Wyken Slough

Hi Ron55 I think that those power boats were called "hydroplanes". I lived in Parkstone Road, Foleshill and on the top corner of the road was a butchers shop run by the Brindley family and it was Jack Brindley who used to take his hydroplanes to the Slough and race every Sunday. He would keep one of his hydroplanes in the back yard of his shop.

Hello to all this is my first post. I have just found this site and I am enjoying all the memories. I used to live in River Walk up till my 20's then moved to Bell Green. I have just moved to a house by Longford Park after taking a year to renovate the house. I love the area I spent all my childhood exploring everything from river walk to the slough. The slough used to be the place we spent our summer holidays there was always a group of about 20 children from river walk we never caused trouble and would spend the day on the boats when we had the money, we would catch newts in the slough with frogs and sticklebacks. It was a safe place to have fun and explore and learn about wildlife. I miss the boats, the park, the ice cream and if I remember the field on the side of the boats used to have bumps on it I can remember riding over them on bikes. My grandsons are now old enough to go fishing for tadpoles, so I think I need to make a visit. Sorry I forgot does anybody remember the slag heap we used to slide down on trays, what a laugh, who cares about health and safety

Do you remember May Mitten?

Hi Jackie Mac. The slag heaps you refer to could have been what we called "the Clog Banks" this was a sort of hill not far from the Slough I always thought that this was created from the slag from the old coal mines in the area, but I think that Kaga Simpson [a member of HC] said they were from spoil from canal building. He is probably more correct than me!

Hello john, yes I think you are right they were called "the clog banks" so much fun and so sad to see them disappear. I can not believe that none of us were not killed or seriously hurt. I remember there used to be old cars and junk at the bottom of the hill. We had so much freedom to explore that the children don't have now.

Hi Jackie mac, we called them the clod banks, from sticking on your boots, Believe they were started by the canal people when they dredged the small arm of the canal, then used by the colliery people as further dumping, the tanks tried using them for training, for a short time, but gave up, I have no idea why? I think all the kids in that area slid down them on some sort of sledge, even before my time and I go back to the early thirties. But just before the war the power station stored a small coal on the field next to the canal and A G Rd so we used those heaps, and got even dirtier. As I said in an earlier post the thing about that area that fascinated me was the deep ruts in the brickwork of the double bridge that is the entrance to the basin. Made by the strain of ropes of horses and boats, still there, but the generations of working boat people and their lives have gone for ever. Regards Kaga.

Good morning Kaga and all forumites. I think Kaga that you are a tad older than me as I was born 1932. I know this isn't a figment of my imagination as I have discussed it with my sister who is older than me. Now then, near where the Sowe passes under Henley Rd there was a conveyer belt passing high above, this conveyer was only a couple of hundred yards from where we lived. What it carried and which direction it was running we are unable to recall. Was this belt carrying spoil from a mine in that area? I have no idea. Perhaps it was derelict and just been abandoned. Yes we also called them the Clod banks, don't really know how they came to be there, you could be correct that they were made from the spoil from canal construction, I don't know. Always thought it odd that there was two of them and they were both flat on top and not cone shaped as they would have been if constructed by conveyer. As an ex-narrowboat owner we have travelled the canal system widely and have never seen anything similar to the Clod banks anywhere. What did they do with all the spoil from a thousand miles of canals? Again I haven't a clue.

Morning all, I always believed the Clog banks were mine waste and as children I can remember foul smelling smoke coming out through cracks in the ground in some areas on the top of the bank. On the subject of the Slough I seem to remember a motor boat which did trips around the pool. This was in the 50s and was maybe only weekends.

There was two motor boats on the Slough, Three Spires and Lady Godiva, Both carried 10 passengers. I often skippered one at weekends, two times round the pool for sixpence.

Yes! She lived in Aldermans Green Road and so did we. I found her mysterious.

After my mother died in 1940 dad remarried to Sally Mitten, Mays sister. Sally was the exact opposite to May. May was always dressed like a man plus wellies and a long flapping coat. To be fair to Aunt May she did work hard, she kept chickens and pigs at the back of the house. She was also an excellent carpenter and she encouraged me to take up an apprenticeship with H L Bates.

Norman Q We as kids may have been a little frightened of May Mitten, because of her unusual attire, but I never heard the grown ups have a bad word for her. I saw a lot of her when going to school down Jackers road, she had a field and a couple of horses in a corrugated roofed shed half-way down the street, opposite Threadgolds the sweet shop, could never understand why she kept them, she never rode them, or worked them as far as I knew, as I spent time on a farm, that was my way of thinking then, and my interest. In my minds eye I can see her now with her horses. Looking back I think she added a lot of character to the community.

Norman Conquest, I have just heard from a younger brother, that he was told, way back in the twenties there were a couple of rowing (boats, skulls) kept down the 'slough' were young men trained, I have no idea if this is true or not, but what a thought.

I remember going past her house when I was very young, didn't she have a couple of very old cars in the front garden?

Yes Paul she did have a couple of cars in her front garden also another to the side of the house. I had one of them a pre war Riley Kestrel with idea of restoring it but sadly the rot in the body was beyond my skills but I did get the engine running. She also had a post war Ford V 8 Pilot that as far as I am aware was never used. I have been told that the old house is still there but as I haven't been along Aldermans Green Rd for many years I have no idea if that is correct.