Melbourne Racing Ground

Anyone got any ideas about where the Melbourne Racing Ground in Spon End might have been in 1882 to 1886? I assume it must have been an ordinary field in the district and my only thought is why was Melbourne Street so called, and could the two be connected in some way?

Hello Harrier I cannot drop onto anything just now, but I remember visiting Warwick Racecourse years ago when I saw a document describing Coventry & Rugby racecourses. Coventry closed many years before Rugby closed, which closed in the 1920s. I have no idea of the location of the Coventry course. Where did your info come from?

This does not answer your question but it may give you a clue. It is from the Coventry Times December 1879. There is also a mention of the Melbourne Gardens Public House in Spon Street. I googled MG and it comes up with an address for Mind, Befriending Service, Melbourne Gardens.

This thread reminds me of stories told to me about and by Joe Dyson (1878-c1963), my great grandfather, who lived all his life in and around Walsgrave, and was an archer and a sprinter. He used to tell me of both archery competitions and sprint races in the interval at Coventry City games at Highfield Road. Although I remember his house - near "the cut", off Deedmore Road - used to be crammed with trophies, including vases, bowls, gongs, etc, the only tangible memory I have of him is the small (6 inch high) trophy pictured, which is inscribed "Bretts Veterans Race 1939" and was awarded for - I think - a 100 yards sprint, which he won at the age of around 60. Bretts was Bretts Stamping Works, which has been mentioned in posts a few times. Anyone know, or knew, of him?

.....by 1900 he had probably retired from running as by then he was a starter (a 'pistol firer' in the parlance!!!) Did he run for Godiva or one or more of the other clubs in the Coventry or one of the 'villages', Earlsdon, Foleshill etc,? What was his job as he might have run for a 'trade' club.

I think you mean Melbourne Road? It sounds suspiciously like the Butts Stadium to me?

Melbourne Gardens was one of the early names for what later became the Bowling Green pub in Spon Street. Other than the bowling green there were no sporting facilities nearby.

Hi all, So, where was Coventry's horse racing course that did once exist, but closed over a century ago?

Cheylesmore Park, hence 'Parkside', 'Little Park Street', 'Much Park Street', etc.

Hi & thank you Dutchman That is bril!

For PhilipinCoventry, the information came from the magazine "Sport and Play" and the "Recorder". The Coventry Herald had similar information ... or lack of it. Annewiggy's cutting shows that Melbourne Gardens pre dated the Butts track so the Gardens must have been a different venue? Yes, dutchman, I did mean Melbourne Road, sorry. Also it cannot have been the Butts ground as both grounds are mentioned in the above references. And the Butts was still in the ownership of the company of the original six investors. There is a reference to a large oak tree which necessitated a sharp corner at one end of the Ground when it was marked out for athletics. I wonder if JohnnieWalker's great great grandfather was also called Joe as that would make more 'age sense' for a starter in athletics as the Joe Dyson mentioned would have only been 22 years when 'he' was a starter ... a bit young even for those days.

Hi Harrier Certainly he was known as Joe Dyson, and I think he may have run for Godiva at some time. It would not have surprised me if he also acted as starter at some of these events. When I was embarking on my own athletics career in the early 1960s, he gave me a silk running vest. It was a rather lurid (and completely unfashionable) pastel colour - maybe lime green or pink - I don't remember - but it was clearly meant to be a gift of great sentimental value. It had shrunk to a completely unwearable size, so was quietly consigned to the bin - sad now to think that it could have prompted memories. He was also an expert gardener, and produced the most amazing dahlias, which won prizes at shows. I've found an 1887 Ordnance Survey map that shows his house along the old tramway off Deedmore Rd, but I'll put that on the Woodway Lane topic - it seems to be the nearest geographically.