Radford, Coventry

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Radford is a suburb of Coventry, located approximately 2 miles north of Coventry city centre.

At the end of the nineteenth century, Radford was turning from a largely undeveloped rural area into one of Coventry's major manufacturing areas. The southern area of Radford benefited from the presence of the Coventry Canal and also the railway, and was served by Radford Station, located on Sandy Lane. This was also the site of the Sandy Lane power station.

Possibly Radford's greatest historical claim to fame comes from its centrality in the birth of the British motor car industry. The Great Horseless Carriage Company was established in 1896 in converted cotton mill works in central Radford, becoming the Motor Manufacturing Company in 1897, producing Daimler vehicles.

Radford is bordered on its western side by Radford Road, a main thoroughfare into Coventry city centre which extends out of Coventry to the areas of Keresley and the village of Fillongley. Radford Road is home to several small shops, and a bingo hall. Radford's other main shopping area is Jubilee Crescent, in the northern part of Radford, which also hosts a library, community centre and doctors' surgery as well as many local businesses and branches of national retail chains.

Most of the northern area of Radford is residential, following development during the 20th century. Properties range from blocks of flats to semi-detached and terraced housing, and includes both privately owner-occupied properties and council housing. The Right to buy scheme decreased the prevalence of local authority housing in the area from the 1980s onwards, and remaining properties were transferred (along with the rest of Coventry City Council's housing stock) to Whitefriars Housing Group in 2000.

Although Radford has endured the closure of many of its key employers in recent years, regeneration efforts are easily visible. The site of Radford Rail Station has been developed into an apartment complex; Sandy Lane Power Station, which became offices for the Midlands Electricity Board, has been redeveloped into Electric Wharf, a mixed-use site incorporating residential buildings and public art; and the former Daimler works are now a residential area known as Daimler Green.