This fascinating aerial view of Kenilworth is dated May 1920, and was obtained from the absorbing Britain From Above website. To the modern eye this scene is notable for the amount of green space that surrounded the now very much built-up Warwick Road area. In fact, it takes a while to familiarise yourself with some… Read More Warwick Road Aerial Photo – Then & Now
Talisman square, mid 1960s and again in May 2016. The ‘then’ picture shows the footbridge being built between the offices built above the north and south sides of the square as part of the ‘walkway in the sky’ concept that developers of the 1950s were so fond of. The bridge was removed in the early 2000s. In the… Read More Talisman Square, mid 1960s – Then & Now
The De Montfort Hotel (now the Holiday Inn) opened in 1967, occupying part of the site destroyed by the landmine of the 21st November 1940. Historically, the Square had been more of an intimate affair, comprising a cozy triangular area enclosed by low rise buildings on all sides. The ‘then’ picture shows that at this… Read More De Montfort Hotel – Then & Now
The Square, early 1960s and in December 2015. At first glance, little has changed between the two images. However, a handful of the buildings on the left of the clock tower survived the landmine of November 1940 before being cleared for the post-war Abbey End redevelopment, as shown in the modern image. Up until the early… Read More The Clock Tower Post-War – Then & Now
A timber framed cottage at the junction of Malthouse Lane, with High Street in the distance and Castle Hill behind the camera. As Rob Steward explains in Kenilworth History 2001 – 2002, this cottage is “…probably early 17th century and of ‘cruck’ construction. Cruck construction consists of two purpose-grown curved tree branches cut longways down… Read More High Street / Castle Hill Cottage – Then & Now
The ‘then’ photo below shows Talisman Square, largely as had been initially conceived in the post war planning of the late 1950s. The ‘now’ counterpart photo was taken in December 2015. Talisman Square replaced the Tannery and Warwick Road almshouses, which were demolished in 1965 and 1963 respectively. Talisman Square was so named following a competition in… Read More Talisman Square – Then & Now
The King’s Arms & Castle, 1960s. According to Rob Steward’s “The Inns and Roads of Kenilworth” (Odibourne Press, 2000) the “King’s Arms Inn” was the venue of the Abbey Courts Leet in 1563 and remained so until the nineteenth century. By the nineteenth century, Coaches used to call in at the King’s Arms ‘from a… Read More The King’s Arms & Castle – Then & Now
The Square, early 1960s. Where the roundabout now stands once stood an elegant building with grand bay-windows, which can be seen on many a postcard of the Square from before the turn of the century. The ‘then’ image above shows its somewhat truncated state in the early late 1960s, following a number of enforced reductions in its… Read More The Square, Early 1960s – Then & Now
The ‘then’ picture above shows the tower crane in place used for building the De Montfort Hotel, as heralded by an advertising board, which was to open in 1967. The vacant plot shown right of centre here was once occupied by a house known as ‘The Firs’ which was in itself formerly the site of the Green Dragon… Read More Building the De Montfort – Then & Now
UPDATED 19/02/2016: I am very much indebted to the incomparable Robin Leach for correcting the inaccuracies in the previous version of this text. The ‘then’ image above shows an early 20th Century postcard of The Square, taken from the junction with Station Road and Warwick Road with its equivalent image from December 2015. On the… Read More Postcard of The Square – Then & Now
By the mid-1960s the demolition of what were seen as damp and draughty old half-timbered buildings was in full swing. A nation only recently emerging from rationing and austerity was embracing modernity with an alarming disregard for heritage. This then and now pairing shows a ramshackle old farmhouse on School Lane which was swept away… Read More Old Farmhouse on School Lane – Then & Now
This pair of aerial photos, from 1947 and 2016 respectively, shows a rare mid-twentieth century aerial view of Kenilworth Castle and its modern day equivalent: The ‘then’ photo shows the end cottage on Castle Green before its demolition and behind it stretches a sparsely populated Clinton Lane with very little in the way of modern… Read More Kenilworth Castle Aerial View – Then & Now