Coventry Trams

I wonder whether we are about to lose this historic site to developers? Given that the original tracks may well still be in situ, the appearance on site of excavators doesn`t bode well.

Hi, I too went and got a few snaps before the demolition men ripped up the tram lines. The last picture shows the location a bit clearer. I'm standing near to Old Church Road when I took this one. The second to last is obviously adjacent the fence. The first is with my camera poking through that fence. And the one with the pink building is directly opposite the fence and tram lines. This is for people who may have known the area and can shed light on where the lines went next. Judging from the lines just inside the fence, the lines veered toward Longford. These pics are royalty free and no watermarks were used. Do with them as the forum allows.

Thank you for that MH. It has long been my opinion that as far as our heritage is concerned, the Council doesn`t give a damn. The word philistines comes to mind. We now have a city with bits and pieces of `artificial` history. You only have to look at `historic` Spon Street. I wonder just how much of the material used to reconstruct the buildings there were actually original. I hope you don`t mind but I have sent a link to this discussion to the Transport Museum and they have replied asking for more details.

I travelled on the tram to Bedworth from Longford, I can't remember if only once or more, but I certainly travelled more than once from Bell Green into town, now I've all ways thought that the driver moved the control pole, but I was wrong about that. I have said in earlier posts that a large chunk of the tram-track close to Foleshill Depot was blown for some distance during the war, I thought it went over the houses of Mason Street, but it's been a long time ago to remember exactly, and I'm pretty sure there was a photo in the Telegraph the day after so perhaps someone can track it down. Now I'm trying hard to think back if there was a double track along the Foleshill Rd towards Bedworth. My mind tells me there was a bell somewhere in the scene, could it have been when they moved the control rod. I also think there was always a few sparks when the wheel was connected to the wire. In the early part of the war, I and Les Allen used to cycle to Bedworth a couple of nights a week from Longford and was always scared of our bike wheels going in to the tracks. So it always made me wonder about the workers in Broadgate in their hundreds from work and hit those tracks.

Ps. Saw that great chunk of metal next morning when I drove my milk float around it, can't believe how this forum has taken me so far back.

They will just weigh it in, after all they need the money according to Philip's post.

I remember the tram that used to come off the Foleshill Road then along Lythalls Lane to Holbrooks. By the way you mention Les Allen, is that the Les Allen the boxer who lived just over the bridge in Longford?

Arthur p, yes, we trained at Gummery's in Bedworth, Les was about two years younger than me, but both at Foxford, late thirties, early forties. I wasn't aware the trams ran in Lythalls Lane. I seem to see two sets of tracks all the way along the Foleshill Road all the way to Bedworth, and the tracks in the middle of the road so you had to watch for cyclists when you stepped down from the tram, enough room for two cyclists between track and kerb. Regards Kaga.

I was thinking last night the road around Exhall didn't seem wide enough for two tracks yet in my mind I could picture seeing two trams meeting, but of course passing loops, brings it back now. You wouldn't have any more old pictures of the slough, around the thirties time you could put on please, I spent so much of my time there as a boy, I would be extremely grateful. Regards Kaga

Kaga - just in case you hadn't see them, here is my collection of Coventry tram photos

MR, no I have only come across this thread the last few days. Yes I really enjoyed your gallery of old trams. I will be looking at them more closely over the next few days.Thank you MR. I'm truly amazed at the things I've read and the photo's I'm seeing on this forum and would like to thank all and everyone for their input and time, once again thank you, Kaga.

Between the two wars, Broadgate was covered in tram tracks and cobblestones, when the factories closed at evening, there would be hundreds of people on bikes crossing Broadgate, handlebar to handlebar, not an inch between them. Same in the morning, almost every factory started the same time, so you had scores of hooters wailing, and hundreds of cyclists along the Foleshill, Longford and Stoney Stanton Roads. Now how did the people get on and off the trams safely, I can't for the life of me remember. Anyone. When the tram left Bell Green, slightly downhill with bank and high hedge on left ok, but returning with rocks on left, uphill, it always had some problem. I seem to recall big iron gates with smaller gate at town side at the Morris, hazy about if there was cobblestones and a single track, curved from town into those gates, there was a stop and loop between Morris gates and bridge, seem to think the conductor had to lower the control arm through bridge, could that have been the case? From Morgana's picture of tram at Longford Bridge, seemed higher bridge.

So did trams have a problem with inclines? For Bell Green was the only one I knew of, steeper than Trinity Street if I remember. Can't remember if I ever travelled up Bishop Street on the tram. I seem to remember the whole of Broadgate was cobblestones, and crossing over from the bottom of Trinity St to the Hippodrome also I believe was cobblestones. A few hundred soldiers crossing them would have had its own melody.

I spoke to the Conservation and Archaeology Officer at Coventry Council yesterday afternoon who said that he had no knowledge of the fact that the tram lines even existed. A planning application Ref: FUL/2014/0304 was submitted 12 months ago (and granted) for new industrial units on the site. After a lengthy conversation he has agreed to visit the site in an attempt to see if the track can be saved but was uncertain as to what could then be done with it. Maybe we could offer a few suggestions?

Excellent work Tony! Lets hope they can be saved and used somewhere, even in the Motor Museum perhaps? All for the sake of just one phone call. Well done. Gilly