Old Broadgate

circa 1920

This evocative view of Old Broadgate captures the vibrant heart of Coventry during the interwar years. At the centre of the image stands the grand National Provincial Bank, a symbol of economic optimism, while a steady stream of trams, cyclists, and motorcars share the cobbled street with bustling shoppers.

Prominent shop signs — from Whitfield's to H. Samuel — and the elegant double-decker tram advertising Fennell’s Pianos tell a story of a city both traditional and modernising. Men in flat caps, women in cloche hats, and delivery carts blend into the lively street scene, epitomising the energy of a growing industrial city on the cusp of social change.

🗓 Historical Note (1920s):
Though devastated by WWII two decades later, Coventry in the 1920s was a hub of automobile manufacturing, retail commerce, and civic pride, bridging its medieval heritage with modern urban life.

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