Radford

When I left school, my first job was in Banks and James a wholesale tobacconist and confectionists. This was located at the bottom end of St. Nicholas Street which meant having to walk over the Bishop Street bridge each day. A few of us would spend our dinner hour in the pub next door, the name of which I cannot remember. Any ideas? It was also nice to sit by the canal in the good weather.

From your description, I'm not quite sure what the pub was next door to - the wholesaler's or the bridge. The Admiral Codrington is near the canal basin. Do you mean that one?

Yes, thats it. Thanks Charabanc. You have put me out of my misery!

It's still there, Pat!

Thanks for letting me know. May have to take a look! I haven't been up to the bridge for ages.

I am sure that Radford was once a distinct area separate to St Nicholas Street. Radford was a village around the present Radford Common. However, St Nicholas Church, which now stands on the corner of Radford Rd and Engleton Rd is a recent addition to Radford. The original St Nicholas Church was at the junction of St Nicholas St and Sandy Lane; the remaining walls of which can be seen opposite the Merrick Lodge. The church was then rebuilt in Radford, opposite what is now the Gala Bingo Hall. I have many ancestors in that graveyard. That church was destroyed in the blitz in 1940, and in the 1950's the present St Nicholas Church was built (and I understand that is now due for demolition). I carried out this research when I found out that my grandmother had been a servant in 1909 at the Merrick Lodge; then a private house called "The Gables" at Number 1, St Nicholas Street. It was the home of Mauritz Schulte, a German engineer, who designed the first Triumph motorbike at the Triumph factory in Priory Street. Oskar

Hello Oskar nice to see you here. I knew you would be into Coventry's history. I am sure you will enjoy being here. Colin

There are old photos of Radford on old photos Coventry City council library, Radford covers the Grapes estate, my brother has the silver trowel that laid the first brick on the new scheme back then on that estate. Sandy Lane, Jubilee Crescent all the roads at the rear, to Lydgate, Three Spires Ave, Poole Road which is a distance from St Nicholas Church, for you Anne, Catesby Road, Burnaby Road, Links Road, up to the lights on Beake Avenue/Burnaby Road, Telfer Road, Foster Road, etc Cheveral Ave from the Radford common up to Sadler Road, Widdrington Road, draw a line around all these and that covers Radford. I have lived or have relatives all over these areas of Radford so I am going by the addresses. Ann there is a lovely photo of the old Radford Road also The Jetty Keresley which is on the Bennetts Road and Penny Park Lane you wouldn't recognise it they are on the Coventry library. I always thought St Nicholas St came under Radford, from Jubilee Crescent before they made the crescent a one way system then Cheveral Ave, through Sandy Lane into St Nicholas Street straight into Bishop Street the no 2 Radford bus route into town cost 2d, we used to have bonefire at Radford common, Owenford Road, the piece of grass by Joseph Cash school, Blackwatch Road park, which had a humped back slide with a box at the top, no longer exists, gone Jubilee Crescent where Tesco and Asda stands now. Bet Colin will remember this, do you recall the lad lived on Beake Ave by Whaleys Croft, tried to make a bomb from fireworks, and it blew his hand off, wore a black false hand.

It does now but the suburb we know as Radford didn't exist before 1890.

Hello again Morgana, yes I remember the hand blowing off incident. A little time ago I wrote a passage on the incident, have to say I knew him quite well, I lived in Treherne Road, his name was Kenny and I had the unfortunate pleasure in showing him how to make the device which blew his hand off and also rendering his brother unconscious, the hammer he was holding hit him on the head, it was a sad affair. After that he always wore a black glove and he used to visit Woolworth's cafe where my wife worked so I used to see him on a regular basis. Colin

Hi Dutchman thank you I thought it went back further, I found this site, sorry I can't place a link it's Barrs Hill House Coventry Transport Museum wiki.com don't know if this has already be put on here. Barrs Hill House and surrounding area, the site itself, possibly the oldest part of Coventry, by William Dugdale antiquary, 1605-1686. F Smith wrote 1856 the most ancient part of Coventry, stood on the bank without Bishop Gate which he describes in his book Coventry six hundred years of Municipal life situated on the ridge north of Coventry then it says John Bill a prominent silk and mill owner in 1880s - Luke Dresser an inland revenue distributor of stamps in 1890, John Bill leased Barrs Hill House to J K Starley nephew of James Starley at a rate of 140 pounds per year he started out making Ariel cycles for his uncle Haynes and Jeffries. They have no idea when Barrs Hill House was built. Radford was a beautiful rural setting.

Hi Colin I shall read your post about you and and Kenny I missed that one, when you said on another post you wore glasses I remembered you as a kid now I know you saying you lived in Treherne Road as I was born and lived in the next street Telfer Road just through the entry. You will remember Mrs Radford related to the Tomlinsons, she used to be an usherette at the old Gaumont. I thought Kenny's hand was false as it was shiny, so it must have been a leather glove, small world isn't it.

Hello again Morgana, I lived almost opposite the church on the corner of Treherne Road and Links Road. I used to knock about with a kid called Alan Mawby, he lived about halfway down the old part of Treherne Road almost next to the bungalows. I lived at 117 Treherne. I seem to remember the Tomlinson family I think they lived in Beake Ave again almost on the corner with Links Road. Never heard of Mrs Radford. As for me wearing glasses, not too sure where you may have got that from, I have only just started to wear them (a life in radio work) hope you are well and I bet we know each other. Colin

Hi R/Kid, I dont know Alan your friend but my older sisters probably will. I must have misread about you wearing glasses then when you were a kid. Yes the Tomlinsons did live on Beake Ave / Links Road. You must have lived very close to the Conlons then if they were there when you lived there, I used to hang round with David Conlon,bwho lived right by you must have been your neighbour, yes you would probably would recognise me by sight.

I was born at 115 Treherne Road in 1955. It was my grandparents house (the Hardies) and my parents lived there until they were able to move into a new flat in Canley. When I was about 2, we moved back to Radford, into Foster Road. I remember the kid with the black glove but never knew his name until I read it here.