Binley Woods Memories

If you have memories of Binley Woods, you can use the Binley Woods Memories page to share them and perhaps meet old friends. Contact us with full details.

From Milton Keynes, John Brimley writes, "I was born in 1937 at 159 Rugby Road and lived there until my parents moved in 1949. The house was a 1930's semi detached brick/render built to a budget and had amenities but no main drainage. Although the house had electricity gas lighting was installed in the rooms. Street lighting was by gas at this time.

Your comment concerning the heavy clay soil is memorable as my father had always wanted a garden (having been born in central Coventry) and worked hard to cultivate the soil. There was an Anderson air raid shelter in the adjoining property and this continually filled up with water. We would probably have drowned if bombing had reached this far!.

There was a stray bomb in the woods leaving a large water filled crater, reached via the unmade cinder tracks and past the nursery (owned by the Ducker family.....Peter Ducker being the boyfriend of my cousin who also lived in Rugby Road). The area was still largely undeveloped in the post war years with plots of wooded land and areas of woodland.

At the end of the war a large street party was held at the Roseycombe pub.

Towards the end of the 40s the Speedway was reopened and large crowds filled the Rugby Road on match nights. People would stand and watch the nose to tail queue of traffic!.

There were few shops. One of these opposite our house was operated out of a private bungalow and the coming of the fish and chip shop, replacing the mobile van was an occasion.

I went to school at Binley Primary school. No transport and just a mile or two walk (or later a cycle ride). The two garages, almost opposite each other, were a draw to young boys as the son of one of these had a very noisy Scott motor cycle and would spend time hurtling up and down the road. I passed the 11 plus and went to the Lawrence Sheriff school in Rugby while my friends either went to Bablake or King Henry in Coventry.

It is clear that this area has now developed into a cohesive community unlike the "frontier" ribbon development with prefabricated timber house and speculative suburbia that were described. I hope that this will give you a little snapshot as to life in those early years."

Bob Stokes from Gosport adds, "My late father was in charge of an A.A. Battery just prior to the blitz of Coventry in Binley Woods and we were billeted there, but I cannot remember exactly where. I do know the house was surrounded by a large yew hedge.

I was at school in Coventry during the blitz and we had a very harsh winter. I remember the class size getting smaller by the day. We had very little roof left and no glass in the windows so we sat in our coats, gloves and balaclavas but the school never closed."
 
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