Longford (inc. The Red Hills)

I wondered why it seemed to be on the wrong side of the road the Fox Inn, Grangehurst School in the 1970s with teacher Mrs Wright and my sons class, sorry for poor quality old camera and had to resize to fit on here. If any one recognises them selves on this photo, which they would be 42 now or Mrs Wright they can take a copy of my photo if they wish.

hi everyone,My grandfather mothers side of family, lived in Grange road,died early 30 (i think) his son became an overseer down kersley pit, lived street opposite the graveyard windmill lane. Going back long way here, but it was right bang on the corner, I believe it was demolished when they extended the school and built the gym, opposite the school was about 60 allotments plus the sweet shop,but I can still picture the fox, opposite fox there was a large house,Hurst rd side, the entrance to the park, and a row of houses edge ways on to the corner, pointing toward bottom of windmill lane, I attended Foxford from 35-41 A big friend of mine was Les Allen, we used to go to gummerys at Bedworth (boxing) I heard from a friend that he ran the billiard hall in Longford around the sixties. Walrus, I believe Rev Standing was late 30s time. The tin church in L-Lane was said to have stood on iron wheels, have no idea, What I do know for fact, we choir boys had a row, no one wanted to carry the cross down the aisle, so we sang with the cross of jesus behind the vestry door as we marched down the aisle.

Kaga Simpson perhaps you know Les died, I did place the link on this thread. His grandson now runs the billiard hall now Longford gym my daughter told me as she knows him. I m not sure if this is the big house you mentioned bottom of Hurst Rd by the park, in the distance in this photo. The allotments are still by Foxford. The Grange Hurst school building above was class rooms and that part was on the corner of Grange Rd/Hurst Rd.

Sorry I'm still making mistakes, (above) going back along way here, the fox inn was right bang on the corner. The Sephtons and the Simpsons were related back in history, both had boatyards. I'm pretty sure Ron Sephton and I was long,long, distant relations, I knew Ron well, although he was older than me, we played behind the pub a lot, my youngest Uncle was captain of the Bagatelle team at the elephant and castle for many years,so there was a lot of closeness in those days. Around the side and rear of the pub were the big stables for the boat horses, they of course lay idle when the motor boats came in, they became useful again when the war started, men had to sign in every night for fire duty, and for lowering in the planks at Tussess bridge. Philipin, May I ask you a few Questions where is the Ricoh Arena? Also You said you rode down the path on the way to school, was that from Deedsmore road and past the slough. Does the word Phipkin mean anything to you? Thank you, Kaga.

Hi Kaga the exact location of the Ricoh Arena is where the old Foleshill gas tower works was between Longford and Holbrooks. This is past LINK This is now If you go to google maps follow A444 from island top of Longford follow A444 towards Coventry 2nd turning on the left 1st turning would be Wilsons Lane by the Nova Hotel. Follow A444 towards Coventry you then come to another roundabout by Rowleys Green go straight over the island you should see the football ground Ricoh Arena on the left by the island , continue straight over passing the Footy ground and you should see on the left just past the Football stadium the Arena shopping centre .

Walrus, Foxford school, Hazel Twigger?

Morgana, first, Only you would know the real pleasure of caring and cultivating such beauty in Plants,we can only admire your work. No I did not know about Les, but then I know no one older than me from my younger life. Not the fox inn in grange road,Phylex was right 298. now the gap just above the row of houses on the other side I believe were demolished by the bombing. Now the map shows the fox on the left-hand side among the allotments, but states above, Foxford School occupied the triangle of land that the pub stood on'.Looking from grange road the pub was definitely on the right hand side bang on the corner. The main door with a fox's head sign above, was facing the allotments, just there stood a little wooden hut, the sweet shop. If you went straight on you went into the park, the big house was a few yards inside the park on the right and a few yards back from the road, it stood in the v of the hedgerow behind the houses in your photo and the houses in Hurst rd, I don't believe I ever walked down that part, we always used the footpath that cut the corner off when we went to Longford.

Kaga , Hazel is my aunt , my mum's twin . My mum is Della . They later moved to Keresley village and went to Ash Green school . They had an older sister Evelyn and a brother Frank . Both recently sadly deceased .

Thanks walrus, Hazel was the only one I remember, at school. Don't have my baptism certificate to check, do have an official Pilgrims certificate, but that was issued a long way from Longford.

heritage, I have no idea how you obtained your information, but your damned good, I can only go on handed down family history, we have few photo's left of our family history,I know my father was born on a boat, 1998. From great-granddads 'will' one of his sons married a Sephton girl. My father became a lengthman on the Oxford canal and then the Coventry canal until he retired? He also helped to put the planks in at Tussess bridge during the war, he was one of the first on the scene when the canal was breached and had a hand in building the new loch. On the slough forum there's a shot of my Great Granddad on his own boat, about the only photo we have. (If only I had asked more questions as a child)

Thank you kaga Simpson, here are photos of corner of Jackers Rd and Grange Rd Sorry you did nt get to know about Les. Allotment Grange Rd cottages opposite side allotment at top of picture. This jitty brings you out by the first photo, Grange Rd /Jackers Rd, turning right end of jitty was Grangehurst school turning left Grange Rd/Jackers Rd. As you see they have built houses every where. Past Jackers Rd bottom of Grange Rd towards the park on the left side of the Rd.

Hi Morgana, thank you for the photos, although I have little recognition of them, glad to see the back of the gasworks, would you believe round 1940 some of us kids from Tussess bridge had to push old prams to the gasworks stand in a que then buy a bag of coke and push the damn thing home almost every saturday, if they had run out, there was no phone you could ring, you just made a wasted journey. occasionally we did the same with the pram and the bone mill, used to moan a lot, sure wish I could do it now. Now the photo of jackers road, the red brick houses on the right, was just a hedge,close to the road, and of course it as now been widened.The rest looks nothing like I remember, but still good to see, once again, thanks. Kaga.

Shame you don't recognise most of it. Shame I could nt get to Tusses bridge for you to take some photos , along the tow path but its not disabled friendly can't get the gates open from Hawkesbury Junction, even though I have a key, I can't get around the gate not enough room for the turn of my chair. Yes I remember the bone yard side to the gypsy site , where my friend Oshe lived, thats gone too. I knew Jim & Babs Diddle he was manager of the bone mill, had the little house stood on its own, just down from the bone mill, in Rowleys Green Lane which belonged to to the bone mill, which neither are there any more. Must of been hard work pushing that pram full of coke.

My real mother died of TB. In the months before her death she had the idea that the smell from the bone mill would ease her condition. Several times a week we would go and stand outside breathing in the smell although the effort to get there would leave her breathless. An uncle made a trolley for me to go and get coke from the gas works. Full steering by means of a piece of clothes line attached to the front axle. Every Saturday I would have to pull it from Old Church Rd to the gas works for the coke. Not to bad in the summer but it was a dreadful chore in the winter. I would ride the trolley down Hall Green hill but going back loaded with three sacks was not a happy experience. Norman

morgana Please don't go to a lot of trouble, on my account, you have already helped me enormously, seems its to long ago for me to recognize most places, including the pictures of Longford, apart from the church, but you know, even back 70 odd years ago , we went to the skating rink and the billiard hall. Hey Norman you following me around for eighty years, maybe we stood in the same que at the gasworks, maybe we should have put arrows on our suits, couldn't see the kids doing it these days. How about the rivoli, and the tuppeny rush?