Gosford Green

Looking at the forums for the first time in ages I saw a lot of queries around Atkins Square on Gosford Green. I was brought up there, maybe I can add to the information. My family name is Howe and my father, Harry was a well known local window cleaner. We first lived at no 10 'Atkins Wack' as it was known (don't know why!) Our house had one front door, no rear entrance, no indoor toilet and gas lamps. It was very tiny and as I had a younger brother, Bob, a bit cramped - so we moved up in the world and crossed the Square to live at no 5. (still no indoor toilets, just a row 'out the back' as it was referred to.) The Williams family lived at no 1 and had a son David, my grandparents (Tom and Harriet Hughes) at no 3 and farther up on the left, at the top was Mrs Gould, a daughter Phyllis, (and a son Ron who died as a teenager as I remember.) The White Lion pub next door had a parrot which used to shout loudly 'shut that bloody door' while we were trying to sleep. Dad often complained. The children in 'the yard' all went to All Saints School where Piggy Weale was headmaster - this is now Scholars night club. The area around Atkins Square I recall vividly, the park, Buckleys the chemist in Gosford St, Chastons cake shop and Eric the electrician in Paynes Lane, next to the pet shop, with Sadlers papershop on the opposite corner. My Dad and my Mum (Marjorie) are no longer with us, but what memories they left me of my time in Atkins Square! Sally Kaye (nee Howe)

Hello & welcome MERLINMOG. Please enjoy your time with us Sally.

I remember Browns electrical and two pet shops, one was run by a man called Fanshaw, the other run by a lady who`s name escapes me. I recall an entry between the shops which led to a wrought iron business, there used to be iron gates for sale by the entry. Lloyds Bank on the corner which is the only building left. There was the garage which became Unit Sales. When they moved from a house in Oxford Street I remember Mr Fanshaw sold me and my sister a kitten which he assured us was male (my dad would not entertain female cats) which later gave birth to four kittens - some tom cat!

What difference a night's sleep makes, I remembered the name of the other pet shop, it was Cooke's, Mrs Cooke sold mainly animal feeds and accessories and Fanshaws sold actual pets and goldfish

Can anybody please tell me where Gosford Green wharf is? I have found documents saying a family member was killed there but I have never heard of the area.

Gosford Green wharf is no longer there. The remaining building re the wharf managers house is till there and remains more or less unchanged from the day. It can be found by following the Binley road to the left from Humber Road, go around the island in pull in at the first entry point. The white building to your left on the corner by the gateway is the house. There used to be the railway bridge at this point with yellow walls. The wharf entrance being just beyond the bridge.

It's currently the site of Gosford Park Primary School shown as point "A" on this map: This earlier map is from 1937 showing the goods depot:

Hi You might find this interesting to read. Gosford Green Also this with photos. More on Gosford Green

Was this linked with the wholesale market then? If not, why was it there?

As I recall it was primarily to ship Rootes / Peugot cars and parts all over the place. I`m sure there are pictures about of Hillman Imps being brought down from the Scottish factory where they were made. It had a relatively short existance and the rail line was planned to be used to extend the new A444 to the ASDA island . Unfortunately a school had been built close to the line of the road and protests put a stop to the road due mainly to fumes/pollution from the traffic. This missing link is largely still there.

Thanks Greg!

The majority of the photographs on the second website (the Coventry to Nuneaton line) were taken by myself. Over the years I have taken over 6000 railway images in the Coventry area alone. Those taken at Gosford Green were amongst my earliest work. I was at Tile Hill College at the time and had a free period on a Wednesday afternoon. Rather than 'waste' it doing what I was supposed to do (ie. study), I was cycling around Coventry studying what I found to be a lot more interesting - the local railways and its history! Gosford Green goods depot opened along with the Coventry Avoiding Line (on which it was situated) in 1914. It has handled just about every possible commodity during its lifetime, but in later years mainly handled coal (its largest customer being the Co-op, along with other more local coal merchants) and scrap metal. In the late 1960's (I don't have the actual date to hand although I do have it somewhere), it's day-to-day operation was taken over by Freightliners, the container business of British Railways, who were contracted initially by Rootes, later Chrysler, to operate their container trains between Gosford Green and Linwood in Scotland. The Hillman Imp, although assembled at the Linwood plant, was built mainly from kits sent north from Coventry in the blue Chrysler containers, moved of course on their Company trains already mentioned. Most parts were shipped north from Coventry in the containers, although some parts such as engine castings, were made in Scotland and then shipped to Gosford Green on the Company train to be finished in Coventry, before being reshipped back to Linwood on the train once again!. These trains ceased to run in 1976 when the Imp was discontinued, a decision which ultimately lead of course to the closure of the Linwood plant, and the rail depot at Gosford Green. The Chrysler trains ran on average 4 days a week in each direction, the actual days though could vary from week to week. Gosford Green depot was also used for the movement of Midlands built cars for a period, as can be seen on my photographs. These though ran to Johnstone, also in Scotland. The 'export' car traffic was moved across to Bell Green Goods Depot (situated on Stoney Stanton Road), which was specially re-opened for the purpose. Unfortunately this traffic didn't run for very long. I never did manage to photograph a train at Bell Green - they didn't run on Wednesday afternoons or on Saturdays ! Photographing moving rail traffic on the Coventry Avoiding Line was a very slow and trying business with, at the most, only two trains per day available to photograph. Clearly, looking back, I'm really very glad I put the effort in to get on film what I did. Could I suggest, Philip, that this thread is not merged into the existing Coventry railway thread. I feel the 'real world' railway scene is lost amongst the postings concerning your model railway, which although interesting, tend to dominate the thread.

Hi Ron, Thank you for your comment. The whole point of me asking about merging is to receive responses. It's ironic, but the Hall-Brooks Model railway was originally a separate thread, but was merged, not by me though. The thing is, there are snippets about Gosford Green already in the railway topic. Thank you for your pictures. They are brill! I do have fond memories (not photos, sadly) of trains along the voiding line. Sometimes a super D 0-8-0 back in the fifties. I remember trucks being shunted into the Morris sidings alongside the Moggie-park. I was told by a dray-man at the Co-op dairies that when the line was first opened, there was a bay platform, not a siding, for use of the Co-op, near to the junction of Swan lane & Red lane but never been able to substantiate that.

Many thanks for the directions and map, I will go there just to have a look when I am next in Coventry. All I know from the telegraph report was he was working there with a tipper truck and I jammed and crushed him.

Hope this helps from Britain From Above website