Longford (inc. The Red Hills)

What have they done with the place I once knew. The little school where I first showed my face. Disappeared, gone without trace. The church has gone with the vestry, the organ, the altar too Replaced with houses all brand new. Main Pit Farm, where we romped in the hay Now replaced by a motor highway The house I lived in for so many a year knocked down, taken away, I do fear The Castle, the pub, has been altered too, What they serve now, not the same brew Old man Sephton what yarns he spun Of boats, and fishing and fights in the bar And plenty of drinks when the old five won And old man Farrow, too many drinks was wheeled home in a barrow. The butchers has gone were we queued for meat and the days of ration books and coupons, if you wished to eat. The Jackers Road post office, you could buy one stamp or one sweet now, just a plain house, like the rest of the street Pearson the barber who cut my hair, for me, would put a wooden stool in the chair, Now he is gone, to meet his maker, no other barber taker. And where I sat with my back to a tree, and tried to whistle with the skylark They removed the tree and built a car park

A wonderful verse Kaga I enjoyed it very much. Thank you for sharing it with us

First time on the forum and wondered if anyone could shed light on this photograph. I believe it is the celebration to mark the end of WW1 and suspect it could be the Courtaulds chimney in the background. My great grandfather Walter Robert Stilgoe is at the front with the cap next to the blurred man who is turning round. In 1906 they lived in Garrets Yard Bedworth, 1911 Goodyers End Exhall but then became established in Longford, finally living at 339 Bedworth Road. He was married to Sarah Ann (Sally) formerly Adams. My grandmother Hetty Irene Stilgoe was baptised at St Thomas' Longford in 1921 and my mum can remember being taken to union place chapel. He went onto work at Stirling Metals I believe. Any information on this event or the family would be appreciated.

That there are many Longford lads and lasses out here in the ether, there is but one LongfordLad (Canada) and one Longford Lad (Germany). Both are distinguished, both are energetic but only one - Longford Lad - is based in the German land, the other is based in what was previously known as the Dominion of Canada. Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth, alongside such countries as Australia and New Zealand, places of about which you have heard and approved, whereas Germany - where Longford Lad lives - once (1939-1945) was an enemy of our realm. While you may have heard of such a place, is not a place inviting your approval, for all that - latterly (the European Central Bank notwithstanding) - it has improved its image immeasurably, and now has things like freedom of speech, democracy and such, and is a member of the European Union. The European Union is a wealthy man's version of the British Commonwealth, but without Kangaroos, Kiwis, Elephants and such, and without a Queen (capitalized, lest the be any misunderstanding), or a lower precinct (lower case). Any road, as Coventrians were once wont to say, I - LongfordLad (one word with two capitals but no gap between the "d" and the "L") - .continues to keep an eye on his territory of old and have pleasure in recalling that STILGOE once was a Longford name of magnificence, a name that spelled the village as certainly as L-O-N-G-F-O-R-D did. Welcome back, you Stilgoe of old, you Stilgoe of new. P.S. Have a problem with an address at 339 Bedworth Road. Such an address would have approximated the Vicarage (now gone) as the last odd-number address before the iron bridge. 339 would have been somewhere in front of the access road that led to the clay pit that served the brickworks.

Thanks LongfordLad for your info. Out of interest does no5 Elm Cottage, Foundry Row, Longford ring any bells with anyone.

After moving to Lincolnshire nearly 5 years ago, I'm so happy to be back in Longford, spent most of my life living here, have lived in St Thomas Road, Woolgrove Street, Windmill Road, Mill Race Lane, and Burbages Lane, and from this photo, I'm sure many will guess where I'm living now!

Still looks nice and scenic. I remember my friends and I used to go cycling down to the Red Hills in the late 70s early 80s. It was great fun and some of us had bikes with "cowhorn" handlebars.

Hi LongfordLad, After noticing this thread had been brought to light again I must apologise for not seeing your post dated April 2014. Had I have read it then I would have most certainly replied and realised you were just a young pup as I would have been - but me 'Skipping across the meadow picking up lots of Forget- me knots', although I do believe I would have been skipping a good while before your time. Do have a great day.

I know its going a bit off-topic but where was the motor-cycle speedway track in Exhall? I know there was one behind the Griffin Inn on the Coventry Road in Nuneaton, and incidentally a BMX cycle track on the Heckley Fields Exhall in the seventies, but a full speedway track? The only area I can think of would have been down Bayton Road. Was it there somewhere?

Just waxing poetic, Dreamtime, for I loved those Red Hills, those Meeting Fields. If there ever was a place in Longford - in the 1950s - to get up to greater mischief and mayhem, then I never found it. Of course, with the passage of time, with the attention of those who felt the area had more to offer than a sanctuary for the adventure-challenged, then the area might become, did become, a place of considerable beauty, so thank you to those who stayed there and bothered themselves enough to address Longford's shortcomings. You did a great job!

Now where did this topic come from? Morgana, Longford Lad, knew the place, saw little of it, guess I'm guilty of a lot of that more to offer than adventure, but then it was adventure, for there was a lot of pretty girls in Longford and that was the place not to be seen when your sixteen, if you know what I mean.

A lot of families who lived around Longford were off the narrow working boats like the Hambridges, McDonalds, Beachams and Granthams which still live around here all had large families. Kaga, I bet the men won't admit going through Longford ever again.

I'll admit to it Morgana! For a wonderful, but brief, time in the early 60s I spent some time with lovely Longford girls. The rink, the Ritz, back room of the New Inn to listen to the groups. All innocent (fairly) of course!

Thank goodness for that Walrus, it has saved me asking the council to take the orange lighted lampost outside my house down, as some might mistake it for glowing red I am sure you had a wonderful time at the rink, Ritz and New Inn, Walrus, with innocence, I suppose if you go looking for it you will find good or bad.

In the late 50s/early 60s there was a scrambling track around the still-functioning (I believe) Exhall Colliery. The entrance for pedestrians and contestants alike was from Bayton Road. Some excellent (not to mention courageous) motorcyclists gave local fans many a thrill and the rode up the hill and down the dale. Good men, all. It proved not quite to my taste, for the racers were far apart for most of ride, so not much jockeying for position. Nowhere near as much "scrambling" as I thought there should be.