Coventry
Encyclopedia
Coventry is a city
and metropolitan borough
in the county
of West Midlands
in England
. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands
, after Birmingham
, with a population of 300,848, although Stoke-on-Trent
, Leicester
and Nottingham
have larger urban areas. The population of Coventry has risen to 309,800 as of 2008.
Historically within Warwickshire
, Coventry is situated 95 miles (152.9 km) northwest of central London
and 19 miles (30.6 km) east-southeast of Birmingham
, and is further from the coast than any other city in Britain
. Although harbouring a population of almost a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group
due to its proximity to Birmingham.
Coventry was the world's first twin city
when it formed a twinning relationship with the Russia
n city of Stalingrad
(now Volgograd) during World War II
. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet
Red Army
during the Battle of Stalingrad
. The city is now also twinned with Dresden
, Lidice
and 23 other cities around the world.
Coventry Cathedral
is one of the newer cathedral
s in the world, having been built following the World War II bombing of the ancient cathedral by the Luftwaffe
. Coventry motor companies have contributed significantly to the British motor industry
, and it has two universities, the city centre-based Coventry University
and the University of Warwick
on the southern outskirts.
near the present-day city centre where Coventry's bowl shape and, at that time large flowing river and lakes, created the ideal settlement area, with mild weather and thick woods: food, water and shelter would have been easily provided. The people of the Coventry area may have been the Corieltauvi, a largely agricultural people who had few strongly defended sites and signs of centralised government.
The Romans settling in Baginton
founded another settlement and another formed around a Saxon
nunnery, founded ca. AD 700 by St Osburga, that was later left in ruins by King Canute's
invading Danish
army in 1016. Leofric, Earl of Mercia
and his wife Lady Godiva
built on the remains of the nunnery and founded a Benedictine
monastery
in 1043 dedicated to St Mary. In time, a market was established at the abbey gates and the settlement expanded.
By the 14th century, Coventry had become an important centre of the cloth trade, and throughout the Middle Ages
was one of the largest and most important cities in England. The bishops of Lichfield
were often referred to as bishops of Coventry and Lichfield, or Lichfield and Coventry (from 1102 to 1541). Coventry claimed the status of a city
by ancient prescriptive usage
, was granted a charter of incorporation
in 1345, and in 1451 became a county
in its own right.
Hostile attitudes of the cityfolk towards Royalist
prisoners held in Coventry during the English Civil War
are believed to have been the origin of the phrase "to be sent to Coventry
", which in Britain means "to be ostracised"; although their physical needs were catered for, the Royalist prisoners were literally never spoken to by anybody.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became one of the three main British centres of watch
and clock
manufacture and ranked alongside Prescot
, near Liverpool
and Clerkenwell
in London. As the industry declined, due mainly to competition from Swiss made
clock and watch manufacturers, the skilled pool of workers proved crucial to the setting up of bicycle manufacture and eventually the motorbike, car, machine tool
and aircraft industries.
In the late 19th century, Coventry became a major centre of bicycle manufacture. The industry being energised by the invention by James Starley
and his nephew John Kemp Starley
of the Rover Safety Bicycle
, which was much safer and more popular than the pioneering Penny Farthing. The company later became Rover. By the early 20th century, bicycle manufacture had evolved into motor
manufacture, and Coventry became a major centre of the British motor industry
. The design headquarters of Jaguar Cars is still in the city at their Whitley plant
and although they ceased vehicle assembly at their Browns Lane plant in 2004, they still continue some operations from there. However, the headquarters moved to India
, and Tata Motors
owns Jaguar now.
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Coventry became home to one of Britain's first local ambulance services in 1902. The local entertainment business received a boost in 1910 when the city's first cinema opened. Public transport was enhanced in 1914 when motorbuses took to local roads.
With many of the city's older properties becoming increasingly unfit for habitation, the first council houses were let to their tenants in 1917. With Coventry's industrial base continuing to soar after the end of World War I
a year later, numerous private and council housing developments took place across the city in the 1920s and 1930s. The development of a southern by-pass around the city, starting in the 1930s and being completed in 1940, helped deliver more urban areas to the city on previously rural land.
Coventry suffered severe bomb damage during World War II, most notoriously from a massive Luftwaffe
air raid
known as the "Coventry Blitz
" on 14 November 1940. Firebombing
on this date led to severe damage to large areas of the city centre and to Coventry's historic cathedral
, leaving only a shell and the spire. More than 4,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, along with around three-quarters of the city's industrial plants. More than 800 people were killed, with thousands injured and homeless. The Germans coined the term "Coventrate" to describe the tactics of complete urban devastation developed for the raid.
Aside from London, Hull
and Plymouth
, Coventry suffered more damage than any other British city during the Luftwaffe attacks, with huge firestorms devastating most of the city centre. The city was probably targeted due to its high concentration of armaments, munitions, aircraft and aero-engine plants which contributed greatly to the British war effort, although there have been claims that Hitler launched the attack as revenge for the bombing of Munich by the RAF six days before the Coventry Blitz and chose the Midlands city because its medieval heart was regarded as one of the finest in Britain. Following the raids, the majority of Coventry's historic buildings could not be saved as they were in ruinous states or were deemed unsafe for any future use, although several were later demolished simply to make way for modern developments which saw the city centre's buildings and road infrastructure almost completely altered by 1970.
Further housing developments in the private and public sector took place after World War II, partly to accommodate the growing population of the city and also to replace condemned and bomb damaged properties.
In the postwar years Coventry was largely rebuilt under the general direction of the Gibson Plan
, gaining a new pedestrianised shopping precinct (the first of its kind in Europe on such a scale) and in 1962 Sir Basil Spence
's much-celebrated new St Michael's Cathedral
(incorporating one of the world's largest tapestries) was consecrated. Its prefabricated steel spire was lowered into place by helicopter. In 1967, the Eagle Street Mosque opened as Coventry's first mosque.
Major expansion to Coventry had taken place previously, in the 1920s and 1930s, to provide housing for the large influx of workers who came to work in the city's booming factories. The areas which were expanded or created in this development included Radford
, Coundon
, Canley
, Cheylesmore
and Stoke Heath
.
Coventry's motor industry boomed during the 1950s and 1960s and Coventry enjoyed a 'golden age'. During this period the disposable income of Coventrians was one of the highest in the country and both the sports and the arts benefited. A new sports centre, with one of the few Olympic standard swimming pools in the UK, was constructed and Coventry City Football Club reached the First Division of English Football. The Belgrade Theatre
was also constructed along with the Herbert Art Gallery. Coventry's pedestrianised Precinct shopping area came into its own and was considered one of the finest retail experiences outside of London. In 1965 the new University of Warwick campus was opened to students, and rapidly became one of the country's leading higher-education institutions.
Coventry's large industrial base made it attract to the wave of Asia
n and Caribbean
immigrants
who arrived from Commonwealth
colonies after 1948. In 1960, one of Britain's first mosque
s – and the very first in Coventry – was opened on Eagle Street to serve the city's growing Islam
ic community. The 1970s, however, saw a decline in the British motor industry and Coventry suffered particularly badly. Coal mining at the city's Keresley
colliery also ceased during this period. By the early 1980s, Coventry had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and crime rates rose well above the national average. Some 30 years later, Coventry is now considered as one of the UK's safer major cities and has gradually recovered economically with newer industries locating there, although the motor industry continues to decline. By 2008, only one motor manufacturing plant was operational, that of LTI Ltd, producing the popular TX4
taxi cabs. On 17 March 2010 LTI announced they would no longer be producing bodies and chassis in Coventry, instead producing them in China
and shipping them in for assembly in Coventry.
On the sporting scene, Coventry Rugby Football Club
has consistently been among the nation's leading rugby football sides since the early 20th century, peaking in the 1970s and 1980s with a host of major honours. Association football, on the other hand, was scarcely a claim to fame until 1967, when Coventry City F.C.
finally won promotion to the top flight of English football
as champions of the Football League Second Division
. They would stay among the elite for the next 34 years, reaching their pinnacle with FA Cup
glory
in 1987 – the first and to date only major trophy in the club's history. Their long stay in the top flight of English football ended in relegation in 2001, and they have yet to regain their status among the elite. Highfield Road
, to the east of the city centre, was Coventry City's home for 106 years from 1899. They finally departed from the stadium in 2005 on their relocation to the 32,600-seat Ricoh Arena
some three miles to the north of the city centre, in the Rowleys Green district.
The M6 motorway
directly to the north of Coventry acts as an artificial boundary which precludes expansion into the Bedworth
-Nuneaton
urban area, as does the protected West Midlands
Green Belt
which surrounds the city on all sides. This has circumvented the expansion of the city into both the administrative county of Warwickshire
and the metropolitan borough of Solihull
(the 'Meriden Gap'), and has helped to prevent the coalescence of the city with surrounding towns such as Kenilworth
, Leamington Spa
, Warwick
, Rugby
and Balsall Common
.
