Foleshill (inc. Foleshill Road)

I think that in the 70s a company called Parrott electronics had some space in there for a while. They made guitar amps and similar items. I remember repairing a few, they were rather good.

Thanks M.R. I skipped through the article too quickly.

Annewiggy Yes, my father led horses in and out of them as a boy, the rattling of their hooves on the cobblestones, the jingling of their harness, early 1900's, the whole city before him, exciting to a rural boat boy, that walked alone along a towpath every day. Iron horses (trams) grinding past, crowds thronging the streets, shops, I knew the excitement in his voice, long time ago.

Heathite, What a fantastic piece of history of Foleshill, by far the earliest I have read. Like living in the 18th century, light the oil lamp, trim the wick, perches and rod measurements, William Cobbett stuff, Lockhouse Lane (wonder when that changed?) Thank you.

But for all the heavy industry in Foleshill, there were other things - amenities. The Livingstone swimming pool, a few yards down was a gymnastic club above Farr and Reddy's bakery - this club had all the equipment for competition. On the other side of the road to the bakery was a small bric-a-bac shop, amongst other things the grey-haired proprietor sold Charles Atlas books/schedules. He was well built and an old strong man, circus performer. Here he had a pair of John Skeaping racehorse statuettes that I bought from him. A girl at the gym club told me they belonged to her grandmother and had been stolen, and if she saw them close up she could prove it. I could sense her tensing up - the girl was of a rapturous beauty but of an oddly cold, uninvolving nature. "Well, the only way you can see them, you will have to visit my apartment". She walked away. Then she changes, walks back, and whispers, "I have half-day tomorrow, can we meet?" We met at 2pm. She smiles, she makes jokes, we walked to my place. She hardly glanced at the statuettes. A spring afternoon pours into your heart like a river. She left at a few minutes before 11pm for the last bus. Everything is radiant, I sleep like a log. I think, "Yes, there is more to Foleshill than industry".

Sorry to report that it seems what was an old church (anyone know what it was called?) that was being used at some point as a nursery on Station Street East appears to have burnt down last night. It was fairly derelict by all accounts which leads me to suspect arson may be involved, but sad nonetheless. (Temp FB photo (c) Adnam Rahman) (c) the Telegraph -

Hi Neil, could it have been Paradise School? That seems to be advertised to let on t'internet.

Similarities Anne but I don't think so.

I think that is a different one Neil. They are both listed on the British History site. The Primitive Methodist School is in Cross Street. Paradise School is in Station Street East. They are both referred to in the newspapers as well.

Afternoon all Quote from British History. "Another congregation originated as a domestic meeting in 1941, and from 1947 to 1954 occupied a room in Paradise School in Station Street East". Most of any activity around Foleshill before about 1962 is out of my bounds as despite my family connection to both Station Street West Methodist and Durbar Avenue "Free Methodist" (I will do forty week teaching on that if anyone is still alive) as I grew up and lived in Wyken. What I do remember was the Salvation Army having an asbestos hut in Broad Street which often needed renovation, so they used the church that has gone up in smoke from time to time.

That building on the corner of Cross Road & Stoney Stanton Rd, Neil, was demolished when the new Holbrooks bypass was built. It was often referred to as Paradise chapel, not because of its "Heavenly" or otherwise status, it happened to be in the district know as Paradise, where opposite was Paradise post office. Now an open all hours shop. This was a poor area, of generally hard working folk at the time that these churches/schools were built. The reason for the "school" terminology is because at the time, state funded schools were as rare as railway model shops are now. So, the only education youngsters received was Sunday school. Not a happy clappy singalong, as I remember Sunday school. It was a day of learning the three Rs. Hope that makes sense. Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrs

Getting confused now Philip !! Isn't this the one in Neil's picture without the front or is there another church/school.

A search on Old-Maps.co.uk shows it as an infants school. The Derelict Places website suggests it was Paradise BD infants school (closed 1959), and then a Day Centre/Nursery (closed 1994). Peter.

This is the one in Station Street East that had the fire Peter I think, not the Primitive Methodist School in Neil's picture in Cross Road.