Foleshill (inc. Foleshill Road)

'Fose-hill' too heard many times instead of 'Foleshill'.

Prof, British History Online states “The name Foleshill has been interpreted as 'hill of the folk or people'”. If that is correct, and the word ‘folk’ is pronounced ‘foke’, then ‘Fose-hill’, or ‘Foze-ull’, might be considered to be correct.

On at least one map I've seen it written Folkeshull and here on the Sheldon tapestry at Warwick. The tapestry was woven after the Dissolution and the demolition of the monastery churches in Coventry but note the intact church of Greyfriars and what might be St Mary's cathedral. The archaeologists are fairly sure that St Mary's couldn't have had spires but the tapestry seems to say it did. The discrepancy between the date of the tapestry and the apparent monastery buildings can be explained by some of the significant towns designed from maps only held by the commissioning family. Those may have pre dated the Dissolution. These extra spires would have enhanced Coventry's reputation as a city of spires. The archaeologists theorised that any spires might have been wooden with shingles rather than tiles or stone and then could have been carried by much smaller supporting columns.

Hi all, I recently posted in Britain from above, photos of Foleshill station road bridge being built. This was on F/B, this morning.

Great picture Philip. Do you know anything about the plinth with the cross on top? Just wondered why it might be in a goods yard.

Hi Mick, Where Durbar Ave, Boston Place & Lockhurst Lane met before the bridge bisected it all, there was a World War I memorial, outside the currently derelict pub. The base was made of wood, with a slop plaster mix. The weather elements put paid to it. Thank you for asking.

It's mentioned on here.

Thank you Anne, post 188. Sadly the elaborate structure was severely damaged in a storm, so the cross replaced it.

Odd as it is, when the brick chapel building was opened in 1958, the commemorative organist's Methodist Hymn book had Dunbar, in gilt embossed lettering.

Hi Philip and thanks. Would that have been the old Railway Hotel?

Yes, Mick. The Old Railway Hotel, which Marstons leased out for it to became a West Indian & Commonwealth Club. The change in population of the area late eighties to Asian communities dried up beer sales. It's been closed maybe thirty years. I believe that Marstons still hold the ground. Building safety a current issue.

Hi Philip From the size of the bar (history of Coventry pubs), it would have needed a lot of customers to keep it going and make a profit! It was just too big for the position it was in.

Hi Mick, As built, it was a hotel, then for nearly half a century, it had around ten fully occupied flats. Foleshill is almost a generic term for several districts, Great Heath, Little Heath & Lockhurst Lane. Great Heath & Little Heath had a tramway into Coventry, but Lockhurst Lane area it was train or bus. As well as Courtaulds, 1st & 2nd wartime saw industries develop along the rail corridor, attracting mostly unskilled workforces. When the history of Holbrooks publication was being researched, time & time again, folks local to Lockhurst Lane, when interviewed, had never been to Coventry. My first real contact with the area was from trainspotting, on Friday evenings when over six pigeon transport trains took birds all over the UK, & the continent, with the prize of an out of region locomotive. The pub was full. Then in the seventies, it was a "Reggae" music centre. It was really good. The very close faggot & pea takeaway did a roaring trade from the pub goers. Another issue that I've just remembered. The motor-bus, terminated at the end of Lockhurst Lane, until after the bridge was built. The bus used the monument roundabout to turn round & go back into Coventry.

During the 70's the Railway Hotel was known as the Indian & Commonwealth Club. The front bar, the one nearest to Lockhurst Lane, was the domain of the West Indian members and was where they could enjoy a quiet game of dominos or play cards for a few pennies whilst enjoying their pint. The rear bar, it may have been called 'the lounge' because it had a carpet, was nearer to Boston Place and was the domain of the Sikh members and they also played cards I think. The whole place had the appearance and even the smell of a building that was about to fall down. There was a smell of rotten woodwork and general dampness so much remembered from other derelict properties which were subsequently demolished. The members mostly lived locally so most of them walked to the club. My descriptions of them are in no way racial because they were in the main people who had been born in the West Indies or in India. Over the years they not only got older but many became more prosperous and moved to other parts of the city so trade must have taken a dip. As Philip says many of the current population of the area do not drink alcohol and in any case the popularity of 'going to the pub' has seriously declined. As I drive past I am always amazed that the old building still stands but can imagine that it would cost a small fortune to restore it to some sort of usable condition.