Panoramic views of Coventry City Centre from the Cathedral Tower
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St. Michael's Cathedral
is Coventry's best-known landmark and visitor attraction. The 14th century church was largely destroyed by German bombing during World War II, leaving only the outer walls and spire. At 303 feet (92.35m) high, the spire of St. Michael's is claimed to be the third tallest cathedral spire in England, after Salisbury
and Norwich
. Due to the architectural design (in 1940 the tower had no internal wooden floors and a stone vault below the belfry) it survived the destruction of the rest of the cathedral. The new Coventry Cathedral was opened in 1962 next to the ruins of the old. It was designed by Sir Basil Spence
. The cathedral contains the tapestry Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland
. The bronze statue St Michael's Victory over the Devil by Jacob Epstein
is mounted on the exterior of the new cathedral near the entrance. Benjamin Britten
's War Requiem
, regarded by some as his masterpiece, was written for the opening of the new cathedral.
The spire of the ruined cathedral forms one of the "three spires" which have dominated the city skyline since the 14th century, the others being those of Christ Church (of which only the spire survives) and Holy Trinity Church
(which is still in use).
is a major art gallery in the city centre. About four miles from the city centre and just outside Coventry in Baginton
is the Lunt Fort
, a reconstructed Roman
fort. The Midland Air Museum
is situated just within the perimeter of Coventry on land adjacent to Coventry Airport
and near Baginton
.
Another major visitor attraction in Coventry city centre is the free-to-enter Coventry Transport Museum
, which has the largest collection of British-made road vehicles in the world. The most notable exhibits are the world speed record-breaking cars, Thrust2
and ThrustSSC
. The museum received a major refurbishment in 2004 which included the creation of a striking new entrance as part of the city's Phoenix Initiative project. The revamp saw the museum exceed its projected five-year visitor numbers within the first year alone, and it was a finalist for the 2005 Gulbenkian Prize
.
Coventry was one of the main centres of watchmaking during the 18th and 19th centuries and as the industry declined the skilled workers were key to setting up the cycle trade. A group of local enthusiasts are in the process of setting up a museum in Spon Street.
The city's main police station
in Little Park Street also hosts a museum of Coventry's police force. The museum, based underground, is split into two sections – one representing the history of the city's police force, and the other compiling some of the more unusual, interesting and grisly cases from the force's history. The museum is funded from charity donations – viewings can be made by appointment.
Coventry City Farm was a small farm in an urban setting. It was mainly to educate city children who might not get out to the countryside very often. The farm closed in 2008 due to funding problems.
have been playing at their new home, the Ricoh Arena
, a 32,609 capacity stadium in Rowleys Green in north Coventry. Their football academy is now based at the Alan Higgs Centre
, a leisure centre in south-east Coventry opened in 2004.
The Highfield Road stadium has been demolished, making way for new housing and a small green.
Major improvements continue to regenerate the city centre. The Phoenix Initiative, which was designed by MJP Architects
, reached the final shortlist for the 2004 RIBA Stirling Prize
and has now won a total of 16 separate awards. It was published in the book 'Phoenix : Architecture/Art/Regeneration' in 2004. Further major developments are potentially afoot, particularly the Swanswell Project, which is intended to deepen Swanswell Pool and link it to Coventry Canal Basin, coupled with the creation of an urban marina and a wide Parisian-style boulevard. A possible second phase of the Phoenix Initiative is also in the offing, although both of these plans are still on the drawing-board. The redevelopment of the Belgrade Theatre
is currently in progress, and the building of IKEA
's first city centre multi-storey store has recently been completed and was opened to the public on 16 December 2007.
The River Sherbourne
runs under Coventry's city centre; the river was paved over during the rebuilding after World War II and is not commonly known. When the new rebuild of Coventry city centre takes place 2009 onwards, it is planned that river will be re-opened, and a river walk way will be placed along side it in parts of the city centre.
) were the world's first 'twin' cities when they established a twinning relationship during World War II. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet Red Army
during the Battle of Stalingrad
. The city was also subsequently twinned with Dresden
, as a gesture of peace and reconciliation following World War II. Coventry is now twinned with 27 other cities around the world.
Coventry Cathedral
is notable for being one of the newest cathedral
s in the world, having been built following the World War II bombing of the ancient cathedral by the Luftwaffe. Coventry has since developed an international reputation as one of Europe's major cities of peace and reconciliation, centred around its cathedral, and holds an annual Peace Month.
and the midlands, Coventry experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station is Coundon/ Coventry Bablake. Temperature extremes recorded in Coventry range from -18.2 C in February 1947, to 35.1 °C (95.2 °F) in August 1990. The lowest temperature reading of recent years was -10.8 C during December 2010.
Coventry has two universities; Coventry University
is situated on a modern city centre campus while the University of Warwick
lies 3½ miles (5.5 km) to the south of the city centre within Coventry near the border with Warwickshire
. The University of Warwick
is one of only five universities never to have been rated outside the top ten in terms of teaching excellence and research and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group
. A team from the University won the BBC TV University Challenge
trophy in April 2007. Coventry University
is one of only a handful of universities to run a degree course in automotive design in the world renowned Coventry School of Art and Design
Coventry also has three further education colleges within city boundaries, City College
, Henley College and Hereward College.
Many of the secondary schools in and around Coventry are specialist colleges, such as Finham Park School
, which is a Mathematics and IT college, a teacher training school and the only school in Coventry to offer studying the International Baccalaureate, and Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School
which has recently become a specialist college of Music, one of only a few in the country. Bishop Ullathorne RC School
became a specialist college in Humanities in 2006. Woodlands School
in Coventry is now also a sports college, which has a newly built sport centre. Ernesford Grange School
, in the south east, is a specialist science college. Coundon Court School
is a Technology College
. Pattison College
, a private school opened in 1949, specialises in the performing arts. There is also Caludon Castle School, a business and enterprise school, which has been rebuilt over 2005–2007. Exhall Grange School and Science College
is in the north of the city, although, its catchment area is north Warwickshire. There is also Cardinal Newman Catholic School and specialist arts college.
Coventry has a variety of schools: one of the oldest secondary schools is Sidney Stringer School
which is located in the centre of the city. It is a co-educational school that has made improvements in the last few years and has moved into a larger building costing £28million; it is now known as Sidney Stringer Academy.
The Coventry School Foundation comprises the independent schools King Henry VIII School and Bablake School
together with King Henry VIII Preparatory School.
The Woodlands School, which is an all-boys' school, and Tile Hill Wood School
are the only single-sex schools left in Coventry. However, their sixth form
s have merged to form the "West Coventry 6th Form", whose lessons take place in mixed classes on both sites.
The Westwood School, which is a Technology College
, is close to the University of Warwick. It is the only school in Coventry that is a CISCO Academy and prides itself on its links with other educational establishments, industry and the local community.
Sherbourne Fields School is an educational special needs
school for young people with physical disabilities and is located in the Coundon area. It opened in the 1960s and there are now discussions as to whether to close this school.
Theatre, art and music venues in Coventry include:
Sporting teams include:
Coventry City F.C.
(association football); Coventry Buildbase Bees
(speedway
); Coventry R.F.C.
(rugby union
); Coventry Bears
(rugby league
); Coventry Godiva Harriers
(athletics); Coventry Crusaders
(basketball); Coventry Jets (American football
); City of Coventry Swimming Club (swimming); Coventry Blaze
(ice hockey
); Four Masters G.A.A. Club (Gaelic football
).
In football, Coventry City have been in existence since the late 19th century, but did not reach the top flight
of the Football League until 1967, when they were promoted as Second Division
champions. Their highest league position so far is sixth place in the First Division in 1970, when they qualified for the European Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup
, now The Europa League) in 1970–71. Their only major trophy to date is the FA Cup
which was won in 1987 with a 3–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur
at Wembley.
Coventry City were founder members of the Premier League in 1992, but currently play in the Football League Championship
, the second tier of English football, where they have been since 2001, following relegation after 34 successive seasons of top flight football. Their current stadium is the 32,600 capacity Ricoh Arena
, which opened in Rowleys Green in the north of the city in 2005, replacing 106-year-old Highfield Road
to the east of the city centre.
Notable former players include Reg Matthews
(the first Coventry-born footballer to be capped by England), Clarrie Bourton
, George Hudson
, Bobby Gould
, Willie Carr
, Ian St. John
, Dion Dublin
, Stuart Pearce
, Gerry Francis
, Kevin Gallacher
, Terry Gibson
, Mark Hateley
, Ian Wallace
, Tommy Hutchison
, Robbie Keane
, Gary McAllister
, David Speedie
, Steve Ogrizovic
, Colin Stein
and Terry Yorath
.
Their most famous former managers are Jesse Carver
, George Raynor, Harry Storer
and Jimmy Hill
. Others include Noel Cantwell
, Dave Sexton
, John Sillett
, Bobby Gould
, Phil Neal
, Ron Atkinson
, Gordon Strachan
, Peter Reid
, Gary McAllister
, Micky Adams
, Iain Dowie
and Chris Coleman
.
