Cheylesmore

Cheylesmore ˈtʃaɪlzmɔː is a suburb in the southern half of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is one of Coventry's largest suburbs, sharing borders with Whitley and Stivichall (also spelt Styvechale) in the South, extending into Coventry city centre and bordering with Earlsdon in the North. Locally pronounced as 'Charlesmore' or occasionally 'Chellsmore', Cheylesmore has two shopping parades situated in Daventry Road and Quinton Park. These shops overlook a small park and pool known as Quinton Pool. It takes its name from Cheylesmore Manor. The original name probably derives from 'Chez Les Morts' since a huge plague pit was found during excavations after the Second World War. The city gate leading to the area was labelled as Childsmore Gate on old maps, an alternative etymology of the name. The Quinton Road and Mile Lane areas of Cheylesmore have been occupied by several companies that contributed to Coventry's motoring heritage, including Rolls-Royce, Armstrong Siddeley, Coventry Climax, and the Swift Motor Company. The suburb's proximity to large manufacturing firms resulted in a rapid expansion of the area during the 1930s with planners finding it difficult to get houses constructed in time to meet the demand for them. The advantage of the short distance between the factories and houses was that workers were able to walk to the factories, saving them the bus fare. They were also able to go home for a meal at midday before returning to work. The former Quinton Works, originally built in 1890 as a cycle factory, situated at the junction of Mile Lane and Quinton Road was acquired by the Swift Motor Company in 1905. During World War I the factory contributed to the war-effort, producing munitions, military bicycles, Hispano-Suiza and Renault aircraft engines. The frontage of the Quinton Works has been restored and integrated with a newly built Ibis Hotel, whilst most of the rest of the former site has been knocked down.