James Walker was a watch case maker who learned his trade in Birmingham, came to Coventry in the mid 1840s, and married a local girl before settling in the Butts. After ten years he had been sufficiently successful in his business — making both gold and silver cases — to have a solid double-fronted villa, ‘Woodlands’, built on Earlsdon Lane (now Earlsdon Avenue South) in 1855. He lived there with his family for more than fifty years, until his death in 1907.
As an Anglican he took no active part in local church life, but he worked tirelessly for the benefit of the local community. In politics he was a Gladstonian Liberal — a founder member and secretary of the Earlsdon Liberal Association. In 1874 he led a deputation to the Rural Sanitary Authority to seek their help in building a sewage farm for the estate, and in 1882 was a prime mover in establishing Earlsdon’s first school. Throughout his life he took a deep interest in local education, serving as chairman of the school board for many years, regularly visiting the school and frequently presenting prizes to deserving pupils.
His business was never extensive — at most he employed three men and three boys — but he was a man of altruistic, genial disposition who epitomises the character of the local master watchmaker. When each of his two sons married, Walker handed over the business to them: the gold case side to the eldest, Edwin, who set up home a few yards down the lane; and the silver trade to Arthur, who settled just around the corner in Earlsdon Street. James’ grave is in London Road Cemetery.