The Coventry Bees are based at Coventry Stadium (formerly Brandon Stadium) to the east of the city. The stadium has operated both sides of World War II. The Bees started in 1948 and have operated continuously ever since. They started out in the National League Division Three before moving up to the Second Division and, later to the top flight. They have operated at this level ever since.
Amongst the top speedway riders who have represented Coventry teams are Tom Farndon
, Jack Parker
, Arthur Forrest
, Nigel Boocock
, Kelvin Tatum
, Chris Harris
, Emil Sayfutdinov and World Champions Ole Olsen, Hans Nielsen
, Greg Hancock
, Billy Hamill
and Jack Young
.
Between 1998 and 2000, Coventry Stadium hosted the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
.
In 2007, the Bees won the domestic speedway treble of Elite League, Knock-out Cup and Craven Shield, whilst Chris Harris
won both the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
and the British Championship. The Bees retained the Craven Shield in 2008, and Chris Harris
added further British Championship victories in both 2009 and 2010. The Elite League Championship Trophy returned to Brandon in 2010 when the Bees convincingly beat Poole Pirates
in the play-off finals.
Before World War II speedway
also operated for a short time at Foleshill Stadium, off Lythalls Lane in the city.
In 2003, Coventry Blaze
won the British National League
and Playoffs. In 2007, Coventry Blaze
won the Elite League and the British Challenge Cup
and narrowly missed out on the treble by losing in the semi-finals of the playoffs.
Coventry Bears
are the major rugby league team in the city now playing in the Rugby League Conference
. In 2002 they won the Rugby League Conference
, and took the step up to the national leagues. In 2004 they won the National Division 3 title and have appeared in the Challenge Cup.
2005 was a good year for sport in Coventry. Not only did it become the first city in the UK to host the International Children's Games, but three of the city sports teams won significant honours. The Blaze won the treble consisting of Elite League, playoff and Challenge Cup
; the Jets won the BAFL
Division 2 championship and were undefeated all season; and the Bees won the Elite League playoffs.
History and politics
Coventry is well-known for the legendary 11th century exploits of Lady Godiva
who, according to legend, rode through the city naked on horseback in protest at high taxes being levied on the cityfolk by her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia
.
According to the legend the residents of the city were commanded to look away as she rode, but one man did not and was allegedly struck blind. He became known as Peeping Tom
thus originating a new idiom, or metonym, in English.
There is a Grade II* listed statue of her in the city centre, which for 18 years had been underneath a much-maligned Cathedral Lanes shopping centre canopy, removed in October 2008.
There is also a bust of Peeping Tom looking out across Hertford Street shopping precinct, and overlooking Broadgate and the statue of Godiva is a clock where, at every hour, Lady Godiva appears on her horse while being watched by Peeping Tom.
The Labour politician Mo Mowlam
was educated in Coventry; trade union organiser Tom Mann
and National Socialist Movement
leader Colin Jordan
also came from the city.
The statesman and founder of modern Australia, Sir Henry Parkes, was born in Canley
in 1815.
Science, technology and business
Coventry has been the home to several pioneers in science and engineering.
Sir Frank Whittle
, the inventor of the jet engine
, was from the city, as was the inventor James Starley
, instrumental in the development of the bicycle and his nephew J.K. Starley
, who worked alongside his uncle and went on to found car company Rover.
Cyborg scientist Kevin Warwick
is also a Coventrian, as is Sir John Egan
, industrialist and former Chief Executive of Jaguar Cars.
Sir Frederick Gibberd
, architect and designer, was born in Coventry, and amongst the buildings for which he is best known are Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
and Didcot Power Station
.
Donald Trelford
, journalist and academic, was born in Coventry and attended Bablake School
. He was editor of The Observer
newspaper from 1975 to 1993.
Born in Coventry, former King Henry VIII Grammar School pupil Paul Connew
became editor of the Sunday Mirror
and deputy editor of the Daily Mirror and News of The World – he is now Director of Communications at the children's charity Sparks.
Coventrians who established successful businesses from very humble beginnings were known as Coventry Kids.
The arts
Dame Ellen Terry, one of the greatest Shakespearian actors, was born in Coventry in 1847.
Other Coventrians in the arts include the highly acclaimed poet Philip Larkin
, actors Billie Whitelaw
, Nigel Hawthorne
, Brendan Price
and Clive Owen
, and the author Lee Child
.
Many notable musicians originated in Coventry, including Frank Ifield
, Vince Hill
, Delia Derbyshire
, Jerry Dammers
, Terry Hall
, Neville Staple, Hazel O'Connor
, Clint Mansell
, Julianne Regan
, Lee Dorrian
, Jen Ledger
of Skillet (band)
, Taz
(lead singer of the band Stereo Nation), and Panjabi MC
.
2 Tone
music developed in and around Coventry in the 1970s and two of the genre's most notable bands, The Specials
and The Selecter
are both from the city. Other Coventry bands include Coventry Automatics, The Primitives
, Adorable
, Fun Boy Three
, The Colourfield
, King
, Jigsaw
, The Sorrows
, and The Enemy
.
Record producer Pete Waterman
is also from the city and is president of Coventry Bears
.
Broadcaster Brian Matthew
, theatre producer Dominic Madden
, comedian and writer Emma Fryer
and adult model Debee Ashby
are also Coventrians, as were comedian Reg Dixon and ventriloquist Dennis Spicer
.
Disgraced former Sky Sports
broadcaster Richard Keys
is also a Coventrian, a product of Whitley Abbey School.
Sport
Notable Coventrian sportsmen include speedway
rider Tom Farndon
; Davis Cup
tennis player Tony Mottram ; footballers Reg Matthews
, Bobby Gould
, Graham Alexander
and Gary McSheffrey
; cricket
ers Tom Cartwright
and Ian Bell MBE ; rugby union
players Ivor Preece
, Keith Fairbrother
, David Duckham MBE
, Neil Back
, Danny Grewcock MBE
, Geoff Evans
and Andy Goode
; motor-cyclist Cal Crutchlow
; golfer Laura Davies CBE
; sprinter Marlon Devonish MBE
; distance runners Brian Kilby
and David Moorcroft OBE
; darts player Steve Beaton
; professional wrestler Adam Windsor
(Adam Bryniarski) ; fencer
Kevin Reilly.
Historically Coventry was the most important seat of ribbon-making in the UK. In this industry it competed locally with Norwich and Leicester and internationally with St Etienne in France.
Coventry has long been a centre of motor and cycle manufacturing, dating from 1896. Starting out with some less familiar names such as Coventry Motette, Great Horseless Carriage Co, Swift Motor Company
and more familiar names like Humber
, Riley
, Francis-Barnett
and Daimler
and the Triumph motorcycle
having its origins in 1902 in a Coventry factory. The Massey-Ferguson tractor factory was situated on Banner Lane, Tile Hill, until it closed in the late 1990s. Although the motor industry has declined almost to the point of extinction, the Jaguar
company has retained its corporate and research headquarters in the city (at Allesley and Whitley), and Peugeot
still have a large parts centre in Humber Road. The famous London black cab taxis
are produced in Coventry by LTI and these are now the only vehicles still wholly built in Coventry.
The manufacture of machine tools was once a major industry in Coventry. Alfred Herbert Ltd
became one of the largest machine tool companies in the world. Unfortunately in later years the company faced tough competition from foreign machine tool builders and ceased trading in 1983. Another famous Coventry machine tool manufacturer was the A. C. Wickman company. The last Coventry machine tool manufacturer was Matrix Churchill
which was forced to close in the wake of the Iraqi Supergun (Project Babylon)
scandal. It had been owned by the Saddam Hussein
government, via front companies, and closed amidst much controversy and bad feeling.
Coventry's main industries include: cars, electronic equipment, machine tools, agricultural machinery, man-made fibres, aerospace components and telecommunications equipment. In recent years, the city has moved away from manufacturing industries towards business services, finance, research, design and development, creative industries as well as logistics and leisure.
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
and metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
in the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands
English Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
, after Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, with a population of 300,848, although Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
, Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
have larger urban areas. The population of Coventry has risen to 309,800 as of 2008.
Historically within Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, Coventry is situated 95 miles (152.9 km) northwest of central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and 19 miles (30.6 km) east-southeast of Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and is further from the coast than any other city in Britain
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
. Although harbouring a population of almost a third of a million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group
English Core Cities Group
The Core Cities Group is a coalition of some of England's major regional cities:*Birmingham - West Midlands*Bristol - South West England*Leeds - Yorkshire and the Humber*Liverpool - North West England*Manchester - North West England...
due to its proximity to Birmingham.
Coventry was the world's first twin city
Twin city
Twin city or twin town may refer to:*Twin cities : two towns or cities that are geographically close to each other, and often referred to collectively...
when it formed a twinning relationship with the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n city of Stalingrad
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
(now Volgograd) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. The city is now also twinned with Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, Lidice
Lidice
Lidice is a village in the Czech Republic just northwest of Prague. It is built on the site of a previous village of the same name which, as part of the Nazi Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, was on orders from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, completely destroyed by German forces in reprisal...
and 23 other cities around the world.
