Historic Coventry, UK

he City of Coventry has been home to our family for over a century. It is a place with a history to be extremely proud of, most notably in the fields of civic achievement, manufacturing and architecture. Coventry still boasts many world renowned buildings which stand in testimony to our medieval 'golden age'.
Split into sections of both a historic and nostalgic nature, I offer here hundreds of pages supported by over a thousand old and new photographs, drawings and maps, in order to depict the many and varied aspects of Coventry's heritage. Hovering your mouse over the subtitles below will reveal a short description of what lies within. I hope you'll find it entertaining....

Your Memories

Your Memories
Is it the theatre, the old shopping streets.... or maybe the precinct when it was first built that stirs up old memories for you? Maybe it's the place where you live.... or used to live?
This is your memories page, where your stories and pictures are displayed for everyone else's viewing pleasure.

Boundary
Maps

Boundary Maps
From early medieval times until the 19th century, Coventry's boundary remained fairly static, but once the industrial revolution took hold, the city really started to expand beyond its humble origins within the wall and began to swallow up the surrounding districts. Many of the areas that we now regard as sub-districts of the city were once villages and settlements in their own right.

Street Maps

Street Maps
In order to try and understand how the centre of Coventry has physically evolved, I've made a series of maps of Coventry's streets through the ages - currently covering the following years: 1225, 1400, 1610, 1749, 1807, 1851, 1869, 1900, 1937, 1951, 1968, 2000, 2018 and recent aerial view.

City Wall
& Gates

City Wall and Gates
During medieval times Coventry was one of the most powerful cities in the country, with a magnificent wall rivalled only by that around London. In this section you can learn more about the history of Coventry's Town Wall, then take a tour around the surviving sections of it, beginning with the only two gates still standing out of the twelve that originally gave entrance to our town.

History
Articles

History Articles
Many articles covering all aspects of Coventry's history have been written, but many are either tucked away in the past as ephemera, never to be seen again, or simply not published at all. I offer here a collection of other people's articles which I hope will illuminate and educate you.

Historic Tour

Historic Tour
This will take you on a journey showing you many of the historic buildings and places that have survived many wars and have a tale to tell. I have included a little background information with each one, so hopefully this section will whet the appetite to explore further....

Quiz

Historic Coventry Quiz & Crossword
Test your Coventry knowledge with a selection of quizzes. You can probably tackle the first quiz without any help, but you might need to search a bit further to answer some of the other sets of questions.
And if you have too much time on your hands, the crossword might be just the thing!

History

History
Far from being an anonymous town, Coventry has had a rich and colourful history. Throughout the middle ages it was a common occurrence for the city's fathers to be rubbing shoulders with royalty, and the town became a favoured sanctuary for Kings and Queens.
Find out more about one of the most famous Ladies in the kingdom, an everyday phrase that we all use without knowing why, how Coventry became not just a city but a county too.... and for a while was effectively the capital of England.

Discussion
Forum

Discussion Forum
The place on this website where YOU can have your say. Do you have a question about Coventry's colourful history that you've always wanted to be answered? Or can you help someone else who needs their questions answered? Or maybe just reminisce about where you used to live, work or play.... or discuss your favourite Sky Blues team! Whatever the burning topic is, this is the place for you.

Time Machine

Time Machine
Well.... the nearest thing you'll find to a Time Machine!
Follow Coventry's streets at various points in the past, and receive a virtual tour of the town that existed many decades ago.

Broadgate

Broadgate
Broadgate has been at the centre of Coventry's history and growth virtually since its very beginning.
Here, using photographs dating from the dawn of the camera in 1860 through to the 21st century, you will find how it developed - and it might trigger some fond memories too!

Now and Then

Now and Then
What would the photographers of yesteryear have seen if they had stood in the same places today? Compare today's photos to those from Victorian, pre-war and early postwar years, and then why not try the 'Engraved Coventry' section to travel even further back in time.

The Blitz

Coventry's Blitz
The night of 14th November 1940 changed the shape of Coventry's ancient city centre forever. Find out why we were bombed, and how we dealt with the most devastating event ever to rain down on our city.

Photo
Mysteries

Photo Mysteries
Many of us have old photos hidden away, but how much do we know about them? Browse the pictures in this section to see if you can identify who is in them, or where they were taken... or send in your own photos in the hope of getting an answer to your mysteries.

St. Mary's
Cathedral

St. Mary's Priory and Cathedral
Built shortly after the Norman Conquest, St. Mary's only stood for just over 400 years until it fell victim to King Henry VIII's 'Dissolution of the monasteries', but still has an important presence in the city....

New
Cathedral

St. Michael's - The New Cathedral
It's said that every cloud has a silver lining, and indeed, after the unfortunate events of WW2 Sir Basil Spence gave Coventry this twentieth century masterpiece....

Post-war
Development

Post-war Development
After the devastation of the Second World War our city faced the huge task of rebuilding. Just how much of this had already been planned even before the Luftwaffe flattened our ancient town centre?
And how many of those plans dreamed up in the 1930s actually came into fruition?

Postcard
from Coventry

A Postcard from Coventry
Not all postcards are as benign as "Weather fine, wish you were here" - some cards tell a story about the place they are from - and give opinions that we don't always wish to hear!

Old
Cathedral

St. Michael's - The Old Cathedral
For four centuries after the monasteries were disolved, Coventry went without a cathedral, but in 1918 St. Michael's parish church was finally elevated to that status. Now in ruins, it's fondly known as "The Old Cathedral".

Click the BBC R4 link for an audio clip

On 21st June 2005 this website was proudly featured on the BBC Radio 4 "Making History" programme with Sue Cook.
The Radio 4 link above will take you to the relevant BBC web-page, or you can listen again to Dilly Barlow talking to our son, Steven, and me, by clicking the BBC Radio link on the left to reveal a player.

The content on this website is suitable for children of all ages. School teachers are welcome to use any of the material contained within as a teaching aid for Coventry's local history and heritage.

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