Nostalgic memories of Coventry's local history

Share your own memories of Coventry and read what others have said

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our web site to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was when the photographs in our archive were taken. From brief one-liners explaining a little bit more about the image depicted, to great, in-depth accounts of a childhood when things were rather different than today (and everything inbetween!). We've had many contributors recognising themselves or loved ones in our photographs.

Why not add your memory today and become part of our Memories Community to help others in the future delve back into their past.

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Displaying Memories 1 - 10 of 12 in total

Over the years the layout of Greyfriars Green has changed enormously by and in 1950's, it was vastly different to this early picture. In the 50's as a child Father took our family to visit the green using it as a vantage point to watch the, then, Annual Coventry Carnival as it passed down from assembling in the Memorial l Park and between the green and the buildings facing us on The Quadrant side.
It would be early 60's and we would all meet up at Allesley Hall, on one of those long summer evenings, to have a massive game of Hide and Seek ( Rally, rally 1,2,3!) We would be about 8 or 9 years old and most of us were from St. Christopher's School. The rallying post was a huge old tree trunk in the middle of the gardens. There were so many good hiding spots behind all the shrubbery and walls. I have since returned to ...see more
Hi all, I'm really hoping someone out there can help me. I am trying to find someone who worked in Coventry in the 70's. She did deliveries to a cake shop 19 Acorn Street, Stoke Aldermoor which was for a long time called 'Elaine's bread and cakes' it changed names a few times before that, so it would be great if someone knew the name at that time. Her name is Christine who drove a blue transit van on her ...see more
The part of Canley where we lived was made up of what were called "the steel houses" and "the prefabs". Charter Avenue was a dual carriageway and then, at the beginning of Ten Shilling Woods it became a single road. I was always told that it had been begun during the War and was built by Italian POW's; when the war ended they went home and the road was never completed. The house we lived in was built by Wimpey. The woods ...see more
Can anyone tell me the history of Old Heath House. We rented the right hand side of the house in 1945 for a couple of years, but being only 5 years old at the time I never knew antthing of the history of the House. I would now love to know some of the history, such as when the house was built, who were the first owners, was it a farm and anything else there is on it's history. A gentleman replied to ...see more
I have been told by my mum, that she went to Coven School in the 1920s. She lived for a while with her Grannie Key, who lived in Paradise Lane. They used to go to market on a Saturday by pony and trap, to sell eggs, chickens and fruit.
In 1946 I was ten years old and lived in a village named Ynysboeth in South Wales. My grandmother Sarah Ware and her daughter my aunt Hervilly moved up to Coventry at this time. I accompanied them in the back of an old lorry which was owned by my aunt's boyfriend Horace. It was an open-backed truck with a makeshift canvas top and was very draughty. My gran and I sat in the back of this truck with all her worldly goods ...see more
I didn't go to the school but my great-great-auntie did. I have a letter of hers that I have been transcribing. She says.. "I went to a one roomed school on Coven Heath. I was 3. A young lady was the teacher who called for each of the children on the way, thre was only 8 of us. I got on well and at 6 years old was able to go to Byshbury school 2 miles walk along the high hedged lanes." This ...see more
We moved into Earlsdon from Wales in 1965 and stayed with my aunty who lived in Belvedere Road. Such a big house with three floors and close to the Spencer Park tennis courts as I recall. The bus used to stop right outside the front door (no 1 in those days) and take us into town and park at Broadgate. We'd always visit Owen Owen (now Primark!) and have a cup of tea and a bun in the ground floor cafe. If we didn't get the ...see more
When my parents came over from Ireland in the 1940s we lived for a time in Old Heath House, on the Stafford Road. My older sister and I used to walk to Coven School, no cars to take us to school in those days. In the very bad winter of 1947, we couldn't  get to school for 6 weeks. Is Old Heath House still there? Has anyone got any memories of Coven School, or Old Heath House ?