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
is one of the newer cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s in the world, having been built following the World War II bombing of the ancient cathedral by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
. Coventry motor companies have contributed significantly to the British motor industry
British motor industry
The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Ford, Honda,...
, and it has two universities, the city centre-based Coventry University
Coventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
and the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
on the southern outskirts.
History
Coventry is an ancient city which predates many of the large cities around it including Birmingham and Leicester. It is likely that Coventry grew from a settlement of the Bronze AgeBronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
near the present-day city centre where Coventry's bowl shape and, at that time large flowing river and lakes, created the ideal settlement area, with mild weather and thick woods: food, water and shelter would have been easily provided. The people of the Coventry area may have been the Corieltauvi, a largely agricultural people who had few strongly defended sites and signs of centralised government.
The Romans settling in Baginton
Baginton
Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county. With a population of 801 , Baginton village is four miles south of Coventry city centre and seven miles north of...
founded another settlement and another formed around a Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
nunnery, founded ca. AD 700 by St Osburga, that was later left in ruins by King Canute's
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
invading Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
army in 1016. Leofric, Earl of Mercia
Leofric, Earl of Mercia
Leofric was the Earl of Mercia and founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva.-Life and political influence:...
and his wife Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva
Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...
built on the remains of the nunnery and founded a Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in 1043 dedicated to St Mary. In time, a market was established at the abbey gates and the settlement expanded.
By the 14th century, Coventry had become an important centre of the cloth trade, and throughout the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
was one of the largest and most important cities in England. The bishops of Lichfield
Diocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
were often referred to as bishops of Coventry and Lichfield, or Lichfield and Coventry (from 1102 to 1541). Coventry claimed the status of a city
City status in the United Kingdom
City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the British monarch to a select group of communities. The holding of city status gives a settlement no special rights other than that of calling itself a "city". Nonetheless, this appellation carries its own prestige and, consequently, competitions...
by ancient prescriptive usage
Time immemorial
Time immemorial is a phrase meaning time extending beyond the reach of memory, record, or tradition, indefinitely ancient, "ancient beyond memory or record"...
, was granted a charter of incorporation
Royal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
in 1345, and in 1451 became a county
County of the City of Coventry
The County of the City of Coventry was a former English county, which existed between 1451 and 1842.The county covered an area of around and contained the city of Coventry and the surrounding villages of Ansty, Asthull, Biggin, Binley, Caludon, Exhall, Foleshill, Harnell, Horwell, Radford, Stoke,...
in its own right.
Hostile attitudes of the cityfolk towards Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
prisoners held in Coventry during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
are believed to have been the origin of the phrase "to be sent to Coventry
Send to Coventry
To send someone to Coventry is a British idiom meaning to ostracise someone, usually by not talking to them. To be sent to Coventry is to be regarded as absent. It is often used by children to bully others, and can be used to punish people who, for example, refuse to join a strike...
", which in Britain means "to be ostracised"; although their physical needs were catered for, the Royalist prisoners were literally never spoken to by anybody.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became one of the three main British centres of watch
Watch
A watch is a small timepiece, typically worn either on the wrist or attached on a chain and carried in a pocket, with wristwatches being the most common type of watch used today. They evolved in the 17th century from spring powered clocks, which appeared in the 15th century. The first watches were...
and clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...
manufacture and ranked alongside Prescot
Prescot
Prescot is a town and civil parish, within the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley in Merseyside, England. It is 8 miles to the east of Liverpool city centre and lies within the historic boundaries of Lancashire. At the 2001 Census, the population was 11,184 .Prescot marks the beginning of the...
, near Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
in London. As the industry declined, due mainly to competition from Swiss made
Swiss Made
Swiss Made is a label used to indicate that a product was made in Switzerland.-Overview:The wording was formally adopted in the late 19th century and is unique in that most other countries use the phrase "Made in ". The most obvious place where the label is found is on Swiss watches...
clock and watch manufacturers, the skilled pool of workers proved crucial to the setting up of bicycle manufacture and eventually the motorbike, car, machine tool
Machine tool
A machine tool is a machine, typically powered other than by human muscle , used to make manufactured parts in various ways that include cutting or certain other kinds of deformation...
and aircraft industries.
In the late 19th century, Coventry became a major centre of bicycle manufacture. The industry being energised by the invention by James Starley
James Starley
James Starley was an English inventor and father of the bicycle industry. He was one of the most innovative and successful builders of bicycles and tricycles. His inventions include the differential gear and the perfection of chain-driven bicycles.-Early life:Starley was born in 1831 at Albourne,...
and his nephew John Kemp Starley
John Kemp Starley
John Kemp Starley was an English inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern bicycle, and also originator of the name Rover....
of the Rover Safety Bicycle
Safety bicycle
A safety bicycle is a type of bicycle that became very popular beginning in the late 1880s as an alternative to the penny-farthing or ordinary and is now the most common type of bicycle. Early bicycles of this style were known as safety bicycles because they were noted for, and marketed as, being...
, which was much safer and more popular than the pioneering Penny Farthing. The company later became Rover. By the early 20th century, bicycle manufacture had evolved into motor
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
manufacture, and Coventry became a major centre of the British motor industry
British motor industry
The automotive industry in the United Kingdom is now best known for premium and sports car marques including Aston Martin, Bentley, Daimler, Jaguar, Lagonda, Land Rover, Lotus, McLaren, MG, Mini, Morgan and Rolls-Royce. Volume car manufacturers with a major presence in the UK include Ford, Honda,...
. The design headquarters of Jaguar Cars is still in the city at their Whitley plant
Whitley plant
The Whitley plant, situated in Whitley, Coventry in the West Midlands of England, is one of the engineering centres of Jaguar Land Rover and the headquarters of Jaguar Cars...
and although they ceased vehicle assembly at their Browns Lane plant in 2004, they still continue some operations from there. However, the headquarters moved to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and Tata Motors
Tata Motors
Tata Motors Limited is an Indian multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Mumbai, India. Part of the Tata Group, it was formerly known as TELCO...
owns Jaguar now.
With many of the city's older properties becoming increasingly unfit for habitation, the first council houses were let to their tenants in 1917. With Coventry's industrial base continuing to soar after the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
a year later, numerous private and council housing developments took place across the city in the 1920s and 1930s. The development of a southern by-pass around the city, starting in the 1930s and being completed in 1940, helped deliver more urban areas to the city on previously rural land.
Coventry suffered severe bomb damage during World War II, most notoriously from a massive Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
air raid
Air raid
Air raid refers to an attack by aircraft. See strategic bombing or the smaller-scale airstrike.Air raid may also refer to:*Air Raid , by the improvisational collective Air...
known as the "Coventry Blitz
Coventry Blitz
The Coventry blitz was a series of bombing raids that took place in the English city of Coventry. The city was bombed many times during the Second World War by the German Air Force...
" on 14 November 1940. Firebombing
Firebombing
Firebombing is a bombing technique designed to damage a target, generally an urban area, through the use of fire, caused by incendiary devices, rather than from the blast effect of large bombs....
on this date led to severe damage to large areas of the city centre and to Coventry's historic cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
, leaving only a shell and the spire. More than 4,000 houses were damaged or destroyed, along with around three-quarters of the city's industrial plants. More than 800 people were killed, with thousands injured and homeless. The Germans coined the term "Coventrate" to describe the tactics of complete urban devastation developed for the raid.
Aside from London, Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
and Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Coventry suffered more damage than any other British city during the Luftwaffe attacks, with huge firestorms devastating most of the city centre. The city was probably targeted due to its high concentration of armaments, munitions, aircraft and aero-engine plants which contributed greatly to the British war effort, although there have been claims that Hitler launched the attack as revenge for the bombing of Munich by the RAF six days before the Coventry Blitz and chose the Midlands city because its medieval heart was regarded as one of the finest in Britain. Following the raids, the majority of Coventry's historic buildings could not be saved as they were in ruinous states or were deemed unsafe for any future use, although several were later demolished simply to make way for modern developments which saw the city centre's buildings and road infrastructure almost completely altered by 1970.
Further housing developments in the private and public sector took place after World War II, partly to accommodate the growing population of the city and also to replace condemned and bomb damaged properties.
In the postwar years Coventry was largely rebuilt under the general direction of the Gibson Plan
Donald Gibson (architect)
Sir Donald Edward Evelyn Gibson CBE was Coventry’s first City Architect and Planning Officer, from 1938-1954; most famous for the postwar redevelopment of Coventry city centre following the Coventry Blitz.-Education:...
, gaining a new pedestrianised shopping precinct (the first of its kind in Europe on such a scale) and in 1962 Sir Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
's much-celebrated new St Michael's Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
(incorporating one of the world's largest tapestries) was consecrated. Its prefabricated steel spire was lowered into place by helicopter. In 1967, the Eagle Street Mosque opened as Coventry's first mosque.
