Bell Green

There was an E.W.C. Pendleton who was Chief Constable of Coventry Police Force. He is referenced in this article.

The God-Cake, I really have no idea, was it a bakery? I don't know. Proffitt Ave and Sewall Highway were probably built about the same time, early 30s. As for Workhouse Lane, not the best name for a lane but as there was a workhouse close by that I remember well, not to far away it is quite possible.

There's a couple of photos of 1939 Bell Green on this page: McNamara Family History

Although I'm not familiar with that particular location, a god-cake is traditionally triangular in shape (from an ancient recipe representing the holy trinity), so that probably explains the nickname.

Thanks Rob. Although I have heard of God Cakes I didn't know the shape so I didn't link them with the ground at Bell Green.

Norman Conquest - look at this page to read about God Cakes

Thank you for that link Mcsporran, I haven't seen it before. It brought back many memories for me and I am sure that Kaga will also be interested. I remember well the first surgery Dr Mac had at the top of Hall Green Rd. It was a small terraced house with only two rooms downstairs. The front room was for the waiting patients while the back was where the Dr saw his patients. I didn't smoke and the tiny waiting room was always full of smoke as was the consulting room as Dr Mac always had a pipe on the go. As the site says Dr Mac took on Dr Freeman and Dr Laird. This was shortly after the time when the Attlee government launched the NHS. The practice moved over the road and was named the Crossley Practice. Before the NHS Dr Mac did his rounds on his bike and charged his patients two shillings a visit. His first car was a Morris series E but that was followed by a Standard Vanguard. I knew one of his sons slightly as we both had an interest in motorcycle sport but he left the area and we lost touch.

Thank you Midland Red for the link. It would appear that everyone knows all about God Cakes except me. I can never recall a time that we had cakes in the house as my family were not sweet toothed. As I said I have heard of God Cakes but didn't know of the link to Coventry.

Norman Conquest, One of the first things I read when I came on this forum was The Dr Mac story, I'm pretty sure it was posted by Morgana, I can't remember the triangle in OCR, I always thought it was a fairly straight road to the canal bridge, can you tell me if there was a row of houses on the left just before the bridge? I do remember the words the god cake, had no idea what it referred to. Old Church itself was a beautiful little church with a well kept churchyard, and at harvest festival it really added charm, and I was more than happy to walk down it's aisle and say I do..

Drs Freeman and Laird were our doctors from the early fifties and I well remember sitting in the front room waiting room amidst the smoke and the coughing. You would simply sit down and wait till all the people who were already there had been in and then it must be your turn. The doctors came to your house in the middle of the night if called - you would have to go round to his house and knock though, no phones then - he had one, no-one else did. Dr Laird lived just down from the surgery on Bell Green Road near Clark St. We collected our National Dried Milk and orange juice from the community centre. Over the road where the Jehovahs Witness place is now there was a church hall where we went to cubs, the Coventry 7th I think. The sandstone rocks were always climbed whenever we passed by. There were several cottages along Bell Green Road back then, a couple at the Armfield St junction and several more near to the Weavers. More still as you went further towards Navi bridge. The large field between Sewall Highway and Nuffield Rd was a great place to play. Football, cricket, chopping branches for bonfires. There was a massive one built every year and every year someone lit it prematurely. A group of lads dug out a cycle speedway track and had meets there around late 50s early 60s. I think they were called Coventry Eagles or Foleshill Eagles, something eagles anyway. We went onto that land for Nature Study when at Courthouse green Primary. We must have been experts at nettles, dandelions and dock leaves. So sad to see my lovely little school now gone.

Well I never, it seems Godcake islands are everywhere ?. Godcake Island, CV3 1BJ

Kaga. There was a few cottages where you say. Think there is an infant school there now. The second cottage was occupied by the Jardine family, they had a daughter that we called Battling Nance. She was so called because she was always beating someone up, me included. The God Cake? Going along Old Church Rd with Courtaulds behind you, you would pass Bell Green Wild Life Conservation Area and a cottage on your left, the one in the picture by the man on a bike, that's where we lived. The bus is on Bell Green Rd the other side of the God Cake that is directly in front of you St Laurence's Church, Yes a lovely old church but the vicar was a bit dangerous if he caught us robbing his fruit trees. There was/is a huge cedar tree at the back of the vicarage just up from the kissing gates. Story had it that if anyone ran around the tree three times by the light of a full moon the devil would pinch your hat. Never knew anyone with both a hat and enough bottle to try it.

Walrus. Sounds as things hadn't changed much in twenty years, it was the only system in those days, queue at the doctors, rations, of course it's a lot better now. Queue to see the receptionist, who tells you to wait for your turn anyway, doctor who tells you you have six minutes for one complaint, queue again tomorrow, if you have another complaint. But we did have free bottles of milk at school, have no idea when that stopped. Norman, sounds like the girl I knew, but she would have to be five years your senior, and her family were naturists, 'frit' the life out of me at fourteen.

"The God Cake" at Bell Green was not always that shape. Look at Mcsporran's picture of Bell Green Rd, at the police box a road was made to link Bell Green Rd and Old Church Rd creating the triangle. This was done when? 1980s? The three floored building was once a ribbon weavers workshop, it was demolished to make room for a betting shop. Progress?