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Coventry Ordnance Works was a British manufacturer of heavy guns, particularly naval artillery. The firm was based in the English city of Coventry. The company was set up in 1905 by a consortium of British shipbuilding firms John Brown, Cammell Laird and Fairfield in order to compete with the duopoly of Vickers and Armstrong-Whitworth. Initially H.H. Mulliner was the managing director, but after a series of altercations with the Admiralty he was replaced by a retired admiral Sir Reginald Bacon. The company also had a factory in Scotstoun, Glasgow which made heavy gun mountings. The C.O.W. 37mm gun was the first modern autocannon developed in 1917. The firm also designed the 5.5 inch Naval gun and a 15 inch siege howitzer for the British Army.
The firm struggled in the recession after the end of World War I which affected Britain's arms industry and closed in 1925
This photograph shows the crowded shop floor at the Coventry Ordnance Works, where hundreds of women are making fuse heads. Only a handful of men are present
The works were based at Red Lane
This picture shows a gun crossing Foleshill road
When trains passed over Foleshill Road it was necessary for the road to be closed thereby causing queues for mainly cyclists and pedestrians. The width of the road which is about 60 feet enables the viewer to appreciate the length of these gun barrels.This view doesn’t show the crossing gates very well but the corner of the box controlling the gates can just be seen on the extreme right of the photograph.
