Zone 2 - Green, from 1891

Streets within this zone include:

Palmerston Road
Radcliffe Road
Rochester Road
St Andrews Road
Shaftesbury Avenue
Stanley Road

Zone 2 Map

(21) Beechwood Avenue

The development of the new garden suburb of Earlsdon had been slow and uneven between 1852 and 1890 reflecting the economic fortunes of Coventry and the watch industry.  In 1890 the boundary of Coventry was extended to include Earlsdon.  The trustees of Joseph White’s estate anticipated an increased demand for housing in Earlsdon and in 1891 laid out the six streets of Radcliffe Road, Rochester Road, St Andrew’s Road, Shaftesbury Road, Palmerston Road and Stanley Road.

(21) St Barbara's Church

The property on the corner of Bates’ Road and Beechwood Avenue was built as a single detached property; it was converted to form two semi detached properties in the 1960s.   Philip Larkin spent much of his leisure time here during his school days when the house was occupied by a school friend, both boys attended King Henry VIII School on Warwick Road.

(22) Old Farmhouse, Palmerston Road (23) St Barbara's Church

By 1890 the dominance of domestic manufacturing for the production of watches and ribbons was declining, to be replaced by the small factory manufacture of the emerging cycle, car and machine tool industries.  Houses were erected for the skilled artisan, the owner of small business, middle management and professional classes.

(25) (26) Rochester Road

Earlsdon was part of the parish of St. Michael’s (later the Cathedral) and in the care of St. Thomas’s at the bottom of Albany Road.  After the opening of Albany Road in 1897, the population of Earlsdon grew and the provision of a purpose built place for Anglican worship became urgent.  The Methodists had already bought a plot of land on the corner of Albany Road and Earlsdon Avenue in 1909, the second site became available near the corner of Palmerston Road and Rochester Road.  By 4th December 1913 the first St. Barbara’s Church (now Cloister Mews) had been erected and was dedicated by the Bishop of Worcester.  In 1922 Earlsdon became a parish in its own right. 

(27) Shaftesbury Avenue

(28) (29) Rochester Road

Descriptions of Photographs in Zone Two

Photograph (21)
The property on the corner of Bates’ Road and Beechwood Avenue was built as a single detached property; it was converted to form two semi detached properties in the 1960s.  The houses show influences from Voysey and Lutyens in the rendered walls, large ornate chimneys and sweeping rooflines.

Photographs (22) and (24)
St. Barbara’s Church was consecrated in 1931.  The original plan had an extra bay which would have included two porches, baptistery and bell turret, but was never completed due to lack of funds.  The stonework is reconstructed stone from Hall Dale; true stone was used in the tracery of the windows and other carved elements.

Photograph (23)
The first Earlsdon building, the Old Farmhouse, built circa 1750.

Photographs (25 and (26)
A pair of three storey houses in Rochester Road with double height bay windows.  A variety of special bricks and terracotta patterns have been used throughout the main façade.  The terracotta dentils running up the verges have been repeated in stone as shallow arches above the windows.  What appear to be original decorative cast iron railings have survived on top of one of the bays.

Photograph (27)
These houses in Shaftesbury Avenue have a brick throating detail which caps the brick voussoirs above the arched first floor windows and the entrances .   This links the windows and gives a double arch effect.

Photograph (28)
A pair of cottage style houses in Rochester Road with heavy framing to all windows.  The top lights have decorative stained glass.  Note the large stone coping to the garden wall.

Photograph (29)
A double bay fronted house in Rochester Road with elements of mock Tudor, terracotta and stained glass.