Longford (inc. The Red Hills)

It seems to me ever problematic when the mystery of a certain place is comprehended by but a few. You, Kaga, may recollect your many and various (I assume) attempts to ingratiate yourself with the lasses of Longford, while I recall the sheer wonder of a place that had no business being what it was (a beauty spot in the making) after a dismal start as a place where people through away what they could not use, but which the bin men would not take away. The cemetery of Salem Baptist Church extended into the fields from the Longford end, but not so far as to dilute the very ragged wonder of the spot. Morgana and I are not the only ones to find/recall the Red Hills/Meeting Fields as a place of wonder, but, perhaps, we have written more about the place than any other. Morgana's Secret Garden, a garden so many of us have admired, bestrides what once was my main access to the fields and the hills. She lives in a house of fairly recent vintage, on a plot of land that once was occupied by great-great grandparents of mine who operated a small general store. There name was White, and gret-great-grandfather White bought the house, started in his little business, on the basis of gold he struck (in small quantities, no doubt, in the Yukno Gold Rush. Clearly, there is a bit of the Gold Rush Folly in my blood. I have not seen the Meeting Fields and Red Hills as Morgana knows them now, but they certainly look supreme in the photographs Morgan has taken and shared with us all. I am proud of Morgana and her fellow Longfordians in making today so wondrous a spot of what, when I was a child, was literally (and I do not mean figuratively) a tip.

Hello Longford Lad, Yes, a lot of those photo's and info' were in answer to my posts, so I am especially thankful to Morgana of her help and kindness. I recall equally the unkempt and neglected mess some places were, but I also remember the thirties and forties when people had little money, or time, for parks and beauty. Longford and Foleshill when we were kids didn't stand a chance with parks and flowers if you think of the filthy firms in that area at the time and what they got rid of, they extracted their profit, and left their mess, no matter what it did to the people or countryside, it was always a sore point with me, a lot of those photo's and info' is the slough topic I not only tried to ingratiate the young girls of Longford I tried to woo the older folks by singing in the choir in the church. I believe somewhere in my family background there is a connection with Salem church, certainly my family and my wife's family have a long history in and around Longford. For myself, Longford got a view of me in July 1927

You may misunderstand my contributions to this thread, Kaga, for I loved the Meeting Fields and the Red Hills as no other could have done. Yes, jointly, they constituted a tip, but it was my tip. Dirty and all as so much was around there, I loved it with all my child's heart. That I learned through Morgana of how changed the area was, how stunningly beautiful it had become, simply added sugar to the sweetness of the place for me. My mother - a Roman Catholic - has been buried in Salem Church's cemetery since 1958. The church's extension, dating back to the teen years of the last century, display bricks bearing the initials of my father and grandparents, signifying contributors to the building of same. As a boy, I regularly attended Union Place Baptist Church for Sunday School and the like, but the chapel was a tad basic for me, particularly when compared to Salem. Union Place's cemetery abutted our back garden. I am glad my mother is not buried there for my father long attributed the size of his marrows to the organic compost represented by the cemetery. I believe I am of a more recent vintage than yourself Kaga, 1943 - a war baby, in fact. Inasmuch as I preceded the baby boom generation, albeit by little enough, I am able to disavow many of their excesses/claim many of their achievements at one and the same time. John Lennon and Paul McCartney preceded me into this world, while Mick Jagger came some months after. Cilla Black's birthday falls about midpoint between my birthday and Jagger's. Like Mick, I am still touring, but I did not make on a good day what Mick and the Rolling Stones made on a bad one.

Longford lad, thanks for your reply, found it quite interesting, but no the Red Hills was not my cup of tea, the Slough was my dream. Found the photo's of Longford Park more interesting. To think at one time we had to clear the trash, before we could play cricket or football. regards kaga.

Thank you LongfordLad for answering my question. I think that by the 1950's Exhall Colliery had closed but much of the land that it occupied remained derelict and covered with spoil heaps, ideal for motor cycle scrambling! I don't remember specifically going to see the bikes on this track, but do remember seeing m/c scrambling behind the Griffin Inn and savouring the all-pervading smell of Castrol R racing oil, a fragrance much-loved by those who love racing machines of the fifties and sixties.

Used to walk home from Foxford School to Arbury Avenue every day between 1962-1967 and went past The Griffin Pub & admired South Fields House. I have looked online and cannot find a photo of South Fields. Does anyone have a picture. Also, up to the 1901 census, my wife's ancestors lived in Masser's Yard which is roughly where the Doctor's surgery now stands. Are there any photos in existence of Masser's Yard ?