Major expansion to Coventry had taken place previously, in the 1920s and 1930s, to provide housing for the large influx of workers who came to work in the city's booming factories. The areas which were expanded or created in this development included Radford
Radford, Coventry
Radford is a suburb and electoral ward of Coventry, located approximately 2 miles north of Coventry city centre. It is covered by the Coventry North West constituency.-Geography:...
, Coundon
Coundon, Coventry
Coundon is a predominantly residential suburb in northwest Coventry, West Midlands, England.Along with neighbouring Keresley, it was originally a village in the Warwickshire countryside, but by the 1930s had been incorporated into the city of Coventry, when mass housebuilding took place to...
, Canley
Canley
Canley is a suburban neighbourhood located in southwest Coventry, England. Canley became part of Coventry as a result of successive encroachment of the latter's boundaries between 1928 and 1932, having historically been part of the Stoneleigh parish....
, Cheylesmore
Cheylesmore
Cheylesmore is a suburb in the southern half of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is one of Coventry's largest suburbs, sharing borders with Whitley and Stivichall in the South, extending into Coventry city centre and bordering with Earlsdon in the North. Cheylesmore has two...
and Stoke Heath
Stoke Heath, Coventry
Stoke Heath is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands, England.It is situated approximately one mile to the northeast of the city centre...
.
Coventry's motor industry boomed during the 1950s and 1960s and Coventry enjoyed a 'golden age'. During this period the disposable income of Coventrians was one of the highest in the country and both the sports and the arts benefited. A new sports centre, with one of the few Olympic standard swimming pools in the UK, was constructed and Coventry City Football Club reached the First Division of English Football. The Belgrade Theatre
Belgrade Theatre
The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue seating 858 and situated in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built after the Second World War in Britain and as such was more than a place of entertainment...
was also constructed along with the Herbert Art Gallery. Coventry's pedestrianised Precinct shopping area came into its own and was considered one of the finest retail experiences outside of London. In 1965 the new University of Warwick campus was opened to students, and rapidly became one of the country's leading higher-education institutions.
Coventry's large industrial base made it attract to the wave of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n and Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
who arrived from Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
colonies after 1948. In 1960, one of Britain's first mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s – and the very first in Coventry – was opened on Eagle Street to serve the city's growing Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic community. The 1970s, however, saw a decline in the British motor industry and Coventry suffered particularly badly. Coal mining at the city's Keresley
Keresley
Keresley is a village and civil parish in the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England, about north of Coventry city centre. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 791...
colliery also ceased during this period. By the early 1980s, Coventry had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and crime rates rose well above the national average. Some 30 years later, Coventry is now considered as one of the UK's safer major cities and has gradually recovered economically with newer industries locating there, although the motor industry continues to decline. By 2008, only one motor manufacturing plant was operational, that of LTI Ltd, producing the popular TX4
TX4
The TX4 is a purpose built taxicab manufactured by Manganese Bronze Holdings / LTC The London Taxi Company, formerly LTI London Taxis International. It is the latest in a long line of purpose-built taxis manufactured by LTC...
taxi cabs. On 17 March 2010 LTI announced they would no longer be producing bodies and chassis in Coventry, instead producing them in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and shipping them in for assembly in Coventry.
On the sporting scene, Coventry Rugby Football Club
Coventry R.F.C.
Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
has consistently been among the nation's leading rugby football sides since the early 20th century, peaking in the 1970s and 1980s with a host of major honours. Association football, on the other hand, was scarcely a claim to fame until 1967, when Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
finally won promotion to the top flight of English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
as champions of the Football League Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
. They would stay among the elite for the next 34 years, reaching their pinnacle with FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
glory
1987 FA Cup Final
The 1987 FA Cup Final took place on 16 May 1987 at Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs were appearing in their third final in seven seasons, having won the trophy in 1981 and 1982 and were strong favourites, while unfancied Coventry were appearing...
in 1987 – the first and to date only major trophy in the club's history. Their long stay in the top flight of English football ended in relegation in 2001, and they have yet to regain their status among the elite. Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
, to the east of the city centre, was Coventry City's home for 106 years from 1899. They finally departed from the stadium in 2005 on their relocation to the 32,600-seat Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
some three miles to the north of the city centre, in the Rowleys Green district.
City boundaries
Unlike other major UK cities, Coventry does not have an extensive 'greater' urban area. This is partly because the city boundaries were drawn so as to include practically all of its suburbs, and partly because Coventry has comparatively little in the way of contiguous satellite towns and dormitory settlements.The M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
directly to the north of Coventry acts as an artificial boundary which precludes expansion into the Bedworth
Bedworth
Bedworth is a market town in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England. It lies northwest of London, east of Birmingham, and north northeast of the county town of Warwick. It is situated between Coventry, to the south, and Nuneaton, to the north.In the 2001 census the town...
-Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
urban area, as does the protected West Midlands
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
Green Belt
Green Belt (UK)
In United Kingdom town planning, the green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth. The idea is for a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where agriculture, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail...
which surrounds the city on all sides. This has circumvented the expansion of the city into both the administrative county of Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
and the metropolitan borough of Solihull
Solihull
Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...
(the 'Meriden Gap'), and has helped to prevent the coalescence of the city with surrounding towns such as Kenilworth
Kenilworth
Kenilworth is a town in central Warwickshire, England. In 2001 the town had a population of 22,582 . It is situated south of Coventry, north of Warwick and northwest of London....
, Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...
, Warwick
Warwick
Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...
, Rugby
Rugby, Warwickshire
Rugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
and Balsall Common
Balsall Common
Balsall Common is a large village and one of the larger rural settlements in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, situated west of Coventry and to the east of Birmingham, to which it serves as a commuter village in the West Midlands. It is currently undergoing gradual suburbanisation and is...
.
Panoramic views of Coventry City Centre from the Cathedral Tower
Suburbs or areas
A- Alderman's GreenAlderman's GreenAlderman's Green is an area in the north of Coventry, England. Prior to the expansion of Coventry it was a small village....
- AllesleyAllesleyAllesley is a civil parish on the northwestern edge of the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England, about 3 miles west of Coventry city centre. According to the 2001 census. the parish had a population of 805. Until recently it contained to a factory belonging to the car maker, Jaguar...
- Allesley GreenAllesleyAllesley is a civil parish on the northwestern edge of the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England, about 3 miles west of Coventry city centre. According to the 2001 census. the parish had a population of 805. Until recently it contained to a factory belonging to the car maker, Jaguar...
- Allesley ParkAllesleyAllesley is a civil parish on the northwestern edge of the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England, about 3 miles west of Coventry city centre. According to the 2001 census. the parish had a population of 805. Until recently it contained to a factory belonging to the car maker, Jaguar...
- Ash GreenAsh Green, WarwickshireAsh Green is a suburban village in the Nuneaton and Bedworth district of Warwickshire, England.- Geography :Ash Green is located 3.5 miles north of Coventry and 4.75 miles south-south-east of Nuneaton...
B
- Ball HillBall HillBall Hill is an area within the Stoke district of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is to the east of Coventry city centre.Walsgrave Road is the main street that runs through Ball Hill, which is a name that primarily defines the shopping area extending from the brow of the hill down to the...
- Bannerbrook Park
- Bell GreenBell GreenBell Green is predominantly a residential area of in the north of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is a relatively deprived area with high levels of crime and unemployment, and the housing in the area is mostly former council houses and flats now owned by the social landlord Whitefriars Housing...
- BinleyBinley, CoventryBinley is a suburb in the east of Coventry, England. Binley evolved from a small mining village on the outskirts of Coventry to a large residential area composing private residences and council-owned properties....
- Bishopsgate GreenBishopsgate GreenBishopsgate Green is a suburb of Coventry in the West Midlands, England. It is located on the Coventry Canal. It is an area between Foleshill and Hillfields and shares the area code CV1....
- Brownshill GreenBrownshill GreenBrownshill Green is a small suburb in the north-west of Coventry, adjacent to the suburbs of Keresley and Coundon. It is bordered on its north side by the northern boundary of Coventry and the village of Corley...
C
- CanleyCanleyCanley is a suburban neighbourhood located in southwest Coventry, England. Canley became part of Coventry as a result of successive encroachment of the latter's boundaries between 1928 and 1932, having historically been part of the Stoneleigh parish....
- Cannon ParkCannon ParkCannon Park is a suburb in the southwest of the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It can be accessed via the major roads Kenpas Highway or Kenilworth Road. The area has a sizable shopping centre of the same name which features food stores, shops and eateries...
- ChapelfieldsChapelfields, CoventryChapelfields is a suburb of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is situated about 1.5 miles to the west of Coventry City Centre; bordering Coundon to the north, Earlsdon to the south, Spon End to the east and Whoberley to the west...
- CheylesmoreCheylesmoreCheylesmore is a suburb in the southern half of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is one of Coventry's largest suburbs, sharing borders with Whitley and Stivichall in the South, extending into Coventry city centre and bordering with Earlsdon in the North. Cheylesmore has two...
