Rob Orland Historic Coventry All posts by this member
| 346 of 355 Wed 3rd Jun 2020 10:02am Webmaster: Joined Jan 2010 Total posts:1653
On 2nd Jun 2020 11:33pm, Derrickarthur said:

After a bit of Googling, I think it's " Stanatitis Debility" - Stanatitis appears to be some kind of virus, and each instance I've found refers to "Vesicular Stanatitis", where Vesicles are small, fluid-filled sacs that can appear on skin. |
Kaga simpson Peacehaven, East Sussex All posts by this member
| 350 of 355 Tue 8th Sep 2020 11:33am Member: Joined Sep 2014 Total posts:3790
At the turn of the twentieth century, a deep brook passed by the large pool of Swanswell, upon the borders of Coventry of the old city and the new town - Hillfields as it was called for a long time. The low ground immediately surrounding the pool was covered in extensive osier and reed beds, a favourite resort and breeding place of all kinds of water fowl. Wild duck, widgeon, dipper and water hen were constant visitors enlivened by the sounds of warblers that abounded.
The water itself teemed with fish - pike, perch, roach, tench and eels, afforded sport for anglers. Before the new town of Hillfields encroached on it, the water was bordered with fine old pollards (pruned trees), willows that grew on the edge right up into Hillfiields, and clusters of tall elms, chestnuts and maples.
There was a path that bounded the pool, led across the fields to Harnall Lane, which was a mile long where it ended at Stoke at Swan Lane. It was a beautiful, rugged place, so narrow in parts that farm carts almost touched either side.
Ferns abounded in rich profusion, toadflax, horehound, in a secluded place like this, hundreds of birds, butterflies and wild flowers - bluebells, primrose and cranes bill (geranium).
The highest part of Hillfields was Primrose Hill, from which a path runs across two fields into Swan Lane, named for its mass of primroses.
This hill was beautifully wooded with stately elms, maples, and oaks, smaller white birch and then pines - thirty, forty feet high, romantic, wild and so beautiful, enlivened by the rich songs.
The home of the nightingale, blackbird, finches etc - such beauty.
Among these stately trees, the mansion called Primrose Hill House.
Around 1850 they built Swanswell pool and had filled it by November. |
belushi coventry All posts by this member
| 352 of 355 Tue 8th Sep 2020 1:34pm Member: Joined Mar 2014 Total posts:32
My memories of Primrose Hill are from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Opposing football hooligans would fight to take the hill from each other as they walked back to town after a City match - the police usually won in the end, usually after one or both sets of hooligans had made a tactical withdrawal!
It was nicknamed "Pork Chop Hill" after the 1959 Korean War film starring Gregory Peck. |
Kaga simpson Peacehaven, East Sussex All posts by this member
| 353 of 355 Tue 8th Sep 2020 2:35pm Member: Joined Sep 2014 Total posts:3790
Helen,
Primrose Hill - one part of the hill had been quarried very extensively to a great depth for the valuable sandstone it contained, the stone used in the construction of the city walls and gates about six hundred years ago. The sides of the excavations were terraced in all directions under the shade of the trees.
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Helen F Warrington All posts by this member
| 354 of 355 Tue 8th Sep 2020 3:07pm Moderator: Joined Mar 2013 Total posts:2611
The terracing and sandstone quarry isn't apparent on the 1850 map other than a small quarry on what was later to become Nicholls Street. By 1888 the quarry features are there. There were several quarries around the city, so no one quarry was needed to provide massive quantities. So while it's possible the terracing was missed off the earlier map it looks like it was mostly a later endeavour. By your time Kaga, it would have looked pretty old. |