Canals around Coventry

Forgive me if this subject has been discussed before, I am relatively new to this wonderful forum. When we were in Coventry last year we were very fortunate to spend 4 days on a narrow boat with my brother and his wife. Although growing up in Wood End and spending many days at Sutton Stop and The Basin, and even more days fishing with my dad in canals, carrying a canoe from Foxford School to the canal on a Friday afternoon and paddling up and down, as a kid you don't take much interest in by gone days. Does anyone have any tales to tell about 'the barges and bargees?' My ancestors were 'bargees'. Their name was Barlow but I have no tales to tell unfortunately. Gilly

Hello Gilly. There is a society called 'The Coventry Canal Society' who have a web page with a point of contact. All of the people that I know connected with canals have been modern boat owners, or hirers like my family who have had some fabulous narrow boat holidays. Coventry Canal Society

There is a wonderfully evocative book called 'A Canal People' by Sonia Rolt, which is a collection of black and white photographs, taken mostly around Sutton Stop during the late '40s early '50s by a Coventry photographer called Robert Longden. It's available on Amazon and if you remember that stretch of the canal when the boats were kept busy feeding the power station, it's well worth a look.

In the mid 1960s, we used to frequent the Greyhound on occasions. I don't know whether or not it has changed much since then, but it was a proper bargees' pub. Sawdust on the floor, hardboard partitions between booths, each booth with a table and benches or chairs. Several of the characters were still bargees. My memories of bargees go back much further than that. My grandmother lived in the Wharf House on Vicarage Hill in Clifton upon Dunsmore. When I was very young (from about three up to about eight) my summer holiday was spending a week or two with her. In those days a collier came past about every five minutes during the day and intermittently through the night. It was a strange sight at night to see the pair of boats coming out of the dark with what appeared to be a car headlamp at the bow of the narrow boat. The colliers going south were loaded to the gunwales, whereas those coming back rode high out of the water. In general, the bargee piloted the narrowboat and his wife(?) steered the butty boat. Each boat had a plank walkway that ran along the centre of the boat from the cabin structure to the front of the hold. There was often a dog on one or sometimes both of the boats. The dog would run up and down the walkway barking. The cabin on the butty boat was a genuine cabin, with bunks and a stove. The "cabin" of the narrowboat was the engine room. The sound of the boats was unmistakeable with their single cylinder petrol engines that went bub bub bub bub bub. At Hillmorton locks, the narrow boat went into one lock and the butty boat was manhandled into the other using the tow rope. A lot of the boats had children on them, and they could swear like Long John Silver's parrot! Indeed, the whole crew could be abusive to a cheeky young child on the bank.

A lovely story from Innis Road. Went to the Greyhound Pub many times growing up. In fact every Friday we would carry our canoes from Foxford School up to the bridge and paddle from there to the pub and back again. I remember the canoes were really heavy to carry. Fancy Pub of the year eh?

After a hearty breakfast at 'You know where', a ride from Trinity St. aboard the No.48 took me this morning to Longford village, where I joined the Coventry canal to walk back towards the Ricoh Arena. A very short walk along a well maintained metal pathway. I recorded several pics, but until I have passed my 'O' level picture uploading, I will just put a couple up for now. I made a couple of detours, one to see the Longford nature reserve and also the footbridge crossing the Cov to Nuneaton railway line. Shoppers were constantly using the footpath on the section that I was walking this morning, but I am not sure of the level of anti-social activity there might be in the evening for anyone on their own, but that can be said of many areas, anywhere. I am meeting my wife out of work at lunch-time, hence only a short walk today. This is a very pleasant part of our city, for walking or cycling. Suggest solid tyres though when the hawthorn is being cut.

These two pics are what I call Costa-Del-Longford. The top pic shows the end of the footbridge crossing the railway.

Years ago, well about 6 years ago we went for a walk down the Canal at Longford, got on by Salem Baptist Church and there were big posts (I guess where they tied up the barges) all been painted and had a story of the boat people, they were so lovely, are they still around or like most things someone has destroyed them.

Hello. The pics that I loaded are right by Salem church. There are boats at Sutton Stop, where a new marina has been opened & a couple by the Engine pub.

Ahoy there. I enjoyed our canal boat holidays. This was early Spring on the Stratford canal two years ago. I was 'Rear-admiral PhiliPuddle' for this voyage of discovery. I have navigated the entire length of the Coventry canal, but I do not have any pics. My special licence.

Hi Philip it's not too bad to walk down the canal you just have to watch out for the motor bikes, I take photos in the summer, if I can work out how to upload a photo I shall. Years ago they used to do the canal day at the Greyhound public house where they used to have a fair at the rear of the pub, and we used to sit on the edge of the towpath watching the narrowboats/barges tug o war in competition it was a wonderful day out there then, until the council moved it to the basin which has never been as successful as at the Greyhound which I know as it being called the Dog

The Old Cottages at Hawkesbury Junction, Sutton Stop Coventry

The Lock and Lock house at Hawkesbury Junction Coventry

The Dog better know as the Greyhound public house Hawkesbury Junction Coventry