LMS Route: Rugby to Wolverhampton
LMS Route: Nuneaton to Leamington

Coventry Station: lnwrcov4353

A row of seven London & Birmingham workmen's 'cottages' standing above Warwick Road bridge in 1950s. Although described as 'workmen' cottages, in fact they would have been occupied by senior members of staff. Note the bricked up windows, a measure taken in response to the window tax. The window tax was a property tax based on the number of windows in a house. First imposed in England in 1696, Window Tax was repealed in 1851 after campaigners argued that it was a 'tax on health', and a 'tax on light and air', as well as being an unequal tax with the greatest burden on the middle and lower classes. It was a banded tax. For instance, in 1747 for a house with ten to fourteen windows, the tax stood at 6d. per window, fifteen to nineteen windows, 9d., and exceeding twenty or more, 1s.. The tax was raised six times between 1747 and 1808. By then the lowest band started at six windows. This was raised in 1825 to eight windows.

Mike Christensen

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