Middleborough Terrace

Does anyone have any information regarding Middle Borough Terrace There are remains of a sandstone wall and gateways (1851) on Radford Road (St Columbas Close) but does anyone know what was behind these?

I don't have any information about what was behind the gateway, but coincidentally I was contacted a while ago by a chap who knows the owner of an Alvis photographed outside those very gates in 1923. He sent me scans of the photos which I've put below. The current owner, Robert Hunt, is hoping to have the car renovated within the next year or two, and is planning to bring it back to Coventry to recreate a "now and then" in that same place in St. Columbas Close. I'm hoping that he'll remember to contact me again when he's ready - I'm looking forward to seeing that occasion! It will be especially nice if he doesn't mind other interested folk dropping by to see it.

Just reviving this after going through old threads - I'd love to see this car Rob if he ever gets in touch again. As a big car enthusiast I always feel a little pride in all those great Coventry cars that were manufactured here. I don't think I've ever actually been down St Colomba's Close before! Those walls look very interesting on Google maps? Just what were those doorways for?

I found myself on the ring road on Wednesday so detoured down St Columbas Close for a look. The inscriptions on the walls are still visible - what were they for?

Some great pictures here. I've never really spent much time in that area of the city, but find it a bit weirdly laid out with strange dead ends and that canal basin stuck up there. I often wondered what happened to all the stone that was taken away from the city walls. How much of ended up in new buildings or just used as rockeries?

From the census, Middleborough Terrace appears to be a row of gentlemen's residences, lived in by the likes of Solicitors and Ribbon manufacturers etc. it could be as suggested that the bricks were borrowed from older buildings. I think there were some like this further down by the shops on Radford Road.

It was common practise to recycle materials but also there is a substantial source of sandstone in the immediate area. The railway cutting between Radford Road and Sandy Lane is cut through sandstone. We used to play in and on the embankment behind the Territorial Army depot. Digressing, we would find all manner of interesting stuff like grenades, artillery rounds and so on. All duds but it was interesting to take the pin out and throw the first one.

Just remembered that the walls in the garden of Weavers Care Home in St Nicholas Street where my mum is at present also are made of similar stone blocks. I wonder if they were quarried when they actually dug the embankment. I used to walk to work over that wooden bridge at the back of the TA depot. Always like the name of that road that led to the common - "unadopted"!

As part of the development of the Spon End waterworks in the 1840s a reservoir was also created in the vicinity of Radford Road/St Nicholas St. This can be seen on the 1889 OS maps and included all the land down to Light Lane. I have often thought that the walls in the area predate the houses and they may have remained in situ or just have been reused.

Bonfire night, needing the wood, decided along with our "gang" to borrow some railway sleepers from the embankment behind Westfield House. After struggling up the bank onto the footbridge with two sleepers we then realised that the local bobby had been watching the spectacle. No suggesting about arresting us, he just made us replace them where we had found them, and then after he had also been listening to us talking he had a list of our names which he then gave to our teachers at Barkers Butts School who subsequently administered a due whacking with the cane.

Hi Midland Red, This area crops up in some of my distant relatives lives so I thought I would contribute to the thread. St Columbas Close was originally part of the Radford road that led down to St Nicholas Street and on in to town (before the ringroad cut through it). A good way to see this example is if you view Google Earth history view and look at the area now and then quickly jump to 1945 view. I'm distantly related to the Riley Car family and at one time quite a few family members lived right where you describe. On the opposite side of the road to the brick wall and archway you describe is a run of original houses and one (that still remains) was called Hollybank (though it no longer bears this name). This was the residence of William Riley (who is buried in St Nicholas Church graveyard further up the Radford Road). He lived here with Percy, Victor, Allan and his wife and probably a few others. It was a convenient location as it was close to the Riley works at that time. Over the road from Hollybank was Middleborough Terrace where the stone wall and archways are. Behind here along with gentlemans residence was a property called Middleborough house. This was the residence of Basil Riley who was a master tailor who moved to Coventry from Manchester and married Williams daughter, Hannah. So he married in to the family and company ironically already having the same name and set up home with his wife across from his father in law and relatives. Being a master tailor he had involvements with upholstery within the company. Interestingly the properties behind the stonewall appear to be gone on 1945 view so Its possible to assume that the gentlemens residence and Middleborough house were all destroyed in the blitz. Anyway I thought you'd like to know

Hi Easterngreen Thanks for the information - really interesting I did know the course of the old Radford Road as my first home was at Brownshill Green Road, so this was our direct route into town (past the policeman on duty at the top of Bishop Street!)

I wonder if the larger building next to Middleborough Terrace that's opposite Holly Bank was Middleborough House then. Seems to make sense. Last year my dad and Victor Riley knocked on the door of Holly Bank and had a good chat with the current occupant. Though the house is now known by another name they went inside and retrieved the original Holly Bank sign that was in either the loft or the cellar to show them. I'm sure a previous vicar of Holy Trinity lived at Holly Bank after the Rileys as well.

I've just been catching up on this thread after a post on the Terrace appeared on FB. Sadly the old Alvis owner Robert Hunt who posted earlier appears to have passed away. Reading the linked website however the car is now with his daughter and has appeared at Brooklands retro events as well as Prescott Hill.