Sewall Highway

Hi, the secretary for the allotments was, I think, a Mr Stringer, who lived in Blackberry Lane. I'm sure he arranged the final sale of all the allotments that is now the new housing estate in Flowerdale Drive. Hope this helps. adrian

Well I remember Underwoods very well, I remember Archie and Wyn (I think), they shut on a Sunday afternoon but left papers outside on a rack, people would get the paper and put the money through the letter box, and they sold everything in there from washing lines to tea cups. I also remember the lady who worked there for years, Mrs Kirby, her son was a friend of mine, Alan.

The Black Pad I particularly remember somewhere in Wyken, exactly where I'm not sure, was composed of ash and clinker, the same material used for footpaths / lanes on private allotment sites such as Stratford Street and those which used to cut Sewall Highway in two, possibly known as Stoke Heath allotments. Incidentally Sewall Highway had confusing street signs at one time, some read Sewall and other Sewell. Post copied from topic Black Pad and Tin Lizzy on 8th May 2018 5:20 pm

Hi Tom, Hi all, I had no idea about the Sewell or Sewall Highway, but the first record is of Sewall Avenue, that started from the Ansty Road, and went as far as the present roundabout at Wyken Grange Road. That was after 1929. It is shown on Rob's scanned maps on here, 1936.

Hi Phil As a youngster had a mild argument with my cousin when he saw my spelling (Sewall) of the road where we both lived. He insisted upon the 'e' version as he said the road was named after Anna Sewell the writer of Black Beauty. I stuck to my spelling but had to admit that at least one of the road signs used 'e'. I think it may have been the one nearest Ansty Road. To get to the section of Sewall Highway that ended at Bell Green Road one would have to take a left into Dennis Road and drive through Stoke Heath estate, right onto Blackberry Lane then left back onto Sewall. The allotments covered the area now occupied by Thorney Road etc. and across Sewall. In my just-published biography of my childhood the allotments and The Dump (always given upper case initials in grateful memory) get mentioned quite extensively!

Hi Tom, I well remember the allotments that divided Sewall Highway in half. I grew up at 285, from 1947 to 1968. My friend Stuart still lives just a few doors down. A couple of years ago, I called in on him one day & asked if he was coming out to play. He did & we went down the Devon.

Via Platform 1 and the Devon Belle was it Philip ? Just linking this with a famous train. Ha Ha.

Hi. I was born in Sewall Highway between Blackberry Lane and Dennis Road. The allotments were behind our houses and many were disused and had dilapidated garages in them and lots of brambles. A few scrap dealers still had yards there and as kids we used to go into the area and pick blackberries and get chased by strange men with axes! The allotments were built upon some years ago, but luckily our neighbour had bought the allotment directly behind us and he never sold it and that formed a barrier between our back gardens and the new houses. We moved in 1977 before the new estate was built. I loved growing up there, lost of places to play and no real threat of coming to any harm, apart from the one mad axeman!

Hello & welcome TCP36 I grew up between Dennis Rd & the Devon. 1947 to 1968. Many streets in Coventry were constructed in phases. Hipswell Highway was in two halves until after the war. Sewall Highway started from Ansty Rd as Sewall Avenue.

Do you remember Mrs Busby that lived between the allotments, and Sammy Spring, the champion Dahlia grower, who lived just by the entrance to the allotments on Blackberry Lane.

Which side of the road did you live on? My family lived at 321.

Hi all I was at 285, a few doors further down from you. My chum was Stuart Woodfield, who still lives a couple of doors away in Sewall Highway.

Bernie, I remember Alan Kirby, he was in my class at Courthouse Green. He is on a class photo of the fourth year. I don't remember him at Caludon. Do you know what happened to him subsequently?

Hello! I remember the dahlia grower. Mum used to send us up to his garden to buy bunches of flowers. Do you remember the Browns who ran the local shop there, later the Handfords took it over. We used to shop there a lot. Sometimes we shopped at Brixham Drive shops. Who remembers Mellors the grocers? Also Sheila and her mother Wynn who ran the newsagents there? Fords the chemists and the useful greengrocers there; the wool shop, hairdressers, butchers and hardware store? Happy days!

All I can remember John is that he lived opposite the shops on Sewall Highway and his mum worked for years at Underwoods. I will ask Frazer Hendry when I see him, he was a good friend of his.