Longford, Coventry facts for kids
Longford is a part of Coventry, a city in the West Midlands region of England. It's like a neighborhood or a district within the city. In 2011, about 18,538 people lived here. Longford is covered by the Coventry North East area for Parliament and is surrounded by other parts of Coventry like Holbrooks and Foleshill.
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What Can You Find in Longford?
Longford is made up of several smaller areas. These include Longford Village, Foxford, Rowleys Green, Alderman's Green, Hawkesbury, Bell Green, Manor House, Hall Green, Courthouse Green, Woodshires, and Little Heath.
Most of Longford is where people live, but it also has some factories and businesses. You can find green spaces too, like Longford Park and Longford Community Nature Park. These parks are very close to each other, on opposite sides of Longford Road.
In the northern part of Longford, you'll find the Coventry Building Society Arena. This is a big stadium where the Wasps rugby team and Coventry City football team play their games. Next to the stadium is Arena Park, a shopping area with a large Tesco store. Another shopping spot in Longford is Riley Square. If you need to borrow a book, Longford has one library called Bell Green Library.
Who Lives in Longford?
In 2001, about 17,601 people lived in Longford. By 2011, this number grew to 18,538 people. Longford covers an area of 472 square kilometers. In June 2006, around 522 people were looking for jobs. Many people in Longford are of working age, which means they are old enough to have a job.
Schools in Longford
For older students, Foxford Community School is the main secondary school in the area. Younger children attend Grangehurst Primary School for their primary education.
Longford's History
People have lived in the Longford area since at least the 1400s. Back then, there were just a few houses and cottages. In 1730, a count showed there were only 20 houses in Longford and Foxford combined.
Longford really started to grow in the mid-1700s. This was because of the ribbon weaving industry and a busy coal mine in Hawkesbury. These jobs brought many workers and their families to live in Longford.
Historically, Longford was part of Bedworth and belonged to the parish of Exhall. A famous English trade unionist and pacifist named Thomas Mann was born here during that time. Longford has always been an important route. It's on the main road that connects the mining areas of Nuneaton and Bedworth to Coventry. Today, Longford is a suburb of Coventry.
Canals in Longford
The Coventry Canal flows right through Longford. If you walk along the towpath next to the canal, you might spot a cool sculpture called 'The Stone Sofa'. It was made by an artist named Tim Shutter and was put there in 1997 as part of the Coventry Canal Art Trail. It's a big sculpture, about 1.4 meters tall, 2.4 meters wide, and carved from solid sandstone.
The Oxford Canal also started being built in this area in 1769. The first 10 miles were finished by 1771. For a while, the Coventry Canal and the Oxford Canal ran side-by-side from Hawkesbury to Longford. This was because the companies that owned them couldn't agree on how much to charge for boats to use them. But after a court order, the two canals were finally connected at Longford in 1777. Today, the main place where the canals join is called Hawkesbury Junction.
Images for kids
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Longford Park
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Longford Park gates
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Longford Community Nature Park
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Sandstone sculpture Stone Sofa by Tim Shutter, on the Coventry Canal
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Longford Park in winter
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