- Clifford Park
- Copsewood
- CoundonCoundon, CoventryCoundon is a predominantly residential suburb in northwest Coventry, West Midlands, England.Along with neighbouring Keresley, it was originally a village in the Warwickshire countryside, but by the 1930s had been incorporated into the city of Coventry, when mass housebuilding took place to...
- Courthouse GreenCourthouse GreenCourthouse Green is a suburb in the north of Coventry. It is bordered by Bell Green in the northwest, by Stoke Heath in the south, and by Foleshill in the southeast.-Longfield House:...
D
- Daimler GreenDaimler GreenDaimler Green is an urban village approximately two miles north of Coventry city centre, in the West Midlands, England.It was built on the site of the Daimler factory in Radford. The railway provided a railway station for the car factory workers, Daimler Halt station was closed in 1965. The factory...
E
- EarlsdonEarlsdon, CoventryEarlsdon is a suburb and electoral ward of Coventry. It lies approximately one mile to the southwest of Coventry City Centre. It is the birth place of aviation pioneer Frank Whittle There are shops and several restaurants on Earlsdon Street, the main street through Earlsdon. There is also...
- Eastern GreenEastern GreenEastern Green is a mainly residential suburb in the far west of Coventry, England, and was formerly a village in Warwickshire. Its most western area is Upper Eastern Green and the eastern area is Lower Eastern Green., though residents generally do not distinguish between the two.The sub-district of...
- EdgwickEdgwickEdgwick is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands, England.It is situated in the north of the city, near the M6 motorway and the Ricoh Arena sports stadium....
- Ernesford (or Ernsford) GrangeErnesford GrangeErnesford Grange is a suburb of Coventry, West Midlands. It is in the southeast of the city and borders the Binley, Stoke Aldermoor and Willenhall areas. It is part of the Coventry South Constituency....
F
- FinhamFinhamFinham is a mainly residential part of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England, and is the city's southernmost suburb, approximately from Coventry city centre. Finham shares its northern boundary along the A45 with the suburb of Styvechale/Stivichall to the north, and part of its southeastern...
- Fenside
- FoleshillFoleshillFoleshill is a suburb in the north of Coventry in the West Midlands of England.Longford. Courthouse Green and Rowley Green are to its north and Keresley is to its west.- History :...
G
- Green LaneGreen Lane, CoventryGreen Lane is a mainly residential district in Coventry, England. The term Green Lane is sometimes also used in a generic sense to refer to road of Green Lane itself and its immediate environs...
- Gibbet HillGibbet HillGibbet Hill is the location of, and name for the University of Warwick's southern campus, based close to the outskirts of Coventry, in the West Midlands, England....
- Gosford Green
- Great Heath
H
- Hearsall CommonHearsall CommonHearsall Common is located in Earlsdon, Coventry in the West Midlands, central England.The common consists of a large grassy area with a smaller partly tarmacadamed area on one side of Hearsall Common Road, and a wooded nature reserve on the other side...
- Henley GreenHenley GreenHenley Green is a former council estate in Coventry at adjacent to Wood End, bordered by Deedmore Road, and about a mile from the area of Bell Green...
- HillfieldsHillfieldsHillfields is a suburb of Coventry in the West Midlands of England. It is situated north of Coventry city centre, and has undergone a series of name changes throughout its history which has seen it change from a village, to a remote suburb, to a large postwar redevelopment zone.- History...
- HolbrooksHolbrooksHolbrooks, also written Holbrook's, is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands, England.Most of the length of the four brooks which pass through the area are covered or culverted, one culvert is adjacent to the recently built housing on Watery Lane. Another brook passes through and under the...
I
J
K
- KeresleyKeresleyKeresley is a village and civil parish in the City of Coventry, West Midlands, England, about north of Coventry city centre. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 791...
L
- Little HeathLittle Heath, CoventryLittle Heath is an area of Coventry, in the county of West Midlands, in England. Most of the Little Heath area is in the Longford ward of the city....
- LongfordLongford, CoventryLongford is a ward in the north of Coventry, West Midlands, England. It is covered by the Coventry North East constituency and bounded by the wards of Holbrooks, Henley, Upper Stoke and Foleshill...
M
- Mount Nod
N
- Nailcote Grange
O
P
- PinleyStoke AldermoorStoke Aldermoor is a suburb in Coventry, West Midlands, England. An area of Stoke Aldermoor consisting of a small estate alongside the northeast of Pinley Fields is called Pinley.-Industry:...
- Potters GreenPotters GreenPotters Green is a mainly residential suburb situated in the northeast of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England. The longest road is Yewdale Crescent, while the road used by through traffic is Ringwood Highway, which provides a link between Woodway Lane, Wigston Road and Deedmore Road.It is...
Q
R
- RadfordRadford, CoventryRadford is a suburb and electoral ward of Coventry, located approximately 2 miles north of Coventry city centre. It is covered by the Coventry North West constituency.-Geography:...
S
- Spon EndSpon EndSpon End is a suburb of Coventry, England. It is situated west of Coventry City Centre. The Butts Park Arena and the Butts Centre are situated on the main road through Spon End. The Butts Park Arena, which was opened in 2004, is the home of Coventry Rugby Football club...
- Stoke
- Stoke HeathStoke Heath, CoventryStoke Heath is a residential area of Coventry, West Midlands, England.It is situated approximately one mile to the northeast of the city centre...
- Stoke AldermoorStoke AldermoorStoke Aldermoor is a suburb in Coventry, West Midlands, England. An area of Stoke Aldermoor consisting of a small estate alongside the northeast of Pinley Fields is called Pinley.-Industry:...
- Stivichall/StyvechaleStyvechaleStivichall or Styvechale is a mainly residential area of south Coventry. It includes Fenside which forms part of southeast Stivichall. To the north and northwest Stivichall has a shared border with the War Memorial Park, along Coat of Arms Bridge Road. The district of Cheylesmore is to the...
T
- Tanyard Farm
- Tile HillTile HillTile Hill is a suburb in the west of Coventry, West Midlands, England.It is mostly residential and partly industrial, with some common land and wooded areas....
- Toll Bar EndToll Bar EndToll Bar End is an area of Coventry that lies on the South East edge of the city. The main focal point of the area is the Toll Bar Island, where the A45, A46 and B4110 converge. It is a main transport route out of the city and provides access to Coventry Airport and Middlemarch Business Park...
U
V
- Victoria Farm
W
- Walsgrave-on-SoweWalsgraveWalsgrave-on-Sowe is a village located about 3 miles north-east of Coventry, West Midlands in England. It was built on marsh lands, although it now sees very little flooding. However, due to urban growth, it is now an outer suburb of Coventry, near to Ansty and Shilton...
- Westwood HeathWestwood HeathWestwood Heath is a village which is now a western suburb of the City of Coventry in the West Midlands, England. It is bordered by the suburbs of Canley and Cannon Park, and by the University of Warwick campus to the east, the suburb of Tile Hill to the north, the village of Burton Green to the...
- WhitleyWhitley, CoventryWhitley is a suburb of southern Coventry in the West Midlands of England.-Industry and commerce:Whitley is the home of the Whitley plant, which is the Engineering Centre and Headquarters of Jaguar Cars Limited...
- Whitmore ParkWhitmore ParkWhitmore Park is a large residential suburb of Coventry, situated in the north of the city and bordering the suburbs of Keresley, Holbrooks, and Radford...
- WhoberleyWhoberleyWhoberley is a small residential suburb of the City of Coventry in the West Midlands, England. Its bordering districts are Allesley and Allesley Park to the north, Canley to the south, Chapelfields to the east and Mount Nod / Eastern Green to the west, while Hearsall Common in the district of...
- WillenhallWillenhall, CoventryWillenhall is a suburb of Coventry in the West Midlands of England.Willenhall is in the south-east of the city adjacent to the suburbs of Binley, Ernesford Grange and Whitley...
- Wood EndWood End, CoventryWood End is an area in the north of the city of Coventry, England.Much of the housing stock was built in the 1950s and 60s. Many of the homes are owned by the Whitefriars Housing Group, a housing trust which took over the running and management of Coventry's council houses several years ago...
- Woodway Park
- WykenWykenWyken, a suburb of Coventry, England, is situated between the areas of Stoke and Walsgrave, three miles northeast of Coventry city centre. It is a fairly large ward spreading as far as the Binley area...
Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
is Coventry's best-known landmark and visitor attraction. The 14th century church was largely destroyed by German bombing during World War II, leaving only the outer walls and spire. At 303 feet (92.35m) high, the spire of St. Michael's is claimed to be the third tallest cathedral spire in England, after Salisbury
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
and Norwich
Norwich Cathedral
Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation....
. Due to the architectural design (in 1940 the tower had no internal wooden floors and a stone vault below the belfry) it survived the destruction of the rest of the cathedral. The new Coventry Cathedral was opened in 1962 next to the ruins of the old. It was designed by Sir Basil Spence
Basil Spence
Sir Basil Urwin Spence, OM, OBE, RA was a Scottish architect, most notably associated with Coventry Cathedral in England and the Beehive in New Zealand, but also responsible for numerous other buildings in the Modernist/Brutalist style.-Training:Spence was born in Bombay, India, the son of Urwin...
