Coventry's Parks (other than War Memorial Park)

I vote for Brother Joybert to be the Artistic Representative for Coventry. He does such a great job, keeping us aware of the beautiful works appearing all over the city. Many thanks.

"Art In The Orchard" @ Coundon Hall Park, 19 June 2021.

From Rob's collection.

That's where I listened to the bands with my dad! Thanks - always remembered it as in Memorial Park. How memories fade! Thanks!

A wander down from Naul's Mill Park to the Naul's Mill Linear Park. The round bit with the trees where you enter the new park is apparently the same circumference (or something like that) as the gasholder that used to be there (or thereabouts).

Is there still an entrance from the Radford end, under the railway bridge?

Another excellent video, Brother Joybert. While I've never been blown away by the City of Culture line up, the work done on the city has been very pleasing. The hard part will be maintaining it.

I didn't go up that way (entered from Middleborough Road and basically just filmed the pond) but looking at Google Earth and other maps it looks like the entrance is still there

Back in the 1950's when I was allowed to be a free roaming youngster I remember Caludon Castle Park as an abandoned farm with overgrown orchards and ponds full of rusting tins - to me an adventure playground where I could climb trees, collect frogspawn, catch newts and hide between double hedges. Does anyone know when the ponds were filled and the park 'improved' to create football pitches?

So, no bandstand then anywhere in Coventry? If not, why not? But then the good folk of the neighbourhood would trash it in a heartbeat or some community would get the hump so probably best not eh!

Such a shame if there's none left. I think a bandstand could still serve a purpose in the modern era, being put to use for current bands or entertainment. We do often see bands play in parks, often under large gazebos or similar, so why not a lovely stylish bandstand?

A lack of bandstand is probably a mixture of vandalism and rough sleeping.

I recall listening to a brass band on a bandstand at Gosford Green, probably more than 60 years ago. I see that part of the Green has been taken for Sky Blue Way. The bandstand in Horsham survives and was in use last Summer while picnicking there with my in-laws. Perhaps its preservation illustrates the better social cohesion of middle-class Horsham. Sad, but it was the working class families of Coventry that enjoyed such facilities in the 1950's and 60's.

There is a bandstand in Riversley Park in Nuneaton. There is another recently restored bandstand in the Pump Room Gardens in the centre of Leamington Spa. This one features all sorts of music events with everything from brass bands to folk music to heavy rock at the different events.

The toilet block was sometimes used by the bus drivers / conductors needing a quick relief, especially if it was too early for the Pilot to be open.