Longford (inc. The Red Hills)

Hi Philip It was located just above the present day park and renamed "Dane Place" in the first half of the 20th century.

Thanks, Dutchman. My nan used to say her dad kept pigs at the bottom of the yard, and sleeping 5 in a bed, 3 at the top and 2 at the bottom. She used to walk to Foxford School across fields and go to Salem Baptist Church. Great to get this information, I was born in Tile Hill but moved away as a child.

A particular interest of mine is the Sephton family who were boatbuilders at Sutton Stop and Tusses Bridge. My family research has revealed that the Sephtons and their extended family had connections with many of the pubs in the Longford area: Boat (Blackhorse Road), Boat (Grange Road), Greyhound, Elephant & Castle, Miners Arms, Bird In Hand, Green Man, Old Crown (Windmill Road), New Inn, Saracens Head, Coach & Horses, Engine. Also, away from Longford were the Park Gate Hotel and the New Inn (Stockingford). Somewhat at odds with this boozy background, other family members operated temperance hotels in the city centre (The Victoria, Warwick Row and The Priory, Bayley Lane).

I know most of these well from my childhood and teen years (having gone to Longford Park Primary and living as we did backing onto the Green Man's back garden). It raises a question however. I was in the same class as a Colin Sephton (from about '57 to '65), who lived, I think, on Windmill Road or one of the roads off the north side of it. Do you know if he's related? Seems a reasonable bet I suppose

I have very fond memories of the New Inn, just over the canal bridge by the gasworks. In 1963 as 15 and 16 year olds we used to go and listen to the groups in the back room. The Beatles and Mersey mania made it a fabulous time to be a teenager. I know we were all underage but we were allowed in and had a wonderful time. No-one seemed bothered if we had a pint of mild and a woodbine as long as we behaved ourselves. In spite of all the marvellous advantages there is a very prohibitive side to modern life. Great days !

We had a holiday to Spain in the early 60s with some friends who included Clara Sephton, who I seem to remember lived at the Boat - she was a spinster lady and clearly one of the extended family of Sephtons

The majority of the Coventry Sephtons appear to be descended from James Sephton, a canal boatbuilder, who arrived in the Hawkesbury area c1805 from Shardlow in Derbyshire. As for the family members mentioned above: Colin Sephton lived in Woolgrove Street (off Windmill Road), and Clara Sephton was the daughter of Walter Sephton who ran the Boat Inn (Black Horse Road) for nearly fifty years.

Thanks Philex; now you've said Woolgrove St. it's all come back to me. That's definitely the Colin I went to Longford Park Primary School with up until 1965. Cheers!

My father's great uncle married a Sephton, who ran a pub in Longford. He was known as Jack and I believe he died in the 1970's, as he was in hospital at the same time as my nan. I'm not sure of his surname tho. I will check with my dad for the finer details.

My father's great uncle was called Byron Ashfield but was known as Jack. He was a very tall man (something that my family has not inherited).

"Longford Square" - is that a 'new' creation or the fragments of a former village that Coventry has swallowed? Never really been to Longford apart from driving through it on the main road a couple of times.

Byron "Jack" Ashfield married Laura Sephton. They ran the Boat Inn (Black Horse Road) in the 1950s and 1960s following the retirement of Laura's father Walter Sephton who had been there for nearly fifty years.

Does any one know where Lady Lane Longford got its name from or whom its named after, previously called Canal Road. Also why it was renamed? I thought it be named after Lady Herbert.

Hi all As part of my Longford Park model railway project, I have spent a few hours this cold but sunny morning, taking a look at where the river enters the park. On my railway, where the river enters is the most important bit for me to get the feel of it right, as on our model, the river flows from the present already fixed railway. Enough of that, now some pics of a very high & fast, maybe twenty miles per hour flowing river. My day starts with a short walk from our home to the 701 bus stop in Hen Lane. True to form at 9.50am my bus is at the Roland Ave traffic lights & on time. Three parts full too. As with any adventure, some bits for me are very important & few bits are more important than a good breakfast. It has always been good here, right by the entrance to the park too. Enter the park, the River Sowe emerges from underground of the Ricoh & flows under the Longford Rd. At this point it is flowing at the bottom of St Thomas's Rd. The houses just in view have been flooded at least once in the last century. Have included several pictures of the river flowing through the main area of the park in posts from earlier. It is an area that I need to learn about well if I am ever going to capture the flavour of this gem of nature, right inside of our city. I do hope that you like.

As always I love all your pictures Philip. The first picture of Hen Lane took me back in time. Up until I was around 5yrs old my family lived with my nan in Masser Rd. I started school at Holy Family, (seemed such a long walk), so I remember Hen Lane very well. We used to call the shops in your photo 'top of Hen Lane shops'. At the bottom end of Hen Lane on the same side there were more shops (near St Lukes Rd). I can't remember how many or what type of shops they were but one of them was a newsagents, if I remember correctly. It was run (or owned?) by my aunt, Doreen Betts and her mother who I only knew as Mrs Betts. Doreen married my uncle, Ray Gardner. Does anyone remember these shops? Are they still there? Sadly these lovely people are no longer with us. How I wish I had asked so many questions about their lives when they were. Gilly