Street / road names and their origins

A friend of mine is trying to research the origin of the name Grayswood Avenue (running between Holyhead Rd and Allesley Old Rd), and also of Gray's Wood, which is part of Lake View Park (along the banks of the Sherbourne, between Grayswood Ave and Four Pounds Ave). But it's proving rather tricky! So far, it seems that Grayswood Ave was built around the 1930s. And it appears that allotments were cleared to make way for the wooded area of Gray's Wood around the 1980s. Which seems to suggest that the road was not named after the wood. Does anyone know what could be the origin of the name? Could they have been named after someone called Gray? Thanks!

Hi, Tile Hill Girl. Welcome to the forum. Looking at the old maps and Goodle satellite view, the land before the development had no wood and no reference to Gray. The 'wood' just looks like abandoned allotments which still reflect the layout of the original plan, including the old septic tank. Old Maps - zoom out for map It looks like Gray may come from either the farmer (probably High Field farm) who owned the land or the builder.

Thanks Helen. That's a useful idea to follow up on High Field Farm. Do you know where there could be records of the owner? We also wondered about the builder idea, as there was a very well known builder in Cov called John Gray, who built the war memorial at the Memorial Park, and bought Coombe Abbey, in the 1920s (so shortly before Grayswood Ave was probably built). We found info that he had built a couple of other housing areas in Cov, but no reference to the Grayswood Ave area. Thanks!

File relating to building at Coventry Collections File relating to planning appeal by Barwal Estates Ltd re corner site land on the Highlands Building Estate, Allesley: proposal to build a total of 16 houses at Cranford Road, Dulverton Avenue, and at the junction between the two roads. I searched using some of the other road names. You may get what you're looking for by linking Gray with likely references. Although ultimately you may have to pop into the Herbert Archives. A reference that may be relevant And another Was the farm involved Brooklands instead? Follow links that you think might go somewhere and see what turns up.

Thanks very much Helen. Lots of new lines of enquiry to follow up on!

I know that many streets are named after famous or local people, for historical reasons or just because they sound nice, however I am puzzled by the origin of Sapphire Gate in the Stoke/Binley area. It doesn't seem to have anything in common with the surrounding street names and is the only one called Gate. Could it be anything to do with either the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire car or turbojet engine? Anybody got any ideas?

The other roads look like authors and poets.

Up Eastern Green way, or near, it sounds more like New York with the street names: Pelham Bend Mohawk Bend Niagara Close Manhattan Way Astoria Drive Placid Close Jefferson Way Steinway

A few of the names don't come up with a poet of the right era but I looked up Wyver and it's in a place called Poet's Corner. At least one of the names is a pen name eg Lord Lytton was an MP and sometimes poet who wrote under the name Owen Meredith.

Helen, it's always been known as Poets Corner as far as I know and most of the names are fairly obvious but some are somewhat tenuous, maybe they ran out of names and so used really obscure poets (or even made some up). Osmiroid, that's the relatively new Bannerbrook Estate isn't it, it's one of the great places to get lost when you go there the first few times, I know I've done it.

Yes, I only know it from maps. A few years ago I googled an old Middlemore's postcode and it came up as Mohawk Bend!

Poets Corner was near the Forum, built in the 1930 I believe, not sure, but just before the war.

Quite correct, Kaga - road names include Longfellow, Browning, Shelley, Tennyson, Coleridge...

Apologies if this has been covered before but I can't see any reference using the search tool. Is the area at the junctions of Harnall Lane East, Swan Lane, Nicholls Street and Burlington Road knows as J(G)erards Cross and if so what's the origin please?