Albany Road / Butts

Hi Norm, I'm afraid the information on that website is completely wrong. The two poles in the foreground of Neil's picture above are traction poles. As you can see they are a different design to the vent pipe with shorter, wider bases and pointed finials on the top. Further up Albany Road there was another vent pipe just four feet away from a traction pole.

Thank you Dutchman that puts that one to bed. I have just learnt not to believe everything one sees on here. and thanks to Neil for the photo. Does anyone know how many actual traction poles are left standing in Coventry? thanks again.

Here's the one Dutchman mentioned in Warwick Avenue. I only drive past it most days!

Hi Neil, Would you know for what reason would they leave that one there all these years. Would they have plans for it. My dog would!!!!!

TBH I'm not quite sure Dream. I'm guessing the sewer must run along Earlsdon and be connected up to the one on Albany Road somewhere. The Warwick Ave one is in a lot better condition though and seems to have been painted fairly often, so someone loves it! Anyone know of any others?

There is the stump of a pole at the edge of Radford Common - at the junction of Lydgate Rd and Sandy Lane just by the relatively new little traffic island by Cheveral Avenue/Middlemarch Rd. What sort of pole it is I don't know. There used to be another one at the junction of Stoney Stanton Rd and Cross Rd but that disappeared when the road layout was changed a few years back. That one looked very much like the pole in Albany Rd.

If you look carefully on the inside of the cycling track you will see that there is a strip of grass which was supposedly placed there when the cinder running track replaced the grass track, to protect the cyclists who came off their bikes from damaging themselves too much as they slid across the track suffering grazing. This was later replced and cinder put down to match the rest of the athletics track. Coventry never developed a track programme (except for handicaps) because the track was sub standard distance of 440 yards.

Speaking to Auntie a few weeks ago she remembered watching Fanny Blankers Keon running at The Butts in front of many thousands, I have since found this

Wow Deano - never knew that. Another fantastic visitor to Coventry. I used to go to the Butts for the cycling a ot in the early 80's as my sisters hubby and his family were all massive bike racers. There were lots of events and cycle meets on even as late as then. The track and those stands were virtually unchanged from that film! He rode for Coventry Olympic Quo Vadis who wore Black and White sponsored kits backed by the restaurant in Barker Butts Lane - complete with their Roman Coliseum logo. He rode for GB as a junior - Adrian Jackson for anyone into Coventry cycling - the Jacksons were all mad cyclists! Still in touch with them now though they all moved to Australia.

Here is a photo of Fanny Blankers Keon being shown round a car factory during her visit to Coventry

Around 1960 there was a row of shops in the Butts if you looked slightly to the right as you looked out of Albany Road. One of them was a commercial photographers - though can't remember the chap's name. Five years further back than that I remember my mum and dad buying me my first bike from a shop on corner of Butts and - I think - York Street. Why I chose the 'sit-up and beg' style with an enclosed chain, like my grandfather's, I'll never know.

I actually saw Fanny Blankers-Koen run at the Butts. From the article it would have been 10 days after my 5th birthday. I also recollect Macdonald Bailey who was another famous sprinter of the time ran at that meeting.

Sorry to report another snippet of old Cov has gone - the sewer vent pipe as discussed/shown here has been removed from by Albany Road bridge.