Family History – the Miles family
At one of the Open Days last year, a chat between one of our visitors and one of our volunteers unearthed the interesting fact that both their grandparents lived in Black Swan Terrace. Not only that but they lived in the Terrace during the same period, so they would have known each other.
Clare Chamberlain has previously written about her O’Neil family history and so she was thrilled to discover that visitor Dawn’s grandad, Frank Miles, was also a resident. The children from both families would have most likely attended the same school, Spon Gate School, which is still there.
Frank Miles, courtesy of Dawn McCarroll.
Dawn recalls her grandad telling her that his bedroom was above the passageway (which is still a bedroom for a current tenant). All eight kids slept in one bed… their combined weight caused the bed leg to go through the floor!
In 1911 the Miles family lived in Court 31 which was located behind the terraced row that faces onto Upper Spon Street. In 1921 they moved to 120 Black Swan Terrace (currently occupied by Perfect Tresses) where they lived until 1931 when they moved to Elm Tree Avenue in Tile Hill.
The Miles family accommodation (highlighted areas – Court 33 and no.119.
The Miles family were:
Walter John Miles (born 1882, Christchurch) a bricklayer who married Ellen Gertrude Smith (born Broad Hinton, Wiltshire) in Swindon, summer 1903.
Walter & Nell Miles courtesy of Dawn McCarroll
Their children:
Walter James Miles (born 1904, Swindon)
Frederick George Miles (born 1906, Swindon)
Ernest Edward Miles (born 1908, Swindon)
Arthur Miles (born 1910, Coventry)
Frank Miles (born 1913, Coventry)
Eric Miles (born 1916, Coventry) died 1939 in a road traffic accident on his pushbike at the junction of Melbourne Road and Sovereign Road
Dorothy “Doll” Irene Miles (born 1918 twin, Coventry)
Ivy Miles (born 1918 twin, Coventry) died as an infant
Sid Miles (born 1924, Coventry)
We hope this information will be useful to anyone related to the family, researching their history.
Do you have a connection to The Weaver’s House or the Black Swan Terrace area? We’d love to hear from you!
