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Berry Street, COVENTRY, CV1 5JT

One of a number of similarly-styled tower blocks dotted about the northern fringes of Coventry, standing like sentries as if to provide early warning of incursions by Nuneaton or Hinckley. They are distinguished by projecting white concrete bands and closely resemble designs by City Architect, Arthur Ling. Built by him or his successor, Terence Gregory, in the early-mid 1960s. This one was about to be refurbished, including renewing interiors and the roof.

During the 1960s redevelopment of Hillfields, a war-damaged 19th century industrial district, thirteen high rise housing blocks were built by the city of Coventry. Some have since been demolished; these are two of the survivors, with some more recent low-rise housing in the foreground. The block on the right is Hillfields House on Yardley Street, with 52 homes on ten floors. It was built by Wimpey in 1960-61 to designs by the Coventry city architect's department under Arthur Ling https://www.towerblock.eca.ed.ac.uk/development/yardley-street . On the left is Thomas King House on Wellington Street, with 128 dwellings on 17 storeys, built 1967-8 by British Lift Slab, to designs by the same team, by then led by Terence Gregory. https://www.towerblock.eca.ed.ac.uk/development/wellington-street . Both links are to the Edinburgh University Tower Block site. For more on Hillfields, see the Coventry Society https://www.coventrysociety.org.uk/coventry-neighbourhoods/hillfields/ .

The mosque is called Masjid Al Madinah Al Munawwarah and is the address of the Coventry Muslim Swahili Association. It uses a former factory building in the 'moderne' style, with some curved corners and glass bricks, so perhaps of 1930s date.

The weaving was done on the second floor, here it can be seen at the rear of the house, facing south for the light.

Shops in Victoria Street.

The Jalalabad Mosque is described by the city council as a men-only Bangladeshi mosque in the Deobandi tradition. https://cid.coventry.gov.uk/kb5/coventry/directory/service.action?id=Mg13O9a4xh0&slaction=ADD&itemid=pSOec59Tx1xkl3gGq_AA2K4y5oJOyXoBzCQPhuwD The building was originally the Freehold Tavern and was built, with the rest of Freehold Street, around 1848, by the Freehold Land Society, which aimed to build houses that working men could buy, which would in turn give the male householder the right to vote. In 1879, the pub was renamed the Freemasons' Tavern. https://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cph/main/pub.php?pg=freehold It appears to have closed in the 1990s. https://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/cph/main/pub.php?pg=freemasons_tavern The exterior of the ground floor was faced with distinctive dark green glazed tiles, which can be seen in older Geograph photos, here https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4474195 and here https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3563331 . These have since been removed and replaced with beige-coloured tiles.

Converted building in Freehold Street.