. The cathedral contains the tapestry Christ in Glory by Graham Sutherland
Graham Sutherland
Graham Vivien Sutherland OM was an English artist.-Early life:He was born in Streatham, attending Homefield Preparatory School, Sutton. He was then educated at Epsom College, Surrey before going up to Goldsmiths, University of London...
. The bronze statue St Michael's Victory over the Devil by Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
is mounted on the exterior of the new cathedral near the entrance. Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's War Requiem
War Requiem
The War Requiem, Op. 66 is a large-scale, non-liturgical setting of the Requiem Mass composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed January 1962. Interspersed with the traditional Latin texts, in telling juxtaposition, are settings of Wilfred Owen poems...
, regarded by some as his masterpiece, was written for the opening of the new cathedral.
The spire of the ruined cathedral forms one of the "three spires" which have dominated the city skyline since the 14th century, the others being those of Christ Church (of which only the spire survives) and Holy Trinity Church
Holy Trinity Church, Coventry
Holy Trinity Church, Coventry is a parish church in the Church of England located in Coventry City Centre, West Midlands, England.Above the chancel arch is probably the most impressive Doom wall-painting now remaining in an English church.-History:...
(which is still in use).
Art gallery and museums
The Herbert Art Gallery and MuseumHerbert Art Gallery and Museum
Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is a museum, art gallery, records archive, learning centre and creative arts facility on Jordan Well, Coventry, United Kingdom....
is a major art gallery in the city centre. About four miles from the city centre and just outside Coventry in Baginton
Baginton
Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county. With a population of 801 , Baginton village is four miles south of Coventry city centre and seven miles north of...
is the Lunt Fort
Lunt Fort
The Lunt Roman Fort is the archaeological site of a Roman fort, of unknown name, in the Roman province of Britannia. It is open to the public and located in the village of Baginton outside Coventry, Warwickshire...
, a reconstructed Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
fort. The Midland Air Museum
Midland Air Museum
The Midland Air Museum is situated just outside the village of Baginton in Warwickshire, England, and is adjacent to Coventry Airport. The museum includes the Sir Frank Whittle Jet Heritage Centre , where many exhibits are on display in a large hangar...
is situated just within the perimeter of Coventry on land adjacent to Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport is located south southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about outside Coventry boundaries...
and near Baginton
Baginton
Baginton is a village and civil parish in the Warwick district of Warwickshire, England, and has a common border with the City of Coventry of the West Midlands county. With a population of 801 , Baginton village is four miles south of Coventry city centre and seven miles north of...
.
Another major visitor attraction in Coventry city centre is the free-to-enter Coventry Transport Museum
Coventry Transport Museum
The Coventry Transport Museum is a motor museum, located in Coventry City Centre, England. It houses a collection of British-made road transport. It is located in Coventry because the city was previously the centre of the British car industry...
, which has the largest collection of British-made road vehicles in the world. The most notable exhibits are the world speed record-breaking cars, Thrust2
Thrust2
Thrust2 is a British designed and built jet propelled car, which held the world land speed record from 4 October 1983 to 25 September 1997.The car was designed by John Ackroyd and driven by Richard Noble. On October 4, 1983 the car reached a top speed of and broke the record at . This was...
and ThrustSSC
ThrustSSC
ThrustSSC, also spelt Thrust SSC by secondary sources, is a British jet-propelled car developed by Richard Noble, Glynne Bowsher, Ron Ayers and Jeremy Bliss....
. The museum received a major refurbishment in 2004 which included the creation of a striking new entrance as part of the city's Phoenix Initiative project. The revamp saw the museum exceed its projected five-year visitor numbers within the first year alone, and it was a finalist for the 2005 Gulbenkian Prize
Gulbenkian Prize
The Art Fund Prize, formerly known as the Gulbenkian Prize, is an annual prize awarded to a museum or gallery in the United Kingdom for a "track record of imagination, innovation and excellence"...
.
Coventry was one of the main centres of watchmaking during the 18th and 19th centuries and as the industry declined the skilled workers were key to setting up the cycle trade. A group of local enthusiasts are in the process of setting up a museum in Spon Street.
The city's main police station
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
in Little Park Street also hosts a museum of Coventry's police force. The museum, based underground, is split into two sections – one representing the history of the city's police force, and the other compiling some of the more unusual, interesting and grisly cases from the force's history. The museum is funded from charity donations – viewings can be made by appointment.
Coventry City Farm was a small farm in an urban setting. It was mainly to educate city children who might not get out to the countryside very often. The farm closed in 2008 due to funding problems.
Football stadia
Since 2005, Coventry City F.C.Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
have been playing at their new home, the Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
, a 32,609 capacity stadium in Rowleys Green in north Coventry. Their football academy is now based at the Alan Higgs Centre
The Alan Higgs Centre
The Alan Higgs Centre, opened in September 2004, is a leisure centre situated in about grounds near to the River Sowe, on Allard Way in the southeast of Coventry, England. It was designed by RHWL architects, and built by Galiford Try plc at a cost of about 8 million pounds to their client and the...
, a leisure centre in south-east Coventry opened in 2004.
The Highfield Road stadium has been demolished, making way for new housing and a small green.
Redevelopment
MJP Architects
MJP Architects is a private British architectural practice based in Spitalfields London established in 1972 by Sir Richard MacCormac. The practice officially changed its name from MacCormac Jamieson Prichard to MJP Architects in June 2008....
, reached the final shortlist for the 2004 RIBA Stirling Prize
Stirling Prize
The Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize is a British prize for excellence in architecture. It is named after the architect James Stirling, organised and awarded annually by the Royal Institute of British Architects...
and has now won a total of 16 separate awards. It was published in the book 'Phoenix : Architecture/Art/Regeneration' in 2004. Further major developments are potentially afoot, particularly the Swanswell Project, which is intended to deepen Swanswell Pool and link it to Coventry Canal Basin, coupled with the creation of an urban marina and a wide Parisian-style boulevard. A possible second phase of the Phoenix Initiative is also in the offing, although both of these plans are still on the drawing-board. The redevelopment of the Belgrade Theatre
Belgrade Theatre
The Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue seating 858 and situated in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built after the Second World War in Britain and as such was more than a place of entertainment...
is currently in progress, and the building of IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
's first city centre multi-storey store has recently been completed and was opened to the public on 16 December 2007.
The River Sherbourne
River Sherbourne
The River Sherbourne is a river that flows under the centre of the city of Coventry, West Midlands, England.The source of the river is in the fields of Hawkes End in the Parish of Allesley. From where it flows south continuing through the city centre, where it is mainly culverted, and through the...
runs under Coventry's city centre; the river was paved over during the rebuilding after World War II and is not commonly known. When the new rebuild of Coventry city centre takes place 2009 onwards, it is planned that river will be re-opened, and a river walk way will be placed along side it in parts of the city centre.
Twinning with other cities; "city of peace and reconciliation"
Coventry and Stalingrad (now VolgogradVolgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
) were the world's first 'twin' cities when they established a twinning relationship during World War II. The relationship developed through ordinary people in Coventry who wanted to show their support for the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
during the Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Stalingrad
The Battle of Stalingrad was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in southwestern Russia. The battle took place between 23 August 1942 and 2 February 1943...
. The city was also subsequently twinned with Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, as a gesture of peace and reconciliation following World War II. Coventry is now twinned with 27 other cities around the world.
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, also known as St Michael's Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry, in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The current bishop is the Right Revd Christopher Cocksworth....
is notable for being one of the newest cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
s in the world, having been built following the World War II bombing of the ancient cathedral by the Luftwaffe. Coventry has since developed an international reputation as one of Europe's major cities of peace and reconciliation, centred around its cathedral, and holds an annual Peace Month.
Climate
As with the rest of the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
and the midlands, Coventry experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station is Coundon/ Coventry Bablake. Temperature extremes recorded in Coventry range from -18.2 C in February 1947, to 35.1 °C (95.2 °F) in August 1990. The lowest temperature reading of recent years was -10.8 C during December 2010.
Education
Coventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
is situated on a modern city centre campus while the University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
lies 3½ miles (5.5 km) to the south of the city centre within Coventry near the border with Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
. The University of Warwick
University of Warwick
The University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
is one of only five universities never to have been rated outside the top ten in terms of teaching excellence and research and is a member of the prestigious Russell Group
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a collaboration of twenty UK universities that together receive two-thirds of research grant and contract funding in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1994 to represent their interests to the government, parliament and other similar bodies...
