Swimming pools & swimmers

I believe the Woodlands School open air Pool has gone as well

Not a school but the Disabled Centre at Canley has gone. I used that pool occasionally. Norman

Now I am going to brag, in the fifties I was called Mr Gosford because I spent so much time there, even as much as Ernie the manager that ran the place, in those days I was called Curly, now what I haven't read here, is Coventry had two England captains, had two long distance swimmers, one of which is now aged 91 and still does twenty lengths about four days a week at what I call your new pool. I went to Morecambe with him when he, in a race, swam the 11 miles across the bay, I was rowed in a boat alongside of him. It was Coventry's hey-day the fifties. They had a great water-polo team, also had a couple of great marathon runners, I don't think Coventry will have as much talent again as they did in the fifties, and I had the good fortune to know them all. And that is my brag. Now I hope none of you went to the 'Livi' on Sundays because we caused mayhem, we sent waves that crashed against the wall, but no one ever was in trouble with those swimmers. Now I read about the old cinemas about queues, well about forty of us would stand in the queue, Sunday afternoon and it would swell to about seventy sometimes, Gaumont or ----------. We were in a queue and larking about, someone gave Graham Symonds (a big very powerful boy) a push, he turned and threw a playful punch in the 'solar' and a,copper was doubled up.

Do you mean this Livi Kaga the one which will be buldozed for a doctors surgery take a last look.

Thank you for your reply Norman. I am to believe Cardinal Newman and Coundon Court have closed. I understand the following school pools are still open. Exhall Grange, Sherbourne Fields, Caludon Castle, President Kennedy and King Henry. A question - can anyone recall how many swimming pools were open in Coventry at the turn of the century? Tony

Annewiggy, sorry for the delay, yes Farr and Reddy I believe they were called, wouldn't know about the cakes, never ate cakes in those days, fitness fanatic, would be today's word, I used the gym. When I was about eight years old started Foxford school, my mother knitted me a pair of trunks, can you imagine a kid going to the Livi in a pair of knitted trunks?

Sorry Kaga, but I couldn't help but laugh, nearly as bad as a white bathing suit.

Maybe they want to place a doctor's surgery there instead to treat the people who have inhaled north of the city all the car pollution