Then & Now

Tannery Cottages – Then & Now

This wonderful colour image seems somehow tangibly recent and yet it captures a long vanished snippet of old Warwick Road, shortly before its demolition. We’ve glimpsed these cottages from a distance before, in 12 – 16 Warwick Road – Then & Now, but it’s interesting to see them close up and in colour. Robin Leach… Read More Tannery Cottages – Then & Now

Then & Now

Bear & Ragged Staff – Then & Now

This undated postcard shows a view of Warwick Road looking north. The image is taken from beside the Bear & Ragged Staff public house, looking up Warwick Road towards the clock tower. To the left of the ‘then’ image can be seen the access to the rear of the pub and to the Bear Field… Read More Bear & Ragged Staff – Then & Now

Then & Now

12 – 16 Warwick Road – Then & Now

This ‘then’ view shows the east side of Warwick Road between Station Road and Talisman Square, once the site of The Tannery. Most interestingly in this view, is a glimpse of a row of old cottages, which survived until the demolition frenzy of the 1960s. The History of Warwick Road Tannery, Kenilworth (Gould & James,… Read More 12 – 16 Warwick Road – Then & Now

Then & Now

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 new book Kenilworth People and Places, Volume 3  (Rookfield Publications, 2018) which is due to… Read More The Tannery Pits – Then & Now

Then & Now

Midland Bank, Warwick Road – 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

Then & Now

E.H. Watts VG Stores – 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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. 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

Then & Now

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, 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

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 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

Then & Now

Building of Talisman Square – 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

Then & Now

Warwick Road Aerial Photo – 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

Then & Now

The King’s Arms & Castle – 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

Then & Now

The Square, Early 1960s – 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

Then & Now

Almshouses, Warwick Road – Then & Now

These former almshouses on Warwick Road were demolished in 1963 to make way for the Talisman Square development on the site of the adjoining former tannery. Next door was Olive Aldridge’s haberdashery, now Warwick Estates and Kenilworth Weekly News offices. The ‘now’ pictures were taken in December 2015. It was a time of change in… Read More Almshouses, Warwick Road – Then & Now

From the Archives

From the Archives: Last Night at ‘The Globe’

The moving story below was first published in the 2003 / 2004 edition of the Society’s Kenilworth History publication, written by Roy Stanley. It tells the story of the tragic events of November 21, 1940 when a Luftwaffe parachute landmine fell on Abbey End, killing 26 people. Kenilworth recently marked the 75th anniversary of these horrific events… Read More From the Archives: Last Night at ‘The Globe’