The Coventry you will never know

Coventry. Around the 1920-30's the outskirts of the city were one sided streets, the other side being fields or heathland - Walsgrave Road, Bell Green Road, Longford Road, to name a few. Beyond that there were endless fields and spinneys, woods full of wild flowers and clear streams, bubbling and gurgling over the stones, when learning of plants seemed important to what you could eat, or what you could use for different ailments. As kids we drank from the streams, ate wild berries, rubbed different herbs and leaves on our arms and legs to get rid of stings and warts. Animals would lie down to warm the ground before a snowstorm or heavy rain, so we knew when to find shelter. Many days I would look at the cattle in the meadow before taking my scarf, if it threatened being windy not to take my scarf for it would blow in my way, and many things I've now forgotten. Gathered arms full of bluebells, ran through the fields of wild herbs and flowers, the scents almost overpowering us, the flowers tickling our legs, chasing butterflies, not a care in the world - never heard the word stress or boredom, didn't exist in those days. The rest of the world did not exist for us, neither for others - few people had ever been beyond the city. Only when both sides of the street had buildings did our parents call it the city. I believe it would be hard for you to imagine it as such, as there was no traffic, no background noise, only the rustle of the wind in the trees, the song of the birds, and the noise of cattle, dogs barking and the call of kids playing in the streets. So when we did go into the city, seeing and riding on trams, the shops with the traders yelling and bargaining, hearing the phones, speaking tubes in shops, the many types of goods that were sold, most of it loose, dolled out with scoops or measures from tubs or drawers, the first cars - yes many were of three wheels only - we were very excited. Factory hooters mainly told us the time. The old cobbled streets and old buildings around the Cathedral where the tops of the houses hung in towards the buildings on the other side stretched my imagination.

Dear Kaga, You brought a lump to my throat thinking of my boyhood days in the village of Meriden where I was born, the fields, the streams and the flowers. When I return HOME now and look the fields are empty, no children and no flowers. How sad for our children today not to be able to benefit from the free-running and self-benefiting knowledge of our natural world, a free life-long education. Did you get the watercress that peppery taste straight from the stream, I taste in my mind even now? Kindest regards Derek.

Back in the day, my dad would take me on a walk which passed by the River Sherbourne somewhere between the Chain and the Alvis. He would pick watercress out of the river to take back home on a Sunday, when we always had salad in the warmer weather.

Robthu. Yes, watercress, wild garlic, sloans, blackberries. By the way there were a large number of Robinsons and Swains lived close to us. Regards Kaga.

But as kids of those days long ago enjoyed the freedom and the adventure of growing up, it was not quite the same for our parents. The strikes and troubles of food supplies of 1926/7 - Coventry's big mining and coal industry was hit very hard, men were laid off from work, a year of anxiety, foreboding, yet at the same time a year of high endeavour. Big strides were being made in industry and Coventry was to the forefront - bicycles, cars etc, Courtaulds had just opened a new factory at Little Heath and was advancing in new fabrics. Coventry Council was falling behind, new roads were needed, water and sewage to the suburbs, new shops - the list was endless, and they did respond to the demands. So much achieved, so much destroyed, incredible in its speed, intensity, and incident. They were tremendous times, yet above it all the Coventry people were honest, cheerful and loveable people. A grim contrast to the waves of destruction that were so soon to enshroud the life of the Coventry people.

After the First World War, not easily could the sins of war be wiped away, Slump and strikes, poverty and unemployment, faced by a war-tired people. It wasn't until the 1930's that Coventry led the way, in industry, and peace. Coventry Council built 100's of new houses most with gardens of 30x100 yards, the layout that the Government called for. They built new sports centres, new cinemas, a new roadway and bridge, houses with bathrooms, and much more. Sewall Highway, the Morris Motors, in my area alone - throughout Coventry it was the same, buildings were springing up and Coventry was a great city to live in and enjoy. But once again Europe was a powder magazine, the words of never again lost to world butchery, a betrayal of sanity and reason.

All Coventry cinemas closed two days after the war started, for about two weeks. When I was about ten years old mother would let me go to the cinemas in town with older people. My elder brother, his mate, I and another kid went to the afternoon show at the Gaumont. When we left the cinema we would walk up to the Council House then cut through behind it into Broadgate. We cycled to Roses Garage opposite the Morris works, parked the bikes and walked to the Gaumont, along the Stoney Stanton Road, up Trinity Street and through the churchyard. The cinema had two sets of blacked out doors, because of the blackout, the usherettes would only let you go through one set at a time, so no light was visible. At the end of the show we left the cinema about six in the evening and 'wham', in seconds we were lost, It was so damned dark you could not see your hand in front of you, and there was deathly silence in the city - nothing moved, and it was very cold. The only thing we could hear were cries of help. It must have been Nov/Dec of '39, a bitterly cold winter. We called to each other, took off our scarves, tied them in a rope, looped them over our wrists chain like, walked like prisoners one foot in the gutter and one foot on the pavement. We bumped into many things and people, heard cursing coming out of the night - we argued about what was where in our memory. We found the Council House - keeplng one hand touching the wall, by the last man we could fan out to keep us in touch with layout as we thought. It was very scary - there was a rustle and sighing in the graveyard trees. Down Trinity Street, all was dead quiet, no trams, no people - somehow we managed to find Stoney Stanton Road. All traffic had stopped, we never saw or heard one tram or car. It was almost impossible to move, we ignored the bikes and kept on walking, feeling our way by what we knew - it was turned ten in the evening and mother was having a nightmare. We learnt a lot that night, about ourselves and the city. I believe there was something in the CET next day about the weather and the cancelling of trams.

