Rambling, Coventry area

Coundon Wedge has received a lot of attention on here & whilst I cannot claim to have covered it all either in walking or talking, I would like to move on. There are lots of our city areas that I would love to explore, whether new or a re-discovery. I am still in a mood for our river systems & Longford park might be a good bet next. When out & about personal safety is very important & I follow my own strict code, when walking alone. Saying that, if any member would like to come with me, or even suggest somewhere, I am all ears. I am no athlete, I walk slowly & can 'shut-up' sometimes. I prefer mornings, finishing off with a bite to eat & or drink. Actually, the more that I think of 'Forum' company the more I like it. We at least have a common interest other than exercise. "HONESTLY, THIS IS ONLY A THOUGHT", Whilst Rob spends much time managing this site for our pleasure, maybe someone one day, would turn a 'where is this' quiz into a a treasure hunt type event (with safety in mind). That would need forward planning and concideration for all of our members, whether physically taking part or just enjoying the follow up. Maybe some members family involvement too. I will do the sensible thing now & shut up & return to the subject of rambling on foot.

If Longford Park is next on my ramble agenda, looking at the Coventry map, courtesy of Coventry Walks web page, the general area of the park is central to several features of Coventry. Two brooks empty into the Sowe within the confines of the park itself, whilst nearby the Coventry canal makes its way from the Ricoh to Sutton Stop. A member was asking questions about that location recently. A little further on is the Wyken pool often being talked about on here. Surrounding the Wyken pool grassland is what was once the Craven Colliery Railway. The line itself was laid on colliery spoil which contains high volumes of coal dust, which gives off heat to this day. There was once a picture in the old Evening Telegraph, taken from the air on a frosty morning and the line route was plain for all to see. There was a time when I would have thought nothing of walking this kind of area easily in a day, but not now. By the time I bus it to the Ricoh, walk to the park and then a couple of hours rambling, I am ready for a bite & reflection of what I have seen. I read your comments & memories from here and when I am in the location try to put it together. This was my 'Claude Butler' at the Wyken pool about thirty years ago. My current bike is a 'Giant' hybrid which is now ten years old, but people ask me if its new! I do look after them. My Giant.

Hello Philip, When LesM and I are next in Coventry (next year) we would be most delighted if we could join you on one of your walks ..... and anyone else. When I was small and living in Wood End, my brother and I used to walk to the top of Milverton Rd and we came to what we called 'THE SMOKE HILLS' which I think is the area that you are talking of. We spent many long summer days in that area. Are you saying that this area is still there? I thought it would have been long gone. Gilly

Hello. Gilly. Areas of Coventry are constantly being changed, but I am sure that there is plenty to see that will take you back to the times that you remember. I will be delighted to meet you, when you come to visit. The 'smoke hills' as you call them, there is a section of the one time railway that went across what is now Henley Rd, which I walked along just a few years ago. It is well defined to this day. I remember, as a child, that if you placed paper or wood in a hole, it would smoulder & sometimes burst into flames. Looking forward to seeing you. Best wishes. Philip.

Hi Gilly and Philip, As a child I too used to play at the "Fiery Hills" (we all seem to have named them different). We would walk from Lower Ford St up to the Wyken Slough and then on to the Fiery Hills. In the side we would dig a hole and then throw in some twigs, after a few blows they would set on fire. After living in Pembrokeshire I am now back and last year took great delight in taking my grandaughter with me to go round some of my old haunts taking photos. She is at almost of the same age as I was. It is unbelievable to think I was 7 when the Slough was part of my playground and I would be out all day, today the Police would be looking for you within the hour. How life has changed. I have taken note of where you said Gilly, so will look on Google earth for the hills so I can go there. Never knew they were a railway line until last year. If anybody can give me directions I would be grateful.

Hello. Have a look at Coventry Walks - from the home page, go to the map, select 100% size & then scroll to any area, ok.

The railway branched from the Nuneaton line at Hawkesbury Jct. It served the Wyken, Alexandra & Craven colliery in that order. Now, the smoking hills were between the Alexandra & Craven stretch of railway. I am so fired up on this that I am going to make it my next ramble. I need to find out where I can get to, also I notice that the council have been busy making parklands which may have destroyed what was left. I am sure that there was a section of the railway carried on a brick arch structure too. So, is it time for another adventure? Will I be able to leave on the next high tide? Tune in to the next epidode. (The organ comes up playing at this juncture)

Before I visited Coventry Walks, I had no idea that part of Coventry has so much history. When the post war estates were built the council missed a golden opportunity to incorporate the industrial architecture into the modern design. It would have added a great deal of interest to the area and even maybe become a tourist attraction. For example, the narrow gauge tramway that crossed Deedmore Road could have been used to give joyrides in summer.

When I was ten, I remember the rails still in place across the Henley Rd, that had been covered with tarmac & the white gates were still in place. Where the tarmac had worn, I could see the rails which were mixed gauge, showing that they accepted standard gauge, as well as the tramway wagons. I understood that, being a train-spotter, a hobby which was gathering momentum with me then. When I was at Courtaulds, I made friends with an engineering inspector, Arthur Fox, who lived in Bedworth. He was a mind of history (which he taught). Not only would he have been so useful on this site, he would have loved being on it, along with all of the members here. This site is an asset to the City of Coventry, as well as to our enjoyment.

The question "Where next?" prompts me to remember my childhood in Earlsdon. The area I have in mind is known as Styvechale Common. It stretches from around the throat of Earlsdon Avenue South, along the Kenilworth Road (on both sides) to Coat of Arms Bridge Road and Canley Ford Road. We used to walk the round trip, out via the footpath at the back of Earlsdon Street to Providence Street and Earlsdon Avenue, returning home via the footpath across the golf course (or vice versa). In the Canley Ford Road section (known generally as Canley Woods) there was a depression, probably a sandstone quarry, which we called Devil's Dungeon. That was, until we discovered the better known Devil's Dungeon near Beechwood Avenue. They were great for riding your bike up and down; going UP the steep bit was the most exciting. But, as a late teenager and into my early twenties, I enjoyed walking the round, usually taking a dog for a walk. If you included the Memorial Park in the circuit, it could be quite a long walk.

I recorded this on my Nikon film SLR. About 2004 Happy memories.

There are still remnants of the colliery line if you look for them. The most prominent is one of the level crossing gate posts which I`m sure still exists in Deedmore Road on the left just before Aldermans Green industrial estate. The burning bank, as it was known locally, is now part of the parkland on the left of Henley Road going towards Walsgrave just after Luscombe Road. The following are a couple of links to old maps which may interest you. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/mapsheet.aspx?sheetid=9900&compid=55201 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/map.aspx?compid=55201

I think they were the blasting sites where unexploded bombs were detonated? The earth around there is soft clay rather than stone.

That sounds plausible. There is some sandstone around, from which the red clay was probably formed by water erosiion, possibly millions of years ago. However, it is unlikely that much would have been available from such small holes. I'm not sure how old they are. Certainly in the early 1950s, there were mature trees growing out of the banks, although the trees growing in the bottom were much less mature.

Have spent many hours looking at these maps. Thanks a lot Greg. Gilly