I get so annoyed everytime I visit this toplc, simply because up until 1996 my father had two biscuit tins full of photographs, mostly of longford, foleshill, bell green areas all taken in the twenties and thirties, but sadly they got lost. there must have been at least a dozen of Salem Building alone, there was one of Dr Websters house with me in front in Hurst road, just after he had lanced my finger, and that had to be 1931, photo's of the trams and people, and style of dress. Nearly all the men wore caps, trousers with braces, hobnail boots to work, but Oh boy, on Sunday out came the special suit, trilby hat, waistcoat with fob watch. but whatever clothes my father wore, he would always wear a German leather belt, with big silver buckle that had the words 'Got Mitt Uns' believe it was 'God with us'. From about Massers Yard to the Canal bridge was our shopping mall, any one like to walk from Tusses bridge to Longford for a bottle of cough mixture, or aspirins,happy days. Remember dropping a bottle of Cod liver oil and malt, all over my shoes, 'ug'. Went to a schoolboy boxing match, could have been in the skating rink,my brother forecast the bouts correctly, I dug him in the ribs, he punched me back, then we were fighting, some official told my dad, (either put them in here (the ring) or get them out of here. Yes I have many memories of Longford. Anyone ever get on the end of about six people in the skating rink, my that rail sure took the wind out of your sails.

Wearethemods, Yes my father took it off a dead German, he didn't need it any more. but that's all I know.

Radford kid. Found your topic yesterday, got me closer to Coventry than I have been since the war, I'm almost saying you described 'Tusses bridge' as in the mid thirties, but ours was a guy called Edgar, we said he was 'touched', a bit simple, but we had gang fights against Longford boys on the allotments opposite Foxford school, much of your background story was the same back then in the thirties, at times I thought you were describing my old man and part of my life as a kid. I always thought it all changed from the war onwards but it seems no. Was all Coventry kids tarred with the same brush? Our old boy Edgar had a pony and cart, pigs and hens, we took kitchen waste, scrumped apples, go potato picking take to him for sweets, he gave us handful of toffees or such, we would wait till he went out and the pinch some of it back then take it to him the next day, but worst of all, we would go down the back field regularly, when he was out, shoot at his pigs, with our potato guns till they where all squealing, the neighbours would complain and he found the 'Bobby' at his door next morning, happened often. Edgar was known to have gone to a farm 'sale' near Rugby, bought every item (except the cattle). Returned home empty handed, sold everything before he reached home. He came to the farm one morning on the 'cadge' for straw, corn etc or odd job. Farmer said I have twenty hens in crates with wire lids, to be delivered to a guy in Exhall, but you won't get them in your cart, now you can use mine but the horse is a bit frisky, (hunter racehorse that didn't have success), you think you can manage it. 'Sure' no problem. Go with him Kaga, I think we were frightened he may swap some of the hens for his scrawny ones. So off we went, he turned off up to Longford instead of Grange Road, but everything was fine as we went through Longford, then the horse pricked up his ears and gathered speed. Edgar began to curse, we were near the railway bridge over Longford Road and Edgar was screaming 'Under you silly b*****, under'. Sorry if I'm off topic, but we were next door districts. Edited by Midland Red, 11th Nov 2015 7:27 pm (Moved from "Burglar Bill" thread)

Now, Kaga, you generally are reliable, but there is not/was not any railway bridge that crossed over the Longford Road. The Longford Road starts/started at New Inn Bridge (with a canal passing below that bridge) and ends/ended at Longford Bridge (with a canal passing below that bridge) at the corner of Bedworth Road and Sydnall Road. So, at the Longford Bridge the road becomes/became Bedworth Road, and continues/continued to (at least) the Iron Bridge on the Coventry side of Blackhorse Lane. The railway atop the Iron Bridge crosses/crossed the Bedworth Road. Having been born on Bedworth Road, I become a little testy whenever that stretch of what once was the main road to Bedworth and Nuneaton from Coventry is ignored. Suffice to say, the story you related was otherwise first rate, but little to do with Radford. Now, I have a story of walking to Radford for Christmas dinner in 1962, of getting as far as the orchard in Longford village, opposite the Skating Rink, spotting a ten bob note on the ground, and....

Longford Lad. Guilty, but I always thought the Bedworth road started at the iron bridge, my mistake, maybe I have made a second error, I thought I read somewhere on this forum that you lived in St Thomas's Rd as a boy? Wonder if you would remember someone building a bungalow between the Vicarage and the railway line, side of that iron bridge?

Gents, please forgive me, but I always thought Longford Bridge was the bridge over the river Sowe(?) where it entered Longford Park?

Given that, from all historical accounts, the long ford which gives the village its name was the ford through the River Sowe, everyone would assume that you were right. However, you are not. I would like to explain as much to you but - frankly - I have no idea why you are not right, only that you are not. Life is something of a mystery, wouldn't you say?

Kaga, before I married and moved away in 1964 from Coventry to Canada I lived on the Bedworth Road from birth to age 21. Bedworth Road when I was a boy started at Longford Bridge, and - so far as I am able to determine from Google maps - still does. Never lived on St Thomas's and know nothing of a bungalow built between the Vicarage and the railway line that runs across the iron bridge. However, my old dad's blackberry patch (in season) ran from the same railway banks to which you refer, right the way around to where the Novotel is (or for a time was) on Wilson's Lane.