Caludon (including Castle ruin)

Well, I never knew that there was such a good video and book available in recent years about Caludon Castle! I've embedded the 44 minute video below, and added local author John E Clarke OBE to my (appropriately named) Local authors page. Additionally, there is a rather nicely made website - https://www.historyofcaludoncastle.co.uk/. It was John who has just alerted me to this information, and for those within easy travelling distance, next Wednesday (10th December, 7:30pm) he will be the guest on this subject where he will be playing the film at the Coventry Society's monthly talks, in Trinity House - the name now used for the old Blue Coat School next to Holy Trinity church.

Wow, that's a new one to me too. I notice the Yardley that turns up as a housemaster of Berkeley House at 3:27. They really do get everywhere!

That would be Alick Yardley the father of my 3rd cousins who I communicate with about our family tree. He was a pilot in the war but he crashed and became a prisoner of war, There is an article on Coventry Live about Elizabeth finding his crash site. It is still available on the web if you search for him.

Hello Anne, Thank you for sharing that. Thanks to everyone contributing. I've always been fascinated with castles (fortified buildings, not just steam locomotives this time).

Caludon Castle Park was my playground of the 1950's. I remember the tracery in the ruin's windows was still intact. I remember photographing it with my first camera (circa 1960), unfortunately now lost. Any idea when the tracery was removed?

John Clarke, who produced the super book and video mentioned above, is currently undertaking another project, along with his daughter Sam. They are researching the history of Wyken and are hoping to complete this in 2026. John is also hoping that we can help with something, because he is trying to locate any photographs, paintings or drawings of the old ivy clad Caludon Lodge, which until the early 60s stood at the top of Caludon Park Avenue, on the east corner with Ansty Road - along with cottages next door called Caludon Cottages. A modern apartments building also named Caludon Lodge is now on the site. In the 1946 aerial view below (from Historic England) the roof of the small lodge can be seen top centre, and Caludon Park Avenue appears to be nothing more than a footpath. The distinctive moated Castle ruin site is bottom right. So, if anyone knows of any good sources for Caludon Lodge images (Coventry Digital currently has nothing), then John will be able to nicely illustrate the forthcoming project.

I remember the demolition of the cottages. They were so infested with vermin that my memory tells me they were burnt down with the fire brigade present. There was a story about it in the CET with a picture. Must be early or mid 1960's.

John Clarke has kindly "donated" the whole of chapter 4 of his super book A History of Caludon Castle - the Lords of the Manor of Caludon, and it is now available to read on Historic Coventry.

Cannot add much more to this other than to say I think Caludon Lodge was demolished in the mid to late 1950's. As a little kid living a few doors down from Caludon Lodge I remember how creepy it appeared to be. The flats currently on the site were built by F Hocking and Son and shortly after Caludon Park Ave. was built together with some adjacent houses on Farren Road. The play area on Caludon Park was opened in the early 1950's and immediately attracted all the kids from Ansty Rd., Farren Rd. and the surrounding area.

This is excellent information, Bob, thank you - it helps us in trying to pinpoint exactly when it disappeared. I've tried searching in the newspaper archive, but I can't yet find any report of it being demolished. I wonder if it was known by a different name generally? Or if it was simply considered an old wreck of a building that didn't deserve a press report? Either way, from what has been said by you and Choirboy, it probably wasn't considered to be very photogenic!

I always entered the park from the illegal bent railings via the entry off Arch Road, opposite the junction with Oldham Avenue. This had to be done surruptiously so as not to be caught by the residents. I rarely went by the Farren Road official one so I have poor recollection of the Lodge. However, I recall a conversation with an adult in the garden of the cottages just before their demolition. I believe the cottages were thatched but the memory is 55+ years old! I had piano lessons in Ansty Road (Miss Greenaway) and would have cycled past once per week from 1959. I was bought a camera for Christmas 1959 and the park was the first place where I used it. Alas, I suspect photos now lost .

When I started to read the article, which by the way is fascinating to read, the name George Demidowicz seemed familiar, so I had to look the name up. George Demidowicz was a former Building Conservation Officer at The Herbert Art Gallery.

An apposite comment Philip. This topic triggered a very negative memory of some 66 years ago. In September 1959 I started my first year at Caludon Castle school. At 4 o'clock on my first day I, along with a few others, decided to walk through the castle park to see the remnant of the original castle for which our school is named. The route would take us to Ansty Road where we would catch the number 6 bus to Bell Green. We came across a large crowd of pupils surrounding a fight between two fourth or fifth formers, adults in the eyes of a first year boy, fighting over the honour of one youth's girlfriend. A very violent affair urged on by a braying mob and a frightening spectacle for an eleven year old. An insight to one aspect of human behaviour never to be ignored.

Hello, If we were permitted to trawl the police records, I recall such an incident involving the use of knuckle dusters & bicycle chains in a such a fight in the park but I thought it was a Friday evening. I'm sure it was in the telegraph.