Foleshill (inc. Foleshill Road)

Alfred Herbert's was the view from my bedroom window as a kid. We used to sneak under the chain fence at evenings and weekends to play in the black foundry sand. Who needs Wakiki Beach?

Not seen this image before of Leicester Row.

NeilsYard, Nice find on the photo. I thought the trams used to go along Leicester Row to reach the Foleshill Road and I can't see any tram tracks in the picture. Might the picture be of the adjacent Leicester Street? Peter.

Hi Peter I think you could be right - I'm looking at maps around 1900 and even then there were tram lines along Leicester Row. The only image I have of Leicester Street is in the Leicester Street Industrial Home for Girls thread and the cobbles do look similar. I was only going off the book it was taken from - good spot!

NeilsYard, does the book give you any idea why the photo was taken, the four guys are in Sunday best clothes, so it was taken on a Sunday. This is a first class photo for 1926, no one had a camera like that, except the press, and he seems to have caught the four guys as they came out of the pathway, through the gardens, so where were they going? I'm a little suspicious of the 1926/7 years and Foleshill. I seem to think there was a large grocery warehouse about where the derelict houses are in the thirties, but a little farther back from the road.

Sorry Kaga - it was taken from an image on one of the Coventry FB pages which I had not seen before so not sure which book it was from. Looking at maps I think the photographer could be at the junction with Leicester Row but looking east along the atreet.

The photo is actually in the "Library pictures" - link - as Leicester Street

Ahh nice one Cliff. I keep forgetting the Library pictures section - must browse more often! Slightly confused again though as that image there states it's at Leicester Street view from Foleshill Rd. end. From what I can see the west end of Leicester Street met with Leicester Row and the east end then became Swanswell Terrace - so Leicester Street did not actually meet up with Foleshill Road?

Good point, Neil - where did Leicester Row finish and Foleshill Road start? Was LR actually part of FR somehow?

My early 1900's OS map seems to indicate Foleshill Road only started at Cashs Lane but I'm sure that can't be right.

I would imagine Foleshill Road finished by the canal bridge leading to Drapers Fields. I used to cycle along Leicester Row on my way to work at Gas Steet. I used to use a sign writer who had premises in Leicester Row, his name was Alec Johnson. Looking at the picture you can see the canal warehouses in the background, you can also see Courtaulds chimney.

NeilsYard, your picture brings forth a greater story of part of Coventry's great history. For Foleshill was one of the largest districts and a way of life. Behind those buildings on the left, many canal boats brought coal daily into Coventry. But in 1926 the coalfield of Foleshill closed, throwing hundreds of people out of work, this had a knock-on effect, a mile and half of railway was made obsolete, this in turn made the Wyken Basin obsolete, the canal business more or less collapsed, the boatyards closed, the canal ticket office at Sutton Stop closed, and so did many at the top of Bishop Street - wharfs, offices, handlers, all made redundant, all those buildings in your picture were affected, and where people knew and were used to the canal people it all started to collapse and a new way of life had to be found. But Coventry was well known for it's trade union people, in fact the greatest unionist of those days came from Grange Road, Foleshill, and the Co-op in Foleshill had the first union, There were many secret meetings, and many people tried to stop them, or took pictures of them to pass on to the police. I cannot remember the tram system but I think it passed behind the photographer then turned left into Foleshill Road, I believe it may have been like that so the boat handlers and the horse drays had room to move.

This 1906 map shows Leicester Street relative to Leicester Row & Bishop Street. According to the 1841 census my ancestor James Oldham lived in Dog Lane which later became Leicester Street

Derrickarthur, that is brilliant, been looking for that map for a couple of months. Thanks, Kaga

The following may help to decide the start or finish of the Foleshill Road. As youngsters to find where my was gran living we were encouraged to keep Drapers Fields "hump bridge" on the left. Continue along the road until the gents toilets were found, cross over the road and look for number 30. Possible the Foleshill Road started or finished around the public toilets area.