26/04/2026
FLASHBACK FRIDAY 24 APRIL 2026
Apologies for the delay. I have been laid low with a cough and cold that kept me from the computer for four days. I have shown in earlier articles how talented the many branches of the Bunney family were in Bedworth and beyond, spreading their retailing skills as far as Liverpool and North Wales.
The skilled workers were weavers and coalminers in the 18th and early 19th centuries but their skills expanded as the 19th century progressed and brought more opportunities to enterprising families. We don't know much about the brick making side of the family but it might have had something to do with Luther Bunney, who also established a successful building company which enlarged Pickering and Luckman's hat making factory as we saw in last week's article. It seems likely that the Brick Company was in Collycroft, and presumably Luther used their own bricks in his construction work, best seen on the corner of Coventry Road and Park Road, as you will see in the photographs.
One of the family, descended from Henry and Hannah, another Henry, ran a general store in Market Place, moving there from high Street. He tried his hand at many things, selling flower seeds at one time, but running a photographic studio. At least the shop was in Market place, the studio was in Croxall Street,
A generation later we see Luther setting up his building company but also trying his hand at watercolours, one of which is shown here. And Percy was a brilliant woodwork craftsman, photographer and teacher, and he lived in the first house in Park road, on the left, next to the Limes, also lived in by builder Luther and his family.
Another grandchild of Henry and Hannah was Sydney Bunney, who lived in Coventry was a very accomplished water colour painter. The Herbert in Coventry has a large collection of his work and produced a book of some of them.
More details under the photographs
