HERITAGE
- YESTERDAY'S VIEWS
Naul's Mill Park, Coundon, Coventry
BY DAVID FRY
NAUL'S MILL PARK c 1909 [WATERMAN]
Nauls Mill Park had only recently opened
when this picture was taken - the shrubs by the Middlesborough Road
entrance, shown above, are clearly recent plantings.
Just a few years earlier Middlesborough Road had been a cul
de sac with a footbridge by the park entrance that crossed Radford Brook,
leading to Coundon Road.
The southern part of what is now Middlesborough Road was
already built but known as Radford Street. It was not long before the two
roads were united as one.
Meanwhile, to judge by the crowds, the opening of a park at
Naul’s Mill was a great success. It was on the edge of the
countryside and would have been valuable land for development but its enlightened use as a
park provided a valuable green lung for Coventry workers over several
generations.
Though less of an attraction today its undulating site and
expanse of water make Naul's Mill Park one of Coventry's more interesting
parks.
![Naul's Mill Park c1911 - Waterman [David Fry]](../../../images/df/coventry/nauls-mill-1911-w400.jpg)
NAUL'S MILL PARK c 1911 [WATERMAN]
[NOTE BARRS HILL HOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND]
Maybe the occasional open-air concert
might attract some people back.
The bandstand was the focal point of
attention when various bands, especially the military played there. The 2nd Seaforth
Highlanders were amongst the most popular, even offering some Highland dancing thrown in!
Only the rattle from trains passing by Coundon station could compete with the bagpipes.
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