Canals around Coventry

I have just found a photo showing the house to be in that same place. But as far back as I remember there was always a house between the pub and the,cut, the woman's name was Polly and she kept pigs out back before the war, there was also a large washhouse for the 3/4 houses along side the cut. The Castle had a large number of buildings outback, large stables, hay barns and orchard, pigsties. There were a row of houses below the Castle to the power station gates, they also had toilets and a washhouse for about 4 families.

I'm convinced Kaga, any chance of putting the photo on here?

NormK, yes it's on this forum, can't remember where, there's a photo of the old bridge, with the Castle on the left, and the chimneys of the house showing, that I had missed before, could be morgana or Paul Guy put it on. It also shows a building attached to the fishing shop on the pavement of the bridge.

Hi, try the Library pictures . . (yipeee they're working ?) I think it's the second one.

Just type in 'tusses' without quotes and it's the second image.

Hi, I've made it a bit bigger, I hope it's the correct one.

The photograph above is a stock photograph and can be found on the Nuneaton/Bedworth website and I think elsewhere, thought you were referring to a personal photograph Kaga. As one walked toward the pub along the towpath the E&C presented a double gable end so the one nearest the path could have been the roof of a private house as Kaga said. I think that you are a tad older than me Kaga and lived closer to the bridge than I did so your memories of its demolition will be better than mine. I believe that the new bridge was built pre Dec.1939.

Thanks Heathite. That's the same shot I put on a while back, I took it from a framed photo in the tackle shop but with a bad reflection, yours is a lot clearer. I suppose the house the other side of the bridge was demolished for widening of the bridge.

The blue-black way of the canal wound softly around towards the back of the Boat Inn. On the south side the whole agitation of the colliery and railway workings and Bell Green, and Henley water mill, on the right hand side were the lush green water meadows of the 'slough', with willow and alder trees along its overspill, the faint cry of birds and wheeling pee-wits came to meet the stuttering noise of the pits. Near to the Boat Inn there was an empty boat, painted in red and black cabin hood, but with a coal-black hold, lying moored. A man, lean and grimy, was sitting on a box against the cabin side, smoking and holding a baby that was wrapped in a drab shawl. Children's voices were heard from inside the cabin, a thin blue smoke ascended from the cabin chimney. 'Good afternoon' said a young woman walking the towpath. 'Good afternoon' said the man. 'May I look inside your boat?' asked the young woman. 'If you like, there's nobody'll stop you'. Stooping from the bank, she peeped into the cabin, there was a red glow of fire and the shadowy figure of a woman, saucepans were boiling and some dishes on the table. It was very hot. The man was talking to the baby. It was a black-eyed, fresh faced thing with dark flowing hair. 'Is it a boy or a girl?' she asked. 'It's a girl. Aren't you a girl, eh' he said to the infant. Its little face wrinkled up into the oddest, funniest smile. 'What's her name?' asked the young woman'. 'She hasn't got a name, she's not worth one', said the man.' are you, you fag-end o' nothing?' he shouted to the baby, the baby giggled. 'No, we've been that busy, we've never took her to th' registry office' came the woman's voice. 'She was born on th' boat here'. 'But you know what you're going to call her', asked the young woman. 'We did think of Gladys', said the mother. 'We thought of nowt o' th' sort,' said the father. 'Hark at him!, What do you want?' cried the mother in exasperation. 'She be called Emma after th' boat she was born on'. 'She's not, so there', said the mother, viciously defiant. 'Let me hold her,' she asked. He yielded her the child. 'What's your name?' the man suddenly asked her. 'My name is Selina, Selina Simpson', she replied. 'Hey, mother' he called. A bright flush came over the mother's face, 'it's not a common name, is it!' 'Yes we will call her Selina'. 'Then I must give her something', said the girl. 'Could I give her my necklace?' she asked, and she went to the infant and fastened the necklace round the soft little neck. Then the father bent over his child. 'What do you say?' he said. 'Do you say thank you, Selina?' 'Her name's Selina now, said the mother, stepping forward to examine the necklace on the child's neck. The woman wanted to go, she kissed the child, which was in its mothers arms, then turned away. The mother was effusive, the boatman watched her go.

Yes, thank you Heathite, really a great picture, clearly see the chimneys. I have a feeling it came down before 1930 as I never knew a gateway or such at any time of my life, yet I knew the names of my relatives and people that lived opposite. My mother's people all lived the other side of the bridge, but looking at the picture, looks more hump backed than from the canal. I believe the first workmen for the new bridge and widening was summer 1936, by 1939 they came and took the iron railings away, but those little cottages on the canal towpath were still there after the war. Sadly one of the workmen on the bridge lost his life. LesMac, I think if you lived anywhere between the Bird in Hand and the bridge I would know your family. I have just seen a photo in a book of the building of the bridge to Taylors Farm, Hall Green Rd, 1950, and some interesting reading.

Who was Selina Simpson, Kaga?

Midland Red, Born 1839 to 1933.

A relative, no doubt?

As cars started to appear, early thirties, you can see how dangerous it was to cross that little hump backed bridge to go to school, school being just inside Lentons Lane. Remember one morning being in a pony and trap with several chairs and the driver and several chairs fell off the trap right on the top of that bridge. Long ago, memories flood back when you see photos like that.

During the 1950's I worked in the woodyard alongside the canal basin, along the canal's southern bank, straightened and strengthened with great stone blocks along a 200yard stretch. The blocks were chiseled and expertly fitted. They made a quayside A wharf, they had fat mushrooms or uprights to tie up ropes, stone paving slabs made the wharf 20 feet deep. All along its length were tall brick buildings, open on the canal side, and open on the street side. The street was cobbled. A hundred years ago there would have been a large number of narrow boats tied up and unloading. There would have been swarms of men at work. There would have been horses and carts clattering on the cobbles, a number of them would have been my ancestors. Some of the buildings had faded names on them. The buildings were standing strong, ripe for renovation. There was construction going on all over town - they could have built a small museum laying out the history of the canal, maybe a cafe.