Gosford Green

My grandparents lived and grew up in Atkins Square next to the 'White Lion' public house. As a child I had some great times/memories. Any info/pics of the square and surrounding area would be great Remember next to the White Lion was Sweeney Todd's, then Riddys army store, then corner sweet shop and on Paynes Lane there was electric shop that seemed to stock anything you could think of and a pet shop. I know my Nan was a cleaner at the Scala and then later at the school next to the square. Can't remember the name of school, was it St Joseph's Convent??

Hello Stevie G and welcome to the forum You'll find us a friendly crowd, and hopefully you'll get to obtain the information you're looking for - and maybe even more Enjoy !

Hello Stevie G. It depends on the date. Both St Joseph's and the White Lion were destroyed by bombing in 1940. The White Lion was later rebuilt (in a very different style) but the convent moved to Kenilworth. In the 1950s St Mary's Catholic Primary School was built on the site of the former convent.

The White Lion I'm talking about is mid sixties but have learnt something already, didn't know it was bombed in the war. My grandparents lived in the last topshop house on same side as pub in the square, I bow to your knowledge on the school. Did St Joseph's move in before St Mary's

Yes, there's no similarity between the pre-war and post-war pub. No, they left Coventry long before St Mary's was built. Do you also remember the record shop in Paynes Lane, next to the pet shop, or is that the electrical shop you mentioned?

Seeing as this subject is on Gosford Green, can anyone throw a light at what was behind the wrought iron railings on the green. The area I mean is where Walsgrave Road and Binley Road meet. Almost opposite Riddys. There used to be sheds for the parks dept, and facing these, there was some sort of monument surrounded by railings.

Do you mean this one?

Hi Dutchman, thanks for photo. I don't think that is it. I know on the Binley Road side of the park we had, I think, St Catherine's, but the area at the tip of the park, looking towards Far Gosford St, is where I'm talking about. I have the feeling it was wrought iron or something similar. It was behind the footpath linking Walsgrave and Binley Rds, surrounded by shrubs. There was something in the Telegraph about its disappearance a few years ago, and i think it was discovered in some councillor's garden somewhere in Binley.

That was a sandstone fountain. It was removed from the park to prevent vandalism and then forgotten about:

I remember there was a snooker hall on Gosford Green. Aged about 15 or 16, a few of us fancied trying snooker but couldn't get into clubs to play. We had seen this place on the way to the football, so gave it a go in the summer holidays. It was a sort of long prefabricated place which smelt damp and grubby, and was run by a little old chap who may have been called Walter. We only went a couple of times. Suffice to say some of the other clientele looked a bit dodgy! I also recall when I played for a junior football team in the late 60s, we often played on Gosford Park, just a few yards away on the other side of Binley Road. We had to change in the bowls pavilion and carry the goalposts over the road. The pitches were dreadful. There was a path across one of them, and in one game a woman was pushing a pram across the pitch, oblivious of the game going on around her.

Thank you again Dutchman, to the rescue yet again. That must be it if it was there in the 1960s, I remember something being there. I just didn't know what, other than it was surrounded by railings.

Yes I remember the snooker hall, just before the railway bridge on Walsgrave Rd. It may have looked a bit seedy, but I don't think there was any trouble there. It had some really good players there, and at times you had a long wait for a table. It was very popular with City fans, as after a game, it was only a short walk down Swan Lane to the hall. Has anyone any idea when it closed?

Yes it was Adrian, I remember it too Until that story in the Telegraph about it being found, I had no idea it had ever been removed.

Hi Dutchman. How well I remember the fountain. I had to cut across that corner where the fountain was to get to Mum's little shop in King Richard Street (from Welland Rd) and the year, I think 1947, was a killer, everyone was snowed in. No traffic, no nothing, only folk trudging through the snow. I thought it was great at the time. At that time there was an opening each side of the corner and tall trees behind the glorious fountain. Of course when you are younger things seemed a lot bigger and Gosford Park itself looked as if it went on for ever. Thank you for the photo, you always come up with the goodies.

As I'm new to this site forgive me if I've repeated myself on other posts, but, has anyone got any info/pics of Atkins Square, would really like to reminisce!!!!!