Welcome to the Historic Coventry Forum

Good spot Cliff! And thanks as ever to Rob

When I joined the forum in early 2014 I was living in Accrington. The forum made me realise I needed to return to Coventry. I've now been home for a little over a year. Thanks Rob.

Well done Rob, I never realised it until now that I was in at the start, 12th Feb. to all.

Having most of my youth in the mid 80's thru to mid 90's wasted in various drinking venues in and around Coventry, I am trying to piece together the places and timescale. I recall Park Lane, The Pink Parrot, Busters, The Irish Centre, The West Indian Club, Fatty Arbuckles and a few pubs. I had a mate back in the 80's called Billy and him and his brother were doormen at Park Lane. I also know Nasser who was the resident DJ upstairs in Lane. I loved that club. Has anyone got any photos of the place? When did it close as Park Lane? What about Fattys- when did that open/close down? I also worked at Alvis at Walsgrave for a while until circa 1996 when I left Coventry. If anyone has any similar memories please write them down!

The latest "discoveries" on this forum regarding 'Women's Cricket' and 'St. Faith's Shelter' (not inter-connected! ) serve to indicate what a wonderful platform it has become in people's lives Thanks to our webmaster Rob for creating this and developing it over the last few years Let's all help it to continue to flourish going forward, and to keep it free from any distasteful comments or language which might cause distress to members, or cause them to withdraw from the forum completely, whilst encouraging proper debate of all things Coventry-related and in the wider world

I totally agree with everyone how enjoyable this site is. It has brought back so many happy memories of post war Coventry, so much I had forgotten until my brain received a 'nudge' from someone's post, people and places we knew, games and shops we used as kids, it was certainly a very different Coventry and although I now only have one family member still living there, I am so proud to have come from this historic and occasionally beautiful City so thanks to Rob and all concerned.

Perhaps worth repeating this message for our newer members, as our membership now exceeds 2,300

Yes Cliff but many of that 2,300 have never posted, many more have just two or three posts although they joined the forum years ago. I am a member of a Norfolk forum that boasts more than 10,000 members but only about 5% post and many never have.

We fully appreciate that the majority of "members" make only a fleeting visit, but the content we posted is still relevant to all Not for one moment do we consider our active membership to be 2,300+ - we know some have decided to leave for varying reasons, some only enter for one particular subject

Morning all In spite of its warts, what a gift we have with the internet, social media & so on. I am not ashamed of reminding myself of just how good this is, yes even the sad parts where we chat about those things that we wish didn't happen or hadn't happened. One of the commonest complaints, when passengers are stranded somewhere out in the sticks, is lack of information, yet here on our forum we come together where we share our grief, as we are still indeed doing regards Thursday's tragic events in Coventry. Sharing binds us in a bond, which can break barriers or past misunderstandings and so on. I am in awe of the fact that I can chat with Helen, MR, Tony, Rob, Dreamtime, Anne . . . and so the names go on just as though they are all in my lounge right now, no matter what. Please pass the port! We all can have different views, but sharing with a bit of understanding and consideration is as sweet as honey. For all the tragic events, it's our mortality which has prompted my post here. None of us is Mr or Mrs Average, with average age, height, weight, or hobbies. The actress whose life has ended at age 53 comes as a shock, as has one of our beloved football players recently. I was gutted the first year that my son started his senior school, when in that first year, one of his class mates, a lovely eleven year old girl, died. Maybe MR will remember, but when I was in the transition class aged seven at the grammar school, one of our chums died in his first year. Life goes on for now, the drums and instruments have been alive at the Devonshire Arms most Friday evenings of late. I wonder if I can tempt a response to that? Music thrills my socks off and if I could drive at night with safety my ears might be ringing now. As with all issues in life, there will be those who exploit, turn plowshares into missiles as we have seen with Trojan bugs, but on balance, what a technology of delight. Thank you Rob & the team, the members, many who moderate by example for what we have here to look at 24/7, easier than falling off a log.

I agree with Philip. This is an amazing site and forum. My knowledge of my home town has exploded since I joined thanks to other forum members.

Thank you so much Philip and Pixrobin for such kindness, both for this forum and all those who make it what it is. The internet is simply a device by which most of the world can communicate, and the vast majority of it is an absolute marvel - the ability to learn almost anything, see or listen to virtually everything that's ever been published, and "chat" with like minded people from another continent. All forms of media can be exploited, even the humble, old-fashioned postal system, which must've passed on many a poisoned letter written in fountain pen.... but who would call for snail mail to be banned or controlled when such happens? The internet simply happens to be a more instant medium and more easily exploited for harm, but I stand by it as a wonder of the modern age and could barely conceive a world without it now. And yes, if anyone on here ventures down to the Devonshire Arms on any Friday that I happen to be there (roughly every other one), there's a part time drummer here willing to buy you a pint!

What have you done Rob! Get your ticket at the door, folks. I may not be there in body but definitely in spirit. Cheers to everyone

I must add my tuppence worth. Having been born shortly after the end of WW2 and spent my first 23 years in Coventry itself, followed by regular visits to friends after I left, thus 'keeping in touch' with the city, I always thought I knew quite a lot about the city's past, gosh how wrong can you be? The wide and varied topics covered in this forum and within the website as a whole, made me realise my knowledge was just the tip of a very large iceberg. Whilst I have only contributed a few times, there are not many days that go by without a a brief visit to view the current subjects. I am very much involved in family history, how I wish other areas had similar websites, as it would help to add so much more information to the norm BDM's. I do like it when there maybe a slight difference of opinion, however well done moderators in ensuring that discussions are kept to a pleasant level and not degrade into insults, as found on many forums. Having been involved in the formation of websites and being a moderator, I am aware of the dedication that is required to ensure that the site is kept fresh. WELL DONE to all involved, I look forward to many more visits and expanding my knowledge.

Hear, hear to everything above. I recently engaged in a government consultation on digital media and culture. I tried to convey to them about the importance of making culture both accessible and set up to allow the public to fully participate in how it is used. In Rob's site you see the effect of enthusiastic volunteers with access to our culture. It's no accident that the site regularly gets referenced at archaeology web sites. It's the single best source of, and hub for online information about old Coventry and pretty darn good at what's going on today too. Good sites need constant new content. Something that governments and museums find hard to do unless a lot of money is available. They are scared of letting the public contribute because the public are unpredictable and sometimes write stuff they shouldn't or is just wrong. Moderating is a very tough job and it's easier to just present stuff, than let the public react to it and have to edit or remove something unsuitable. Three cheers for Rob and the moderators! While the big multinationals shy away from the need to curb the way the public use their platforms, they have recognised the gold mine of user content. The public make Facebook etc interesting. They provide the vast majority of content that keeps people coming back. People come back because there is something new to read. They comment because there will be someone who will read it. The whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts. Well done to everyone.