Woodway Lane and Potters Green

Does anyone remember or have any info on the 3 cottages that once stood in Woodway Lane, Coventry? They were demolished probably in the late 60s or early 70s. They stood in between the 2 chapels that are still there (around 361 Woodway Lane) near the turn off for Cardinal Wiseman school. My wife's grandparents used to live in one of them, a Mr & Mrs Dumbleton, probably up to the early 70s, maybe earlier. The neighbours were a Mrs Ward & a Mrs Coppin. My wife says her nan's cottage was really creepy when she visited as a child. We would love to know of any memories anyone has or information about them. Photos would be wonderful but probably unlikely. Thanks. Especially you Cov kids in distant lands.

Hello Doug. I have some info which I am going to copy onto this site. My friends Hayden & Doreen have sent me this reply. Hayden remembers these three cottages well. He went to the Sunday School, Boys Club and Youth Club there up until 1957. He remembers the people living in the cottages. His Grandad ( Mr. Charles Harley) lived in No.1 Potters Green Road at the back of the cottages. We have unearthed a booklet 'Walsgrave Remembered' printed in 1987. In the booklet there is a drawing of Potters Green United Reformed Church and Sunday School showing the cottages set back between them. It is by the late Mr Ward dated 1949. Maybe this Mr Ward is the same Mr Ward who lived in one of the cottages. We have attached a copy. Best wishes

Hello Philip. Thanks for trying to find out more about my wife's nan's cottage in Woodway Lane. We are very grateful for any info you can get your hands on. Any photo's would be a godsend but perhaps too much to hope for. Anyway thanks again Phil mate for your much appreciated efforts.

Hope this is of help.

Here's Potters Green URC and Church Hall in 2010

I am sure that our friend is going to be delighted. Thank you.

Thanks Philip for all the info you discovered about these cottages, & the pics. My wife is very grateful for all your hard work. As I said earlier, she said her nan's cottage was always spooky. I'm not saying it was haunted though. Incidentally, were there ever any haunted houses in Coventry that anyone is aware of? I remember years ago there being an advert in The Cov Telegraph about a house in Humber Avenue, which was supposedly haunted, and the owners allowed you to stay in it for the night for a fee.

My ancestors were Wards and they lived in Gladstone Cottage, Woodway Lane - but I do not know if this is one of the cottages you are talking about. My great grandfather was Owen Ward who was killed in the colliery in 1900 aged 36 - so his widow would be Mrs Ward. They subsequently moved to Avon Street but I don't know when. I think their son Herbert Ward stayed on in Gladstone Cottage and he would have died some time around 1949 - possibly a little before - and his widow Kate Ward would have been the next Mrs Ward. I never knew either of them but I remember it being said that Herbert Ward was only ever interested in going to Cheltenham to buy antiques and would never spend any money on the house - so it may well have been qiute old fashioned inside. Kate Ward was remembered as a dark, bird like lady - something of the gypsy about her. Their son in turn was Bert Ward who I also never knew, but I believe had some graphic skill, as a small picture drawn by him hung on my grandmother's wall - perhaps not disimilar to the one reproduced in the book, but of a traveller walking in a country lane. The cottage still stood when my grandmother died in the late 70's, but as I say, I don't know if it is one of the ones you are talking about. I do not have any photos. Regards Simon

Ada Ward and three children (Herbert, Ada and Edith) lived at Sowe Waste at the time of the 1901 Census The census shows : Spotted Dog next, Sowe Waste (Wards) then 4 more x Sowe Waste then Jolly Colliers In 1910 Ada Ward married Frederick Ward and at the 1911 Census they lived at Manor Farm, Wyken Don't know if this helps

My Uncle Harold (Heap) and Auntie Doris lived at 107 Potters Green Road. I have lots of happy memories of being there when I was a little girl, in the late 50's-60's. There were two cottages standing alone with a considerable amount of garden around them. My aunt and uncle lived in one and owned the adjoining cottage which had a tenant in it, but when I remember being there the cottage was empty, my Uncle using it for storage. I can remember there were two earth toilets down the garden, with the walls covered in ivy. During the war my grandparents and mum went to live there too, they had lost their house in Oliver Street. Potters Green's, as my uncle's cottage was known as, only had two tiny bedrooms so it must have been really cramped with seven people all living there. The cottages were demolished in the late 70's/early 80's I think. I guess there are houses built on the land.

The original Walsgrave WMC was in Woodway Lane, on the right on the bend just up from the Ansty Road. My late father was a member there in the 50's and 60's. If my memory serves me correctly, the building was a couple of miners cottages. A snooker table in the room on the left as you went in. There was a huge garden with a bowling green at the rear. The ceilings were very low as I recall. I have no idea when it was flattened. Also, I went to school with Ashley Stevens (or Stephens) who lived in the large white house which stood next to the newsagents on the corner of Woodway Lane/Ansty Road. This house was demolished fairly recently I believe. If anyone has more info, I would appreciate their sharing it with us please

Is that a different site from the present club and bowling green?

Hello MR. Yes. The site I refer to is about 500 yards on the right up Woodway Lane from the traffic lights on the Walsgrave Road/Ansty Road junction

Right! . . . . . I was misled a little by the "500yds" - I think it must have been more like 50yds - the 1975 Telephone Directory shows the address as 18 Woodway Lane, the first old house on that side now is 28 (up to there are the new buildings erected over the very recent past) - the current WMC is at 146 Woodway Lane, which is something like 5-600yds from Ansty Road This article may be of general interest on the subject of Woodway Lane

Hello again. Great link. The WMC I was referring to is just around the bend in the 1999 picture. The old farmhouse is where my school mate lived. Regards, Gangan