"Burglar Bill" and other old tales of Radford

Annewiggy, Are you sure those buildings in the photo is Engleton Rd. I bought and lived in No 13 Engleton Rd but I do not recognise those houses. My house had a bay window, which was next door to No 11 which also had a bay window. I cannot see two bay windows side by side. Unless the bays have been removed for some reason. I do remember when I lived there, I exposed some covered brickwork, and one of those bricks carried the war department arrow, a distinctive M.O.D sign, and I was told by an elderly neighbour that yes they were built by P.O.W.'s.

Hi Freeman. I have just gone from the text on the link that said it was Engleton Road but I am pretty sure it is. Have just walked up the road on the google map and it looks the same. I am not sure which block it is though. The chimney on the end is the same on a lot of the terraces. Just thinking about those houses, I had a friend who lived a bit further up from the common on the same side of the common, one of the ones with a longer front garden. They had to duck under a movable work top to get into the kitchen !

Hi, number 11-13 Engleton Rd both have bay windows. The first house in the picture is number 40, the one with the outside chimmey on it. Any help?

Yes you are right scrutiny it is the block with 40 on the end, you can see a bit further up the ones set back with the longer front gardens. Interesting picture of the area on Britain from able showing the original St Nicholas Church. LINK

That's a good one Annewiggy, My old road - Beake Ave., and I was not even thought of then.

Annewiggy and Dreamtime, I remember when my Gran and Grandad lived in 13 Engleton Road, which I eventually bought. They had a bath in the kitchen which had a large wooden cover over it serving as a worktop by today's standard. I still do not recognise those houses, but the opening you can see served as an access to a garage behind the house, but became only a footpath beyond. I know this because I had to carry my kit backwards and forwards to my shed at the rear where I stored my ladders etc. I cannot recall any other of the houses having an opening, but the standing back houses did have a large space that would have taken a car. I have a photo taken of Radford Common before Beake Avenue was formed. I am hoping to put on the forum sometime soon.

Hi Freeman This row of houses is on the other side of the road, opposite Dugdale Road. There is one block opposite where you lived, then the ones set back and then this row. Further along they seem to be different design of houses. I would have pushed 100's of newspapers through these doors in about 1961 1962.

Yes Annewiggy, I agree with you there, they were different on the other side, and I think I can just see the top of St. Nicholas Church above the trees beyond the bend in the road. Do you remember Dr. Spears surgery at the top of Wyley Road, before they moved down to the first property in Engleton. When we lived there, it was partially an ironmongers cum builders shop, and a grocer run by the owners wife. When they left and sold up. Dr Spears together with Dr. Foster bought it and it became the surgery. I did quite a lot of work for Dr. Spears including the new surgery.

Hi Freeman, we were at 381 Beake Ave. late 50's so there were drastic changes since that photo. I remember the Robbins lived in Holland Road, Jennifer, Michael, not sure about Peter though.

Hi Dreamtime, We must have been around at about the same time, I was a fifties, Teddy boy era, not one myself though. I did papers from Schofields, Heathcote Road, and the paper shop on the Radford Road, opposite Bede Rd. Charlie Ward. I was friends with Michael Robbins, and I remember meeting Jennifer and Peter Robbins once. Peter Robbins played rugby for Coventry and England. If you Google Peter Robbins it will give you his history. Michael was not called Michael to us, he was known as Tubby, but he certainly was not tubby, so I don't know how he got that name. My other two friends were Bill Whittington and John Beard, whose nickname to us was Mousey, again I don't know why. I regularly get Spotify and go back into all the songs from then, Guy Mitchell was a favourite of mine, also Jimmy Young and David Whitfield. I look back with all the reminders on this forum with great nostalgia for those wonderful times of our youth.

I don't remember the Doctors, I only remember it being in Engleton Road. I think that later became a dentist. I only remember the paper and sweet shop at the top of Wyley Road which is still there. I think sweets were still on ration when I was a child but you could gradually get more. I seem to remember a penny bar of Cadburys chocolate that had little faces on and also jubblys, triangular blocks of orange ice. Just down from the paper shop used to be a lovely little wool shop which I loved and a grocers but we only went there in desperation because it was too dear. I am not sure if there was a third shop. I have just looked on google earth and that group of shops aren't there now. They must have been turned back into houses. Until he was 87, when he retired my dad would walk down to the post office on the Radford Road fr his pension, and then walk up Wyley Road which was quite steep to fetch his Condor from the paper shop.

Hi Freeman, yes I recall Dr Spears, Dr Foster, he was my family doctor, best doctor in the world, shame there wasn't more like him, also recall surgery being in Wyley Road, do you recall receptionist Mrs Constable, had daughters Myra and Pat, my mum's good friend, she lived in that surgery above. One of the nurses a few years ago informed me of Dr Foster's death and when his funeral was. They used to have a surgery at the same time on the corner of Capmartin Road, a long wooden hut, then it moved to the corner house on Cheveral Avenue and Foster Road.

Hello Dreamtime, I remember Edmund Hockridge, I think he was Canadian, or his accent was put on. Also do you remember Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth, regularly on workers playtime on the radio. I also remember two singers, on the radio a lot, Mr. and Mrs. Andrews accompanied occasionally by their daughter Julie. I did some work for Dr Spears at his house in Allesley village. He had a very tall house, and I did the staircase. Took me four and half weeks, and forty one rolls of wallpaper.

With your memory then Freeman (41 rolls of wallpaper) you must remember Leslie Welsh the memory man?