Our Neighbourhood

Driven by Transport

Whether you are sent to this neighbourhood or you visit of your own volition, there’s a good chance that Coventry itself assisted in your journey. If your trip involved an airport, you can thank Sir Frank Whittle, born here in 1907, for inventing the jet engine and single-handedly revolutionising air travel. If you travelled by road, you’ve reached the city where the British motorcar was born back in 1897. The first Coventry Daimler car inspired dozens of competitors to set up shop here and by the 1960s the UK had become the world’s second-biggest car manufacturer, with the city of Coventry as its ever-dependable motor.

At the Coventry Transport Museum, located just by a stunning twin-arch sculpture celebrating Whittle’s jet engine, you can admire around 250 immaculately maintained vehicles, several of which illustrate the neighbourhood’s immense contribution to automobile history. This auto-focused past guides the city’s future: its two world-class universities, Coventry and Warwick, are producing the next generation of carmakers through their leading automotive engineering courses.

Before you reach the Transport Museum’s Coventry-built Daimlers, you’ll pass some strange-looking contraptions with comically large wheels. These unwieldy Penny-Farthings were manufactured in Coventry and paved the way for the game-changing local invention of the ‘safety bicycle’, which dispensed with the giant front wheel.

The first mass-produced safety bike was the ‘Rover’, developed by Coventry’s own John Kemp Starley. Its drop-frame design meant women in skirts could get pedalling for the first time – and, if they were feeling bold, do it without the company of a chaperone. Such spirited behaviour ruffled feathers in Victorian England, but it was hardly the first time a solo female rider had made a mark in Coventry. Legend has it that Lady Godiva rode a horse naked through the streets of Coventry in the 11th century to prevent her husband from levying an oppressive tax on the townspeople. The tale of Godiva and Peeping Tom, the man who was supposedly blinded by leering at her clothes-free equestrianism, is told at the top of every hour in the most quirky way. The mechanical Godiva clock can be found in Broadgate, a lively shopping and leisure hub, which many centuries ago was home to a castle with a very wide gate, hence the name.

Three Spires Calling

There’s a horse on Greyfriars Green, just down the road from the Hotel Indigo – Coventry, but it’s not Godiva’s. Standing by the striking black sculpture of Alexander the Great’s steed Bucephalus, you can view the ‘three spires’ that have dominated Coventry’s skyline for centuries – and, against the odds, have survived. On the night of 14th November 1940, a Luftwaffe bombing campaign rendered the 14th century Cathedral of St Michael a shell and devastated much of the city. Its remains still stand today as a powerful symbol of peace and reconciliation.

The surviving sections of the cathedral include its magnificent 90-metre spire. If you’re feeling energetic you can climb its 181 steps and be treated to the finest of Coventry views. In the distance is the bucolic Warwickshire countryside; next door is the modern cathedral, consecrated in 1962. Physically attached to the ruins, this bold, modernist structure is a symbol of post-war recovery.

The second spire belongs to Christ Church, which survived the April 1941 raids to which the rest of the church succumbed. There’s a plaque on the tower revealing the area’s name to be Dresden Place, a sign of friendship and reconciliation with a German city that also experienced tremendous losses during the war. In 2019 Coventry celebrated the 60th anniversary of its twinning with Dresden, where one of the main highways into town is called Coventrystrasse. In fact, Coventry invented the “twinning” concept and today holds the record for the city with the most siblings – 26, including three Coventrys in the United States.

Although it’s only a few steps away from Coventry Cathedral, the 13th century Holy Trinity Church was left almost unscathed by bombs. While its majestic spire completes the famous trio, it’s not the main attraction. Stretching across an arch near the entrance is one of the most extraordinary works of medieval art in the world. The Coventry Doom, a painting of the ‘Last Judgement’, was created around 100 years before Michelangelo produced his Sistine Chapel piece. After being hidden away for centuries, the masterpiece was restored and unveiled in 2004.

Perpetual Motion

Around the time the anonymous artists produced its doom painting, Coventry was England’s boomtown. Indeed, the neighbourhood has a rich medieval history – for a few years during the War of the Roses in the 1450s, it was even the country’s capital. Its strategic location in the centre of England wasn’t the only reason it became the temporary seat of parliament, however. It was also the mercantile hub of the country, a leader in the woolen cloth and textiles industries. In medieval times Drapers’ Hall was the largest cloth market outside London; today a stunning classical-style guildhouse stands on the original site.

By the 18th century the neighbourhood was the main centre of silk ribbon weaving in the country – at one point half the population worked in the trade. By the time the industry slumped in the 1860s Coventry was gaining a reputation for its manufacturing of sewing machines, and several of these companies went on to also produce the early bigwheeled bicycles. Former industrial sites have now been repurposed as creative hubs, like the brilliant independent FarGo Village.

Coventry’s woolen cloth tradition has inspired another phrase – and this one is anything but codswallop. ‘True blue’, referring to enduring loyalty, is a shortened version of “as true as Coventry blue”, which was inspired by a type of blue cloth whose colour never faded, a local speciality during the boom years.

‘True blue’ could refer to fans of the local football team, who play in blue and whose 1987 FA Cup triumph is still remembered fondly in our neighbourhood. But it can also apply to anybody who has fallen for the easy charm of this unpretentious city, whether it’s born-and-bred Coventrians or newer arrivals such as the thousands of international students who give their new home such energy. Don’t be surprised if you end up sending yourself to Coventry again and again.