Piece of Rover history from 1911 unearthed in city pub
A FASCINATING piece of Coventry’s motoring history has been discovered.
Lift machinery and a lift shaft (which is now a stairwell) has been found in the top floor and roof of the Litten Tree pub in the city centre.
It is thought the machinery is around 110 years old, and was used to transport Rover cars and parts up three flights of stairs to the top floor, which was a Rover showroom.
The building was constructed in 1911, and operated as a Rover showroom until 1934, when it moved to other parts of Coventry.
The building then went on to house a war time food office, a city architect’s office, a bathroom showroom and eventually a pub as we know it now.
The discovery was made by Alan Denyer, a local businessman who is transforming the top floors of the pub into an arts space.
Once complete it will officially be called ‘LTB Showrooms’ (LTB stands for Litten Tree building) and will be run independently of the pub by Mr Denyer and a team of volunteers.
They have encountered a few relics of the past including retro cigarette packets, bicycles, and even an empty Santa sleigh from when the shop was a department store.
But this is a particularly exciting discovery that gives an insight into just how booming the motor industry was in Coventry.
It is fascinating to think we once had a prestigious car showroom in the heart of the city centre.
Mr Denyer filled us in on the building’s history: “It’s a beautiful space, a really nice space to be in, I couldn’t quite work out, because there were references to cars being on the upper floors and I couldn’t work out how they could have got cars up there.
“In the 1950s when the building was converted they must have taken out the original lift which doubled as a goods lift and passenger lift.
“It is nice to see all this
In the 1950s when the building was converted they must have taken out the original lift...
Alan Denyer
110 year old lift machinery sitting in the space.”
Mr Denyer believes the lift chamber was then converted to a staircase.
The Litten Tree is one of the few buildings in Coventry at that time to have a concrete beam construction.
This was significant, because the building was so sturdy it was ‘blast proof,’ and subsequently became the city council’s war headquarters during World War Two.
Mr Denyer explained it was built by the same architects behind the Owen and Owen building, Hellbourg Harris.
“They were the largest independent architect outfit in Coventry and took on some quite prestigious projects, they were the architects for the city face lift in 1955” Mr Denyer said.
As he cleared the space, he found a note from planners to say the building had a prestretched concrete beam construction, which is why it lent itself to becoming the city’s war headquarters.
Mr Denyer said as part of his LTB Showroom project, he will incorporate the lift shaft into the space so people can enjoy a piece of city heritage. Once completed, Mr Denyer plans for the LTB Showrooms to host DJ nights, open mic and comedy evenings, art exhibitions and performances.