The Earlsdon Echo has recently featured this boring, but interesting building at 70 Earlsdon Street.
‘Stoneleigh House’ was originally called ‘Earlsdon House’ and was the first building erected on the newly laid out streets of what was to become Earlsdon. Many people pass this building regularly without realising its significance.
It was built in 1852 by John Flinn, a watch manufacturer from Liverpool who moved to Coventry in 1827. As well as a Councillor he was also a member of the Coventry Branch of the Freehold Land Society, the developers of the new Earlsdon Estate. This meant that when the FLS developed the Earsldon estate in 1852 Flinn was in a good position to choose a prime site for his Earlsdon House. It was built as a typical solid Victorian double fronted villa, with five bedrooms and two large attics. There was also a substantial workshop attached where Flinn carried out his watchmaking business.
When Flinn moved out in 1868 the property was bought next by Joseph White, Earlsdon’s most important watch manufacturer at the time, and owner of a substantial amount of surrounding land. He lived there with his wife and large family of 12 children, carrying on his watch making business until his death in 1907.
The house was sold again, this time to the Managing Director of the Maudesley Motor Company, Alexander Craig, although the White family retained use of the rear workshop, sharing the premises with Joseph Player and Son, also watchmakers.
In about 1910 James Thrift took over the workshop to house his Viking Motor Body business, moving on to larger premises in 1913, leaving it to be occupied now by Walter Tatlow and his brother-in-law, Harry Harley. With a few machines and fewer employees, these two men established what was later to become the successful Gauge and Tool Company.
Sadly by 1930 the house and had been defaced with the front of this handsome building marred with an extension for use as a drawing office. In 1936 the Earlsdon factory was bought by the Coventry Precision and Repetition Company who stayed there until 1965.
In 1965 the building was then bought by Arthur Coopey a local builder and decorator who again ‘modernised’ the frontage, turning the premises into two retail outlets, which is how we see it today.
It is only by standing well back and looking carefully above the shop frontage, that we can see a glimpse of Flinn’s original handsome old Earlsdon House.