Historian and CovSoc member, Peter James, tells us about the history of cycle racing in Earlsdon. Peter writes……
Bowls Club
Heading south from Spencer Park and along Morningside, you come to the Three Spires Bowling Club founded in 1912.
Before the bowls club the site had been home to the Styvechale Track, a cycling and running track opened in June 1878. An oval cinder track known as the Midland Counties Bicycle and Athletics Ground ran between Morningside and the Kenilworth Road. It even hosted races between “penny farthings.” By the mid 1880s its use had declined sharply after a new track opened at The Butts.
Move to the Butts
Cycling
The Butts cycle track was first laid out in 1879 by local businessmen. Measuring 440 yards it was mainly flat but had banked corners and a cinder surface. In 1936 a concrete surface was added, an innovation that divided opinion. It remained until 1954 when a new 440-yard track, 21 feet wide with 14-degree banking was installed.
The Butts became a hub for Coventry’s thriving cycle industry. Local manufacturers such as Rudge Cycle Co. in Spon Street and Humber & Co. in Upper Springfield Road used the track to develop and test new models. The area also attracted numerous accessory manufacturers including John Harrington & Co. known for producing springs and saddles.
Local Riders
Tommy Godwin was born in Connecticut to British parents. The family returned to England in 1932 when he was eleven. Aged sixteen he went to work at the BSA cycle factory in Birmingham and later became a professional cyclist. He was a regular entrant at the Butts which was a local track where he won the 1,000 metre event on 29th July 1939. He went on to win two bronze medals as part of the team pursuit at the 1948 Olympic Games in London.
Eileen Sheridan was born in Coventry in 1923 and became one of Britain’s most celebrated cyclists breaking numerous records during the 1940s and 1950s. She joined the Coventry Cycling Club in 1944 with her husband Ken, and later became the club president.
Reflecting on her early days, she recalled:
“We used to ride in our baggy shorts, not padded of course, and a sweater with a pocket on the front where we kept our food. It opened like a sail as we cycled! I wore chamois leather shorts when I was racing but that’s as smart as it got! There were no showers or anything. We used to finish, check our time and ride home.”
Eileen won her first race at The Butts in 1947. On 21st October 2024 a blue plaque was unveiled at The Butts to commemorate her remarkable achievements.
Later Years
The Butts Stadium continued to attract top quality cycling events through the 1960s.
Until in Leicester in 1969 a National Track Stadium opened on a concrete based track which was re-laid on timber in 1978. This local alternative venue had a serious effect on attendances at the Butts.
In April 1987 a local newspaper reported that National track racing was returning to the Butts for an Easter Monday meeting for the first time in almost twenty years. Racing there continued to decline until the track closed around 2000.