On my travels into Coventry recently I have been witnessing the demolition of John Kippings, and our previous shop 421 Aldermans Green Road. You might remember it as the one opposite the pub, behind the conifers, next door to the gas bottle rental place. We last closed the door on the place on the August bank holiday 2000 having seen out the remainder of the lease taken out by JK previously. It has remained empty ever since, falling victim to the vandals and time. This was just as the landlord had planned! He had planned to sell it on for housing development when we (and other tenants) vacated but was thwarted by planners, and it's green belt status. After 8 years and with a little help from the vandals it looks like he finally got his way.
It was I who first spotted the 'For Rent' board outside the shop all those years ago that led to JK moving from the old CO-OP further down Aldermans Green Road. John then moved lock stock & spark plug half a mile out of town towards Bulkington about 10 years previously (I might be wrong 1990 ish?). The old CO-OP was bursting at the seams, there was barely enough room to swing a cat in that place by the time the move came.
I don't know if I miss 421, it was damp, cold, leaky, and a drain on resources. I lost count of the number of times I got called out of bed at some god forsaken hour by the boys in blue to switch the Redcare alarm system off after yet another false alarm caused by a rat, or mouse jumping in front of one of the sensors. It got so bad the police threatened to pull the plug, and all the alarm engineer could do was turn the sensitivity of the sensors down until a rugby team could of run amok in there without the bloody thing going off (the rats always managed it though).
There were plenty of good memories though like the time one of the guys had a day off, and another (who shall remain nameless) decided to microwave his cassette tape that he insisted on playing over, and over again when he was in work. Don't try this at home, it cost us a new microwave, thanks Paul (damn I mentioned his name, now Marc will find out!).
The good old, bad old days, gone but not forgotten.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I remember that place - it really struck a chord with me Dave cos as well as Triumphs I am into family history.
ReplyDeleteSo what? Well ancestors of mine moved up from Coventry to Derbyshire in the mid 1800s and lived on Grange Lane/Road - right next to Aldermans Green.
It felt good having Triumphs and family history coming together.
Mind you, it was a dirty hole in fairness!