Cheylesmore and Quinton Park

Does anybody remember Quentin / Quenton pool??

Do you mean Quinton Pool in Cheylesmore?

Yes Quinton pool in Cheylesmore. A lovely pool that contained sticklebacks and other fish that we used to catch with a fishing net and jam jar. At the end we would put them back for others to catch. Poor fish. The pool was surrounded by grass and was on the Daventry Road which had many shops and the Cheylesmore pub. It was a very nice place.

Here's a photo taken at Quinton Pool last Friday

Hi all, Just been discussing the Quinton Pool in regards to the island in the middle which my dad was always told was made artificially using old air raid shelters after WW2 (but as he was born 20 years after, he always wondered if it was true). I found a letter in the Cov Evening Telegraph (4 Oct 2000) that seems to collaborate with this: "Memories of island friends who pooled their resources FOR generations, ducks, geese and swans have flocked to their very own island home on Quinton Pool in Cheylesmore, Coventry. But how exactly did it come to be there? "I FEEL sure there was no island at Quinton Pool until the summer of 1956 when my son John, 14 years old, and his school pal, Peter Boddington, both constructed canoes in the school holidays, which they tried out on the pool. "With trials on the water under way they came across a shallow area in mid pool where they ran aground, and that gave rise to an exciting possibility - the construction of a landing stage - dry land in the middle of the lake. "With all the debris from the Coventry blitz nearby and piles of rubble from dismantled air raid shelters littering the area, they decided to take the hard-core out to the shallow water. "They sank it, building a mini-island which you could stand on. "More pranks would follow - the transporting of some of the younger lads to the island where they left them as castaways, and then pretended to go home to tea!" Ron Atkins, Mary Herbert Street, Coventry." SOURCE: link to freelibrary.com. Also in a Coventry Memories post Phil Consadine talks of "remnants of the air raid shelter that was located next to Quinton Pool along with loads of other debris". SOURCE: Coventrymemories.co.uk. On the pictures of Coventry website it shows what I think is Quinton Pool before Cheylesmore was developed LINK (pre-1930's(?)) and it doesn't appear to have any island. Does anyone else have any memories of this happening or were told a similar thing? Have always wanted to know Thanks, Luke. (photos taken 2005)

I believe that the pool and its surrounds were once a part of the hunting grounds of Prince Edward the Black Prince. Cheylesmore Manor was his hunting lodge and the gatehouse still remains. There was a pathway from the gatehouse straight down to the pool. After the war the remains of his manor house were demolished as part of city "improvements". Norman.

Hi Norman, it's amazing to think the pool would have been around in the 14th century. Yeah, I hear a lot of talk of so called "improvements" and "progress", they tend to result in tearing down brilliant historical buildings and replacing them with grey characterless ones .

Looking at a picture of Quinton Pool island (on mirrorpix.com) in 1964 it seems it doesn't support Ron Atkin's account ("I FEEL sure there was no island at Quinton Pool until the summer of 1956" - see first post) as the trees on the island still seem older than 8 years. What do people think (could the council have planted young trees (about 7 years old) onto the island which would account for the disparity)?

What a shame that over the past few years Quinton Pool has become home to dozens of Canada Geese. These interlopers have driven away the majority of the original ducks, coots, moorhens and swans, and in the process devastated the surrounding grass with their foul (no pun intended) droppings. Could a cull of these birds be carried out? On another topic, about fifteen years ago I stocked the pool with frogs. Due to having become grandparents we decided to fill in our garden pond as a safety measure and although it was only a 6ft diameter pond we removed a total of over 300 frogs which we took in a series of buckets and emptied them into the pool, perhaps their descendants are still in residence.

I can't understand how Canada Geese have driven the swans and coots away when they mix well on the slough. May be other reasons methinks.

Perhaps they should make the pool bigger as they seem to live side by side at the slough and Swanswell, or introduce more swans and relocate some of the Canada Geese. I'm surprised Coventry that likes money, hasn't scooped all the faeces up and sold it for fertiliser like they do with chicken faeces for allotments. They also deter humans in the breeding season. My mum had a Gander Oscar, she said it was the best guard (dog) she had ever had, perhaps we should have more

Hi all A Story: Although not quite Quinton Pool!! One lovely warm sunny day, a few years ago, I had cycled to Shustoke reservoir. Sitting comfortably I started to eat my packed lunch. As you would guess, it was not long before I was surrounded by ducks & geese of all makes. As I finished my lunch I gave a few last bits to my guests. After packing my bag away, I settled back to just ponder the view. An hour later, little had changed where I was totally surrounded by contented water birds & geese, all sat enjoying the sunshine. One was sat at ease so close too, his wing feathers touching my hand & only got up to have his picture taken. I will fetch my memory stick & post a couple of pics for you to see. An odd thing for me as an adult, I have never ever had a bad experience with any animal. Wild or otherwise. On the same day that these pictures were recorded, another bloke was being given the third degree by a couple of geese. They really gave it to him, so much he had to run off. I have sat next to swans in the past with never an issue, no matter how close I have been. They probably consider me as inert! Probably right too! Hey!