Bedworth and Nuneaton

Hi all Sometimes, we can learn so much about a place by looking in from the outside. If we look at the maps of Coventry on our site here, coming forward in time, what were once suburbs or separate towns are now part of our city, which we take for granted. Until the coming of the railways, the furthest that most people ever travelled was around twenty miles in a day. Whereas to day, some of us had or have a car with our job, a hundred years ago the big perk was having a house with the job. Hence we have vicarages, school houses & so on. It's the social economics that ties places together. During the 1920s & 30s, the tram system brought many hundreds of people from Bedworth to work in the textile trades of Foleshill, which had only then been brought in as part of Coventry. The one time arch by the Courtaulds Clock tower was constructed as a turn in for the trams, there were so many. The first dozen names of members of our site that come into my mind right now, where they live now would not have been Coventry in 1920. There are all sorts of names that have been conjured up over the years to describe areas around cities, like satellite or dormitory. I even heard a politician describe Coventry as a satellite city of Birmingham, at the time of the creation of the West Midlands County or Met'n area, something that I took with a huge pinch of salt. I am saying all of this because whilst the primary objective of our site is the history of Coventry, which it is, Coventry is not here in isolation & any activity that is Coventry related whether it took place in Bedworth, Nuneaton, Kenilworth, Stoneleigh, Brinklow, Brandon, Meriden (STOP! I will get into trouble for leaving anyone out now), but you get the point. Coventry Airport is part in & part out of Coventry. Coventry speedway is not in Coventry but it is part of us. If the Ricoh football stadium had been built a few hundred yards further north, it would not have been in Coventry either. Please do not feel uncomfortable about sharing an issue just because it might be outside of the city boundary. If it is Coventry related, please let us know about it & enjoy.

On the topic of local history, we recently made a visit to the Chace Hotel in Nuneaton. This was because my wife's grandmother was shown as working as a maid in the then private house on the 1911 census. I was pleased to say that the hotel management have a very informative notice board giving the history of the house and its original owners . The house was built for James Knox, the owner of the Haunchwood brick works. James's nine sons all served in the first world war and one of them was awarded the Victoria Cross, only one of two awarded to soldiers from Nuneaton. It would nice if the owners of other interesting building in the area could put up similar information boards.

Interesting post DBC, and what a good idea!

Hi all, Visiting Bedworth for yet another funeral, I recorded these pics. The back of the Almshouses. A corridor through the Almshouses. Finally, a view of the gardens from inside.

Lovely photos Philip. I'm sorry you were there for another sad occasion.

Not many people get to see the back of the almshouses, they are well kept as the front.

As always, lovely photo's Philip. Looks a lovely old building. Was that the right time by the clock? Hope that will not ever have to make way for something utterly modern in the future!!!

1840 saw the building of the present almshouses, the mock Elizabethan buildings costing £8,500 to build, plus the cost of the bell tower. The almshouses nearly came to their end in the 1970s. The fabric of the buildings was deteriating due to difficulties in releasing funds from the charity reserves and not too many old people in residence. There were suggestions by the council that the almshouses should be demolished and the land found a new use. A fresh look at the financial position by the Trustees saved the day and a long period of restoring the almshouses commenced, the last resident's flat being finally restored in 2003.

Thanks Heritage, I did wonder how old it was and it is good to know it still has some life in it yet. Too many of the older places are being demolished whether it being old Coventry or outlying towns, as I have learnt most of the regular forum members would agree.

I remember seeing the Stones twice in one night, queueing up for hours for tickets, also in the Nuneaton Co-op hall, where someone threw cakes at Charlie Watts. I became an instant fan at the age of 14 and have seen them many times since, including the free concert in Hyde Park, London. Can anyone remember Mothers in Birmingham? I saw many great bands there, including Fleetwood Mac, Family and The Move among others, those were the days and I only wish they were around now. Met Marianne Faithful at the Birmingham Alexandra Theatre and spent some time talking with her. We have also visited Swarkstone in Derbyshire and spoke to the farmer there. The Stones filmed there for "Beggars Banquet". He also told us of Brian Jones borrowing the farmer's white shirt for a game of cricket and Mick Jagger having tea with him and using his loo!!! Times I will never forget.

Hello & welcome to our history site, stonesfan49. I have memories of the Nuneaton Co-op dance hall. I played piano for the Wheatsheaf Orchestra, who played there once a month.

Hi Philip. Do you remember when something collapsed, a balcony maybe, at the Co-op dance?

Hi NormK, Someone set off a fire alarm & in a panic escape down a narrow stairway, several people were crushed with fatalities. Although the fire alarm issue is not mentioned, I knew two band members who were there on the evening, both of whom said that the fire alarm had gone off. I believe them. It was not just the rush for the band, that often happened. Dance hall tragedy, also another account.

That is a great pic and a very informative write up thank you Philip for posting it.

Thanks for that Philip, it makes interesting reading.