After the first world war, thousands of soldiers returned home badly injured mentally, but they found great peace in the garden or allotment and country life. By the start of the thirties, with generous gardens with the new houses. the local flower and vegetable shows became more popular, with craft stalls, side shows and children's races, prizes for pot plants, jams and cakes, ointments and creams for healing. Throughout the summer there were May Queens, Rose Queens, Carnival Queens, it was a wonderful time for all, for kids to race from stall to stall it was magic. All the old recipes came back, home made butter mixed with calendulla petals gave it a wonderful golden colour and a taste - oh my! Dandelion and Burdock wine, and much more. Coventry industry was growing fast, the new large factories had sports grounds so we had days and days of local sports, all at little expense, if any. Times have changed. The sand pit replaces the lupins, the vegetable plot gives way to grass for football, the swing gone without trace.

Summertime and the living is hard, the ponds have dried up, the wells are empty and women queue for water. 1934??

Wow, this topic takes me back to the Coventry I first remember in the 50's, the house had no inside loo or bathroom, no hot running water until my mother bought a gas geyser, coal or wood fires our only source of heat and in winter, the frost was on the inside of the windows. My father grew veg in the garden, potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, anything that would keep over winter or we could turn into jam or bottle, we collected blackberries, rose hips, elderflower and elderberries, expeditions to Brandon and Binley Woods resulted in hazelnuts, we walked miles to get apples, pears and mushrooms from friends in Ansty, the fields were full of wildflowers, butterflies and bees, my sister and I would come home with bunches of bluebells or primroses for Mum, such a wonderful childhood, I was so lucky to live during this era.

A fine evening and a string of carriages passed through the centre of Coventry, resounding to the clatter of horses, the creak of harness, and the trundle of wheels. Landaus, Broughams, Gigs and Tandems. Magnificent horses groomed to perfection, coachmen and footmen in most opulent appearance, taking their masters and ladies to the Opera. A bustle of activity, brilliant painted coaches, the horse harness shone, with either silver plated or brass, horse-cloths were master-pieces, edged with silver-lace or gold thread with crowns and laurel sprigs embroidered in each corner. The Opera House in Hales Street was a resplendent building that flaunted wealth and opulence of the time. Ladies, beautifully dressed and confident, stepped down from the carriages, a rendezvous of fashion and aristocracy took place. It would have been difficult anywhere to see a more brilliant spectacle.

JW. Half-mile inside Coventry Boundary in 1927. The house I was born in was one of two, the other was my grandparents' house. Had no electric, no gas, no water, or sewage. Drinking water came from a well under the house, with a small pump attached to the side of our house, other water was from the rain water off the house. The toilet was down the garden, bucket affair. The lighting was oil. Between 1927-30. Gas was installed into both houses. Approx 9 years later the Coventry Council ran mains water into both houses but only linked sewage to my grandparents' house. Grandad had a toilet built on the side of his house, a pull chain flush, so we still had to go outside around the back in all weathers. 1940. My younger brother and I were evacuated for a few weeks to Canal House, approx a mile past the village of Ansty. 1945 Feb. I and my older brother and sister were in the forces. 1945 Aug. My elder brother and sister were now home and married, and dad decided to move to the said Canal House that was even more primitive, no anything. Access was by towpath a mile from any road, water had to be carried at least 500 yards by pails on a yoke, lighting was by oil, and by now I had three younger brothers in a much smaller house. By Sept 45 I had passed everything physically the Army threw at me, and was sent home on leave for three weeks with everything I possessed, full kit, rifle, and kit-bag, but no longer Coventry. I had to make my way to the house I had once been evacuated to over six miles out. I landed in Coventry Station about 1am, thought I'd hitch hike, but nothing would stop, so I walked with all my gear from Coventry Station to one mile the other side of the village of Ansty. 'Hard to believe' yes but quite true. When I finally left the forces, in 1948, after about four months, I went to live in Bedworth with my sister but in 1949 I finally got back to live in Coventry again.

For 7 to 10 years after the First World War, books and magazines flooded the market with stories and pictures of the war. Vivid photos of gassed soldiers. You're 5-6 years old, you have raging toothache. Dentist says, "I'm just going to put this little mask over your face and give you a little GAS".

Kaga, I don't believe the tooth fairy was around in my day. If you had a toothache it was a whiff of the rubber mask and next thing your ache was gone and hey presto so was your tooth.

Fortunately we are still able to buy watercress from a greengrocer, rather than at a supermarket, but I never had it straight from the stream, so happy memories!