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Chronicle of the 20th Century
Key Events in Nuneaton
and district in the last one hundred years
compiled by Peter Lee

1950-1959

1950 
The electric pump installed to replace an old steam submersible pump at the closed Haunchwood [Nowells] Colliery caused the closure of a short branch railway from the Nuneaton-Whitacre branch line near Stockingford station.

1951
George Helps died.

Construction started on Nuneaton Technical College. The overall cost was to be £1,000,000.

The obelisk which had stood as a memorial to George Eliot and erected by Sir Francis Newdigate-Newdegate G.C.M.G. a former governor of Tasmania and Western Australia was removed from Arbury park to the new George Eliot memorial gardens.

1952
The Intalok Co. Ltd. moved to a new factory in Caldwell Road, Chilvers Coton.

Middlemarch County Junior School opened.

Nuneaton Congregational Churches in Bond Gate and Coton Road amalgamated. The old Church in Bond Gate became a printing works. Was reputed to be haunted.

1st May - The George Eliot Memorial Garden opened by then mayor of Nuneaton, Ald.W.S.Johnson. Three almond trees from Jerusalem had been planted, given by the Government of Israel as well as 200 shrubs and trees.

1953
Montague Moreton sen. founder of Monty's Bus Co. of Attleborough, died.

Caldecote Hall turned into Boys School.

Timber framed cottages in Abbey Street demolished.

The Arley tunnel fully re-opened to rail traffic but still needed constant attention due to mining subsidence.

3rd March - Nuneaton Technical School completed.

16th May - Garden Of Memory opened in Riversley Park.

July - Work started in converting Reginald Stanley's, later George Help's elegant house, the Manor Court in Manor Court Road into an old peoples home.

1954
Caldwell County Junior School opened.

St. Josephs Roman Catholic Secondary School opened.

April - Mr. Samuel Fennell founder of the well known drapery business in Queens Road died aged 87. Born at Galley Common in 1866 he opened his first shop in 1897.

October - Stockingford parish hall opened after twenty years of fund raising.

November - The first residents of the Manor Court old peoples home took up residence.

1955
Caldecote Hall badly damaged by fire.

27th May - Griff Clara Colliery closed. (opened Summer 1891) Was the first pit in Warwickshire to raise 1000 tons of coal in a shift.

16th July - Sam Robins showroom on the corner of Bond Gate and Leicester Road extended.

Friary County Secondary School opened.

1956
Red Deeps Special School opened.

Manor Park Secondary School became a Secondary Technical School.

Alderman Smith Secondary School opened.

3pm. 3rd May - New central bus station opened in Harefield Road by W.J.James O.B.E. Chairman of the P.S.V. Licensing Authority of West Midlands Area.

June - The Rev. Ivo Carr Gregg, vicar of Astley died, aged 79 he had been Vicar of astley since 1917.

29th June - The Nuneaton Chronicle-newspaper ceased publication. (started 6th June 1868)

14th November - The 3000th post war council house was completed in the area.

22nd December - The Hippodrome Theatre (formerly the Prince of Wales) closed.

1957
1st January - Ald. William F.Harris of 136 Manor Court Road, died, former managing director of Lester & Harris, elastic web manufacturers, Attleborough Green.

11th February - Local earth tremor caused structural damage.

22nd July - Alderman W.R.Chamberlain MBE JP and Thomas Oldroyd OBE MM made freemen of the Borough.

October - The BBC Tonight programme visited Nuneaton and upset the town. Slim Hewitt the reporter was very sarcastic about Nuneaton and referred to George Eliot as a man.

28th October - Herbert C.Jones  only son of Rufus Jones, of Rufus Jones elastic web works, later Lester & Harris; died  Rufus Jones owned both Caldwell and Attleborough Halls. His son lived at Crick.

December - Mr. Montague Charles Brand Slingsby died aged 77. He owned the last silk weaving firm in Nuneaton. The family could trace their ancestry back to John de Selingesbey, Lord of Stelingsby 1100 ad.

1958 
Hartshill Senior School opened.

The Hippodrome cinema, formerly the Prince of Wales Theatre closed.

The Princes (Tatler) cinema closed and building turned into a supermarket and also the Palace Cinema, Stockingford was closed.

2nd July - The River Anker flooded badly. Two inches of rain fell in 12 hours.Flood waters covered the depth marker in the River Anker. Flooding reached two feet in Whittleford Road, Stockingford.

1959
Old weights and measures office on corner of Mill Walk demolished.

Council yard in Queens Road converted into a car park.

Garrett Street railway bridge raised in preparation for electrification.

Boer War Memorial moved from Bond Gate to Riversley Park.

Vicarage Street widened.

Bridge Street widened.

The Nuneaton Flour Mill finished grinding corn for human consumption, became solely a provender mill for animal feed stuffs.

The Coventry diocese sold Stockingford vicarage fields for house building.

17th March - Ben Mayo died at Fawley in Hampshire, a well known character around Nuneaton. formerly kept the Royal Oak, Attleborough.

April - The Junior Leaders Regt. took over HMS Gamecock at Bramcote.

30th April - Phillimores shop at 28 Queens Road closed, Phillimores were rope makers, string and twine dealers. The shop and the George & Dragon pub next door were demolished for a new shopping development. The rope by business had been started in 1815 by Joseph Scrivener (1793-1859).

June - A start was made to demolish the Black Horse Public House, Wheat Street.

June - Staff Sergeant W.W. "Jock" Davies, a former Nuneaton policeman, of 101 Castle Road, Weddington was awarded the British Empire Medal.

September - Rev. William J. May, Superintendent of the Nuneaton and Atherstone Methodist circuit died aged 76. He was an author of two books which were translated into Japanese.

September - Ald. George Comley died aged 71 of 18 Broad Street, Nuneaton. Mayor of Nuneaton 1946-49.

30th October - Ansley Hall Colliery closed (opened 1874).