Old Broadgate

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.

📸 Have a memory of old Coventry? Share your family's photos from Coventry's past on Oldpik.com to help preserve the living memory of the city.

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