Coventry's Parks (other than War Memorial Park)

Hi Greenman It was just south of the Ring Road hence 'Parkside', 'Little Park Street' and 'Much Park Street'. This is probably the stretch of City Wall referred to: Pictures of Coventry

Ah yes, of course. Thank you Dutchman.

Question? Could anyone tell me if Nauls Mill has been cleaned and in use again? I wish to bring my grand children over to use it in the next fortnight but would hate to disappoint them. ps, just noticed my new pic, if you enlarge it- you can tell i have had a drink, there seems to be flames in the end of the didge. pps, sorry but it does not show, try this.

scrutiny, I've cycled through Nauls Mill park on my way to work for the last couple of years and the lake has been drained all that time and is still empty now. Regards, Peter.

Just found this great website and I thought I would see if Nauls Mill pond was still in the city, only ever been back to the UK twice since 1964 as I now live in New Zealand and have done so for the last 51 years. Never regretted it but even today it is still a new country by European standards and at times the calling of what we did in the past gets stronger. I have many more memories and photos which I will post as I get the time. These photos circa 1948 show my using the pond for what is was designed for - family outings, the battleship was made by me using a bread and butter construction method and the other built by my father Charlie Sparkes ex Water works at Spon end, now long gone. Come on you good people of Coventry get the council resurrecting the park again, and of course the pond, after all what else does it need but water! But I guess not right now for while I am in the heat of summer, you are probably freezing so that gives plenty of time for the Council to get their act together ready for spring. For me that place has many happy memories and maybe a few others also. Post any photos please. Diane

Hello & welcome Diane to our Coventry forum, Thank you for your lovely greeting as well as your post & pictures.

Oh my, it's the pictures that did it, I was taken there as a kid, more than once, and we must have lived some way from the pool. Have no idea where it was, and we had photos just like Diane's, oh gosh, another jolt, another eighty years gone by.

Tekmelf, Help, How the devil would I have got to Nauls Mill Park in the 1930's from where you are? Kaga.

In the school holidays in the 1950's the council used to hire out stilts etc. made of something like 2x2 with blocks of wood on the side. I think we paid 1d for them. I was never very good at it. They were kept under one of the railway arches.

Until I got married I lived about 5 minutes walk from the park. A lot of our time was spent in the park, courting, playing in the brook, and on occasions actually going into the pond. In the middle of the pond there was a post to which they fixed a cable to enable the speed boats to go around in circles. At the end of the war the pond was drained and cleaned out by I believe Italian prisoners of war. As boys we then waded in the mud to collect boats which had sunk and never been retrieved. Over the stream there were two bridges leading to the swings at top of the field backing onto the School of Art where we would watch the girls playing netball. In answer to your question tram to Broadgate from Bell Green, walk down Smithford St, past Woolworths, across Fleet St, up Hill St, past St Osburgs Church and right into Middleborough Rd. Park was on your left.

Tekmelf thank you,but now I have a puzzle to solve. Why would my family go all that way to a small pond when we had the slough?

Possibly to see what it was like to live in the 20th century. When starting courting and making my first adventure o'er the bridge, in a territorial army uniform and riding an ex military Royal Enfield 350cc motor bike, the locals looked on not knowing if they were being invaded or liberated. Saturday "Pink" was delivered with the Sunday paper from Stringers

Err, any major hobby store Mike. AnticsOnline (they have a retail outlet in the centre of Coventry). Radio control boats are relatively cheap and available to buy off the shelf today whereas in the past it took months to build one from scratch and that was only if you had the skill, the patience and the huge finance required.