Hillfields

I was told about the Ring o’ Bells murder by my parents as I lived not far from there as a child. After I married, my mother-in-law told me that they were living in Brook Street at the time of the murder and she remembers the police coming to the house and questioning them and looking through their dustbin.

Hi, my dad is Arthur Lindon and grandad had the toy shop / barbers shop Do you have any pictures? Me and my brother and dad would love to see them!

Hello Sarah Are you any relation William Edward Lindon?

Hi Sarah, say hello to your dad, my name is John. I am sorry but i have looked but I do not have a photo with your dad on it. However, I can tell you your dad had a bit of a masochistic side to him (meant in the nicest possible way). When we used to go to the Locarno on a Tuesday night he found out that the lights in the flower beds upstairs by the bar were live. The girls walked along the balcony area usually in three to fives, holding hands. Your dad would hold onto a live wire (he reckoned he never felt anything) and would touch the nearest girls hand, all the girls (the more the merrier) would throw their hands up in the air and wonder what the hell had happened, lol, a shock to them all. Fun times, but we are now old and sensible (like hell).

I remember Peggy Sharpe and his son Albert who owned the fishing tackle shop at the top of Primrose Hill St opposite the Leopard pub. Peggy (so named because of his peg leg) claimed to have put the carp into Swanswell Pool and offered one shilling to anyone who could catch one. A good friend of mine was Adolf Dabrovski who lived in Leigh St. Adolf was a carpet fitter but spent most evenings and weekends employed as doorman in the clubs and pubs around the city centre. Adolf and I trained with Darkie Barnes who had a gym in Hillfields. I lost touch with Adolf but saw an article in the Telegraph a couple of years ago telling of his death. After I finished my apprenticeship with the NCB I took a driving job with Goodwin, Foster, Brown in Cox St. No HGV licences in those days. After work the drivers would meet up for a couple of pints in The City Mill on the other side of the road from Goodwins. Les

Fred Darkie Barnes. Now there's a name I remember. He was also a wrestler, called, I think, Prince Barnu. Last I heard of him he was running a salvage yard at Baginton tip.

Quite correct Adrian. Fred did have a scrap business at Baginton, he opened that business with another man that I believe was named Bob Moss, another hard man. Another Hillfields man who trained at the gym was Stewart Graham. Stewart and Adolf used to travel round the fairgrounds, Butlins etc putting on wrestling matches.To see them in the ring anyone would have thought that they wanted to kill each other when they were in fact best friends. Darkie died some years ago so Hillfields lost another larger than life character. Les

Morgana, do you remember an electrical shop on Primrose Hill Street called Hillfields Electrical? They sold light bulbs and shades and had electrical engineers. That was where my dad worked all his working life, although his part of the business (refridgeration)moved to Harnell Lane in ,I think, the 60's?

Hillfields.

I remember the Co-op as being in King William Street, slightly west of the Howitzer, rather than Victoria Street (mid 1960s). Have I misremembered it or did it move?

Perhaps you are thinking of the Maypole or Pearks or the Home and Colonial? I can't recall exactly where each one was except the H&C - next to Oliver Neal's butcher's shop, near the Palladium cinema. I was sad to see the picture of Stanbridge's butcher's shop, as it was until the 60s at least, waiting for demolition. It was on the corner of Canterbury Street opposite Philips. My mum was a faithful customer of Stanbridge's, and was never as happy with any other butcher.

I remember too the Co-op chemists, across the street from the Co-op itself. It seemed quite cluttered but very clean and antiseptic-smelling. I was always fascinated by the scale with the big pan for weighing babies

I don't think so Primrose as my friend's mum used to work for the Co-op and refused to buy from anywhere else until the day she died! But thanks for trying

I used to go to the Co-op regularly and I'm sure it was in Victoria Street. I remember the shop well. I recall the groceries being on one side and fats (butter, cheese, bacon etc) on the other. At the bottom of the shop they sold cigarettes. I remember Perks being in King William Street just before what I think was Clarence Steet, or was it Leigh Street? I think this was where the new St Mary and St Benedict school was built. After you crossed the road there was the Home and Colonial, Oliver Neal butchers, De Di ice cream parlour, a paper shop, and a pub that I seem to think was The Ivy Cottage and then the Palladium. On the opposite side of the road was The New Inn pub, a wet fish shop, a pet shop and Porters newsagents. Dutchman, I'm older than you and perhaps my memory is'nt as good as yours, but this is how I remember the shops in the 50s and early 60s.... hopefully I've got it right.

A grisly item written to the Telegraph years ago by Abe Jeffcott. Primrose Hill Park, locally known as the Giants Grave, or Primrose Hollow where Kingston killed his wife. Every Hillfielder knew about this murder. In fact, they could take you to the stile where Kingston caught his runaway wife and cut off her head. All this happened in the New Town of Hillfields, the first suburb of coventry 160 years ago. Not so very far away a suicide was buried at Jeffrey Woods Cross with a stake driven through his heart. Yes all, many things happened in the park years ago. Grisly tale eh