Canals around Coventry

Norman, I do believe a lot of boats changed names. 39/40 a little beyond the boat moored by bridge was a boat named 'Spitfire', the only boat to stay upright when the canal was drained, many people remarked about this but then no one carried a camera in those days. Incidentally I never ever saw a boat moored where that is moored, there are 2/3 cottages, doors less than a yard from the waters edge, thought that was the reason. One day two boatmen met there, there was a fight, more joined in, about five of them finished up in the cut, something to do with empty boat taking laden boats deep water some weeks before. It was a well known practice for cranes to drop a crate of food, treacle, sugar, carnation milk etc when loading for the boatman's own use, write it off as spillage, so I was led to understand. The photo's of these cottages amaze me, all the years we went in and out of them, thought nothing of them, now they are news, Guess I'm past my sell by date.

Kaga. Yes, it may have been that the owner of the canal boat Hood may have wished to have associated themselves with HMS Hood. Nothing wrong with that. Norman.

Does anyone remember the water from the cooling towers of the power station flowing into the canal? There were loads of us kids, from A.G.Rd - Grange Road area learnt to swim in the warm waters, must have gone on for over twenty years or more, wonder what they have done with the concrete culvert the water flowed through.? Where the pleasure boats now use the large house at Brinklow (once my family house) few yards back there was another old arm of the canal, always meant to trace it, never got round to it, maybe I can now with the help of this computer.

There was/is a canal arm to Brinklow. What its purpose was I have no idea unless it was to collect grain or something similar. Kaga. Do you know where the Coalpit arm and basin were. Was that also called the Newdigate arm? I once worked at Frankies and don't recall a canal arm although I know there was one. We called Newdigate Colliery Frankies because the land that it occupied belonged to Sir Francis (Frank) Newdigate who collected one penny for every 10 tons that the mine produced. When I left the mine was producing almost one million tons a year. I do remember the warm water and the cooling towers at the power station. We may have been together there swimming as I frequently went there with my friends. We were the ones who couldn't afford swimming trunks so if someone came along the towpath we had to stay in the water. I have no idea if the culvert is still there. Norman

Hi all The Brinklow arm served an agricultural wharf, north east of the church, the iron footbridge still marks its junction with the Oxford canal. Old Maps - just increase the map size with the click bar to see the details. Google Maps A fabulous area for a good-weather-day ramble.

Philipi great shots of bridge and map, thank you. Point of interest. If you're out that way any time, once you're through Ansty, past the Brinklow road bridge, the next bridge there are big banks on either side, about 100 yds through the bridge look for a black wooden box on towpath, that was the 'well' we used, the house was on the right by the narrow bit where the embankment begins. regards Kaga.

Walrus, who says I'm a duck, hey? Coventry Canal I'm more of an old swan on the Coventry Canal, Longford Coventry Canal

I was very interested to read the mention made by Kaga Simpson about the WWII American Forces base on Blackhorse Road, Exhall. I had asked about this in the "Alfred Herbert's" thread back in April 2014 and it's existence was kindly confirmed by a couple of Forum members. I would really love to know more about it such as its function, perhaps a barracks or materials depot, and how extensive it was. I understand that it stood on the site of the subsequent Charrington's oil depot. I certainly remember buildings down there as a child and think that the old Exhall Methodist Church building which looks to be 1930's or '40's prefab-type architecture, could originally have been part of the American depot.

David H. Hi, Can't help you much, the little I remember, of course you could only view it from the road, as a kid. But there where no sort of activity outside the camp, like infantry training, neither did they wear that sort of insignia, more like, some stores depot, but that is guess work. Regards Kaga

David H. With associations with other things, I remember now talking with those yanks at Sutton Stop, one of them had a booklet they were issued with in the States, about getting along with the Brits, I remember they were really confused about our class system on the railways, can't remember much else, just thought I'd mention it. Rob, sorry, don't know where to put this. A group of voluntary Italian POWs was sent to a farm in Ansty to clear ditches etc, end of war, one stayed worked on that farm, married a Coventry girl, lived in the village until he died about five years ago.

Baz, have just read through this topic again. There was so much rubbish in the Coventry canal around 1940 time I had a very good school mate that dived off Grange Road bridge, hit rubbish under water and died instantly. Another friend around 1950 was the first guy in about thirty years to navigate a boat into Coventry basin - his fee in those days to use the Oxford Canal was fifty shillings a year from Inland Waterways. He moored opposite the woodyard that was there then.

Have just found this book reference which I thought might be of interest:-

Greg, great find, both books, the school one is correct. Is there any way I can get hold of these books? The bridge on the front cover is the old Tusses Bridge before 1936. The school register tells you boys absent away on boats or farming, interesting. Thanks, Kaga.

It's on sale now - eBay.

I have the ISBN numbers and they are as follows: The canal book is ISBN 0-7509-1776-8 ; the school book is ISBN 1-900372-02-9