Radford

As per the Telegraph report, was the island ever landscaped and trees planted?

Looks like it

Sometime in the late 50's/early 60's my dad and I went to the opening of the garage just showing in the left of the photo. Beryl Reid was officiating and turned up in a huge pink and white American convertible with amazing fins. She was all authentic Marlene with jokes and the crowd went wild.

June 1958

I seem to remember the shops at the other end from the garage being completed in the late 1950s. Or is this a false memory?

Were the playing fields at the bottom of Owenford Road known as Radford Aerodrome? I seem to remember playing school football there.

Yes, Mick - aka the Black Pad.

Neil, the Black Pad was the paved footpath that led from Owenford Road to the footbridge over the railway, and a left turn just before the footbridge lead to Lockhurst Lane and Foleshill Station. It ran past, but was separate from, Radford Aerodrome playing fields.

How come it was called an Aerodrome, was there a landing strip there?

Mick, it has its own thread Here's another link (Google's your friend!)

Thanks belushi - any idea where the black pad name came from?

The area between the Butts Park and the Butts Stadium, Earlsdon was also known as the Black Pad for some reason!

Hi Neil - everything you need to know about the Black Pad here, except the origin of the name!

Going back to the early 1800's in the newspapers, it was even then referred to as the place, road or path known as the Black Pad. The one in Spon End is the same. It looks like it is just one of those names used by locals for a long time. Came across this in 1876. The mind boggles, I could think of a few more comments but the mods might censor them!

I wonder if the name might have indicated what the route was lined with? Cinders, coal waste, slag? The path predates the foundry at the east end of it. It seems to go as far as a cross road of paths near a Grange Farm.