Century Street

  • Century Street

    Century Street concept drawing

  • Century Street

    Century Street with The History Channel

  • Century Street

    In association with The Museum Of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

What did our homes look like in 1908? Did we really decorate like that in the 1950s and what do we really aspire to in 2008? You’ll find the answers to these questions and discover much more about how we used to live and how we live now at the fascinating Century Street feature.

Century Street brings rooms to life and demonstrates how we lived and just how much has changed over the past 100 years. Experience a flavour of the changes that have taken place over the last century and see how our homes have been transformed and how much technology has impacted on our lives. The rooms you’ll walk through document these developments and alongside them you’ll see the things we bought for our homes, the products we used, the toys we played with and even the packaging of the food we ate throughout the century.

Coventry Transport Museum









Coventry Transport Museum is joining the centenary celebrations by providing
a selection of historic cars and cycles for the display in Century Street.









These include a 1909 Edwardian open-topped Rover and a 1955 Standard Super
Ten (a popular family car), a 1913 BSA motorcycle, a trade bicycle dating
from the 1920s, a turn of the century child¹s bicycle and a 1950s Rudge
cycle for girls.

Coventry Transport Museum displays the largest collection of British road
transport in the world and is designated a collection of national
importance. Admission is free, and the museum is open daily 10am-5pm.

Find out more at www.transport-museum.com

Visit Century Street to see two icons of the twentieth century


An original red K6 ‘Jubilee’ telephone kiosk and a bright red pillar box.













Telephone kiosks were introduced to England’s streets in 1884 and were standardised with the K1 in 1921. In 1936, the K6 was introduced to celebrate George V’s Silver Jubilee. Designed by architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the K6 was more contemporary, to suit mid-twentieth century streets. The interior was like a 1940s personal office and included a writing table, pen, notepad and phone book.

The ‘Post Office red’ paint was controversial. Earlier kiosks had been painted brown, green or cream, but the Post Office chose to paint the cast iron box red and it defined the style for the next 60 years.

The kiosk is on display thanks to Connected Earth, the telecommunications heritage initiative founded by BT. Find out more at www.connected-earth.com



Bright red pillar boxes have been a distinctive part of our street furniture for generations. The pillar box on display on Century Street is a replica of a Queen Victoria B Type, that would have been in use in 1908.

The box is on loan from The British Postal Museum & Archive, a treasure trove for anyone interested in the history of the post in this country. To find out more, please visit www.postalheritage.org.uk




The products featured in Century Street have been contributed to by Robert Opie, and the Museum of Brands.
To find out more about the The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising click here

The History Channel is also offering the chance to win an exclusive luxury weekend in an English Heritage Holiday Cottage.
To find out more, click here.