CovSoc members met for a tour of Foleshill for the last of our summer visits of 2021. The meeting was hosted by Alan Griffiths BEM and the walk was led by historian and author David Fry. The visit was graced by the presence of the Lord Mayor, Cllr. John McNicholas in a private capacity and the Deputy Lord Mayor Kevin Maton and the Deputy Lady Mayoress as well as the former Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth.
We had hoped to visit the new Broad Street Meeting Hall, but unfortunately we were unable to gain access, so we looked at this very fine new building from the outside.
David’s philosophy when looking at the history of a neighbourhood is to “look at the fields beneath”. By using older maps which pre-date the development it is possible to see how the area developed. David gave us two old maps of Foleshill and lots of photos dating back to the Victorian era.
We walked around the centre of Foleshill and were reminded that Foleshill was once a very prosperous area with large magnificent villas occupied by mill owners and the city’s great and good.
We walked as far as the Prince William Henry bridge and then along the canal towpath, with a view of the news development on the former Courtaulds site.
The walk up Stoney Stanton Road revealed much more war damage than in the Foleshill Road area with vacant plots put to a number of new uses, including a park.
Anyone interested in finding out more about this fascinating district can purchase David Fry and Albert Smith’s book, Forgotten Foleshill. CovSoc members can request a discount.
