Canals around Coventry

Kaga. I know the article that you are looking for but it no longer exists, it was here

Norman Conquest, thanks but I was looking for his story, I know he was sweet about one of the Simpson girls when he was young, he grew up on the boats as did my father so they were boat boys at the same time and had a lifetime friendship of over fifty years, from the end of the war Joe supplied us with coal and we traded eggs, milk and corn to him. Like all boat families the Skinners were a large family having many boats.

nuneatonhistory.com This is the Nuneaton, Bedworth, and North Warwickshire Local and Family History Website which has a 1960's colour photograph of 'Friendship' with Rose Skinner at the tiller. Look under 'Images from the archives' and then 'canals'. If it is 1960's then this would be after Joe and Rose had retired so they could have been on their way to a waterways event somewhere.

Not Local, absolutely brilliant for me, thank you, but I wish they would refrain from calling them barges, they were narrowboats. Now there has been much said on here about the arm at the back of the Boat Inn, Deedmore Road, as I posted earlier that it was the original canal, but was straightened out much later to today's canal, this is verified by the early map, that shows the loop, and circled 1, the little dash is the basin. Thanks again for putting me on to the link. Regards Kaga.

I would just like to thank our Mod's for the work they have just put in on this topic. Regards, Kaga.

This one is all down to Midland Red - I'm sure he'll be very appreciative of your kind words, thanks Kaga.

Around 1950 time there was a 6-8 foot brick wall surrounding the Coventry basin, top of Bishop street, with two big black wooden gates the entrance next to the house inside the wall, this house was a plumbers merchants, the guy who owned it had a string of racehorses. Next to that was Cartwrights Timberyard. There were no boats moored in the basin. Around 1953-4 a 24 year old guy named Ron Cook bought an old narrow motor boat at Nuneaton, he had it completely overhauled at Nuneaton Boatyard, even new planks put in, he then made a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom inside and lived in it with his young wife. They travelled to Sutton Stop with no problems but then they wanted to get to Coventry Basin, from Sutton Stop there was so many bedsteads, bicycles, and trash that he bowhauled most of the way, taking several days. He moored it for some months at the basin, at a rent of ten shillings per year from Inland Waterways. I think I would be right to say he was the first boat in about ten years to have navigated that section of the canal. Around that time my father was ordered to leave Canal Cottage, Brinklow and move to the Canal Cottage, New Inn Bridge, Coventry to organise the clean up of that section of the canal, Sutton Stop to Coventry Basin.This meant my young brother had to leave school at Rugby and attend Windmill Lane school.

And this is the start

Three things happened that I witnessed about this scene. One, a Tiger Moth flew under that bridge in 1939 Two, over a hundred rabbits died from myxomatosis along the bank,1952/3. Three, about a dozen sheep drowned when this bank collapsed and the water flooded the fields, 1956/7 time.

Kaga. The first photo is familiar to me, it's the stretch in Leicester Causeway, and Priestley's Bridge is just out of shot.

Hi Kaga. Very interested in the Tiger Moth that you witnessed. As I know the dimensions of that aircraft I was wondering what bridge it flew under.

Norman Conquest, The high bridge in the picture it spans the canal and railway, and that's Nettle farm to the right, just out of shot. Yes a suberb bit of flying, I thought he shook his fist at me, as he lifted above my head, but later I realised he was saluting his own flying. Often wondered if he joined 617 squadron.

There has been talk of swimming in the canal on the Longford topic, but it was always a risk swimming in the canal, especially near the houses, the sad fact is that junk was thrown into the canal, and so were dogs, the boat people knew where they would encounter rubbish and dead animals, near where people resided. From New Inn bridge to the Coventry basin was notorious, for both, but humans (suicides) were always farther afield, and there were quite a few of them. Around 35/36 time a lad went off Grange Road bridge and got speared by old iron rubbish, died instantly. NormanConquest, the span of the brick uprights to the high bridge were over thirty feet, and over ten feet tall, so a Tiger Moth had the room, as long as he did not meet a boat or train, and in late 39 train traffic was enormous with the troop trains. I had the pleasure of flying over that bridge a couple of times and getting a close look, three years after the incident.

Good morning to one and all. Dead dogs in canals. As I have said in previous threads I have been a boat enthusiast for well over 50 years and have sailed or chugged on most navigable waters in and around England. Probably thousands of miles over all and don't recall ever seeing a dead dog bobbing in the water. I have only ever had one pet dog and when it became ill I took it to the vet in Broad Lane. They kept it for a couple of days then phoned me to visit them. The dog had cancer and should be destroyed. I agreed and when I was asked what I wanted to do with the remains of poor Sandy I didn't say that I would take him to Longford and chuck him in the cut. I don't know anyone who would. Why the canal? Why not the Swanswell or the Slough, never seen dogs in there either. Dogs are good swimmers and if they fall in would no doubt get out again. Another alternative that someone would want rid of their pooch so the tie a house brick to the collar and throw poor Fido off the bridge instead of spending a couple of quid for a vet to give him the needle. That would fix Fido to the canal bed. Also cats, never seen a dead pussy in the water either. No doubt others have different experiences of seeing dead animals in the cut but thankfully I haven't. Kaga and I were both canal swimmers in our younger days, not now though, that's something we leave behind as we grow up. Kaga, I think that I may have misunderstood your comments about the Tiger Moth. I think the bridge in your picture is the service road to Nettle Hill Farm. I know that bridge from above but more from below. I agree that if the intrepid aviator was to meet a train coming the other way it could ruin his day but you also mention colliding with a boat so I am not sure which span you refer to. Canal or rail? I think that a Tiger Moth could fit under the bridge but with a wing span of almost 30ft and height of 8ft 9 ins it would be a tight fit but have no doubt that it could be done. I wouldn't like to be in the jump seat.