Tile Hill

My grandad and nan used to live in Torrington Ave in the fifties up to the seventies, we used to play in the fields opposite, which all the way up to the railway line, not a building or industrial estate in sight, lost my Davy Crockett gun somewhere in those fields lol, very happy days.

Hi skyblue, just trying to imagine which part of Torrington Avenue you mean. I believe you must mean on part of the Tile Hill South estate. As I'm a Canley kid we used to come under the bridge in Wolfe Road up to Torrington Ave. I remember that for a short period our playground were the footings of the houses before what was to become Gravel Hill Road. A bit later on my dad used to deliver bread in the area in a little electric van from the Co-op bakery just past the roundabout at Templar Avenue. To my recollection there was a petrol station around the bottom of Gravel Hill Road with a small shop sellings sweets - and paraffin heaters. My dad did a stint there too - but delivering paraffin (Aladdin Pink) in the Tile Hill and Canley areas. Then I seem to remember a tyre warehouse being built - I think it started as Goodyear tyres.

I came across this old house again recently which is situated in the fairly, recently developed Bluebell Walk, off Tile Hill Lane. I remember that the licencee of the Woodlands Public House resided there in the 1970-80s. I wonder if anyone could throw some light on it for me or maybe some one had a photograph of it that they may share. From my research I see that the Coventry City Council has noted it as a building of interest and dated it 1921-24. However, it is listed in the 1919/20 street directory as Wood Farm (unless I have the name of this wrong and that Wood Farm existed further down Tile Hill Lane). Having looked into the history of the house that I think is called Wood Farm I see it was owned by Herbert John Wright, the son of John and Sarah (Pearson) Wright of Hearsall Farm and Herbert worked on his Fathers farm until his mid 20s. John Wright had previously farmed at Tanyard Farm and before that Berkswell where his children were born. Herbert John Wright died at Fen End Farm, Kenilworth in 1966. The house looks like a typical farmhouse but has this crenelated building attached to it which I think is unusual.

This is the Bing birds eye view.

The house in Bluebell Walk From what I have heard the crennelated part of from an old pump-house.

The style is very similar to the Spon End waterworks manager's house.

An interesting view of the roundabout at the Tile Hill Lane junction with the A45 in about 1958, courtesy of the Gone But Not Forgotten website In the 60 years since, the complexity of the junction has grown so much that it now needs over 60 sets of traffic lights and the A45 is now 12 lanes wide at this point plus another five lanes for the unfortunate traffic from Tile Hill Lane that wishes to travel south on the A45.

Toogoods worked around Tile Hill, Allesley, Coundon, Canley areas. Working very long hours, especially Christmas time. He did not have a mobile chip van.

Post copied from topic Street / road names and their origins on 27th Aug 2018 8:17 am

The shops in Jardine Crescent under construction