. A team from the University won the BBC TV University Challenge
University Challenge
University Challenge is a British quiz programme that has aired since 1962. The format is based on the American show College Bowl, which ran on NBC radio from 1953 to 1957, and on NBC television from 1959 to 1970....
trophy in April 2007. Coventry University
Coventry University
Coventry University is a post-1992 university in Coventry, West Midlands, England. Under the terms of the Further and Higher Education Act of 1992, the institution's name was changed from Coventry Polytechnic to Coventry University...
is one of only a handful of universities to run a degree course in automotive design in the world renowned Coventry School of Art and Design
Coventry School of Art and Design
Coventry School of Art and Design is part of Coventry University in Coventry, West Midlands in the UK. It is home to a number of departments that teach and research in the areas of art, media and design including the Department of Industrial Design, The Department of Media and Communication, the...
Coventry also has three further education colleges within city boundaries, City College
City College Coventry
City College Coventry is a further education college based in the Swanswell area of Coventry, West Midlands. In January 2009, the college completed its move to its new location, Swanswell...
, Henley College and Hereward College.
Many of the secondary schools in and around Coventry are specialist colleges, such as Finham Park School
Finham Park School
Finham Park School is situated on Green Lane in Finham, Coventry, England.In September 2003, it became the first Mathematics and Computing College in Coventry. The head teacher is Mr. Mark Bailie, with Deputy Head teachers Mr. R. Plester and Mrs. Maginnis. The previous headteacher had been Mr...
, which is a Mathematics and IT college, a teacher training school and the only school in Coventry to offer studying the International Baccalaureate, and Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School
Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School
The Coventry Blue Coat Church of England School and Music College is a comprehensive school in Coventry, England located in the Lower Stoke area of the city. It is a Cross Of Nails school, with links to a school in Bethlehem...
which has recently become a specialist college of Music, one of only a few in the country. Bishop Ullathorne RC School
Bishop Ullathorne RC School
Bishop Ullathorne RC School was established in Coventry in 1953. In 2006 it was awarded specialist status as a Humanities College. On 10 July 2007 Bishop Ullathorne Year 9 Cricket team won the Coventry Cricket Cup against King Henry VIII winning their first ever cricket cup in the schools history...
became a specialist college in Humanities in 2006. Woodlands School
Woodlands School, Coventry
The Woodlands School and Sports College is a boys school situated in west Coventry in the West Midlands, England. The school was purpose-built in 1954 as one of the first comprehensive schools in the country, by the collaboration of two local educational establishments, Templars School and Coventry...
in Coventry is now also a sports college, which has a newly built sport centre. Ernesford Grange School
Ernesford Grange School & Community College
Ernesford Grange Community School is a specialist Science College that was previously known as Ernesford Grange School & Community College. It is a mixed secondary comprehensive school with sixth form facilities in the Ernesford Grange area of Coventry, England...
, in the south east, is a specialist science college. Coundon Court School
Coundon Court School
Coundon Court School is a comprehensive school in Coundon, Coventry, England. The current head teacher is Mrs Deborah Morrison, OBE. The school has been awarded specialist status as a Technology College.-Overview:...
is a Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
. Pattison College
Pattison College
Pattison College is a non-selective independent school in the east of Coventry, England. Pattison College provides education for children aged 3 to 16 of all abilities. Pupils are taught in small classes, allowing for individual attention in a sheltered environment...
, a private school opened in 1949, specialises in the performing arts. There is also Caludon Castle School, a business and enterprise school, which has been rebuilt over 2005–2007. Exhall Grange School and Science College
Exhall Grange School
Exhall Grange School and Science College is a community special school located in Ash Green just outside Coventry in Warwickshire, England. The school caters for pupils ranging in age from two to 19 years, and who have a range of disabilities and learning difficulties, including physical...
is in the north of the city, although, its catchment area is north Warwickshire. There is also Cardinal Newman Catholic School and specialist arts college.
Coventry has a variety of schools: one of the oldest secondary schools is Sidney Stringer School
Sidney Stringer School
Sidney Stringer School specialises in Mathematics & Computing and is a coeducational community college for pupils aged 11 – 18 in Hillfields, Coventry, England.-History:...
which is located in the centre of the city. It is a co-educational school that has made improvements in the last few years and has moved into a larger building costing £28million; it is now known as Sidney Stringer Academy.
The Coventry School Foundation comprises the independent schools King Henry VIII School and Bablake School
Bablake School
Bablake School is a co-educational Independent school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Queen Isabella, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom...
together with King Henry VIII Preparatory School.
The Woodlands School, which is an all-boys' school, and Tile Hill Wood School
Tile Hill Wood School
Tile Hill Wood School is a comprehensive secondary school for girls situated in Tile Hill, southwest Coventry, England. The current headteacher is Mrs Gina O'Connor. The school has specialist Language College status....
are the only single-sex schools left in Coventry. However, their sixth form
Sixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
s have merged to form the "West Coventry 6th Form", whose lessons take place in mixed classes on both sites.
The Westwood School, which is a Technology College
Technology College
Technology College is a term used in the United Kingdom for a secondary specialist school that focuses on design and technology, mathematics and science. These were the first type of specialist schools, beginning in 1994. In 2008 there were 598 Technology Colleges in England, of which 12 also...
, is close to the University of Warwick. It is the only school in Coventry that is a CISCO Academy and prides itself on its links with other educational establishments, industry and the local community.
Sherbourne Fields School is an educational special needs
Special needs
In the USA, special needs is a term used in clinical diagnostic and functional development to describe individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. For instance, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International...
school for young people with physical disabilities and is located in the Coundon area. It opened in the 1960s and there are now discussions as to whether to close this school.
Arts and culture
Literature and drama
- During the early 19th century, Coventry was well-known due to author George EliotGeorge EliotMary Anne Evans , better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, journalist and translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era...
who was born near NuneatonNuneatonNuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
. The city was the model for her famous novel MiddlemarchMiddlemarchMiddlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, later Marian Evans. It is her seventh novel, begun in 1869 and then put aside during the final illness of Thornton Lewes, the son of her companion George Henry Lewes...
(1871). - The Coventry CarolCoventry CarolThe "Coventry Carol" is a Christmas carol dating from the 16th century. The carol was performed in Coventry in England as part of a mystery play called The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The play depicts the Christmas story from chapter two in the Gospel of Matthew...
is named after the city of Coventry. It was a carol performed in the play The Pageant of The Shearman and Tailors, written in the 15th century as one of the Coventry Cycle Mystery PlaysCoventry Mystery PlaysThe Coventry Mystery Plays, or Coventry Corpus Christi Pageants, are a cycle of medieval mystery plays from Coventry, West Midlands, England, and are perhaps best known as the source of the "Coventry Carol". Two plays from the original cycle are extant having been copied from the now lost original...
. These plays depicted the nativity story, the lyrics of the Coventry Carol referring to the AnnunciationAnnunciationThe Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
to the Massacre of the InnocentsMassacre of the InnocentsThe Massacre of the Innocents is an episode of infanticide by the King of Judea, Herod the Great. According to the Gospel of Matthew Herod orders the execution of all young male children in the village of Bethlehem, so as to avoid the loss of his throne to a newborn King of the Jews whose birth...
, which was the basis of the Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. These plays were traditionally performed on the steps of the (old) cathedral, and the plays are believed to have been performed for both Richard IIIRichard III of EnglandRichard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
in 1484 and Henry VIIHenry VII of EnglandHenry VII was King of England and Lord of Ireland from his seizing the crown on 22 August 1485 until his death on 21 April 1509, as the first monarch of the House of Tudor....
in 1584. The Belgrade Theatre brought back the Coventry Mystery Plays in 2000 to mark the city's millennium celebrations: the theatre now produces the Mystery Plays every three years. - The Belgrade TheatreBelgrade TheatreThe Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue seating 858 and situated in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built after the Second World War in Britain and as such was more than a place of entertainment...
was Britain's first purpose-built civic theatre, opened in 1958. In 1965 the world's first Theatre-in-Education (TiE) company was formed to develop theatre as a way of inspiring learning in schools. The TiE movement spread worldwide, the theatre still offers a number of programmes for young people across Coventry and has been widely recognised as a leader in the field. - The poet Philip LarkinPhilip LarkinPhilip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
was born and brought up in Coventry, where his father was the City Treasurer.
Music and cinema
- During the late-1970s and early-1980s, Coventry was the centre of the Two Tone musical phenomenon, with bands such as the SpecialsThe SpecialsThe Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
and the SelecterThe SelecterThe Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
coming from the city, spawning several major hit singles and albums. The Specials achieved two UK #1 hit singles between 1979–1981, namely Too Much Too Young and Ghost TownGhost Town"Ghost Town" is the title of a 1981 song by the British ska band, The Specials. The song spent three weeks at number one and ten weeks in the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart. Addressing themes of urban decay, deindustrialisation, unemployment and violence in inner cities, the song is remembered for...
. Notable singles by the Selecter included On My RadioOn My RadioOnmyradio is R&B singer-songwriter Musiq Soulchild's fifth studio album. It was released on December 9, 2008.The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 chart selling 91,498 copies its first week...
and Three Minute Hero. - Today Coventry is recognised for its range of music events including one of the UK's foremost international jazz programmes, the Coventry Jazz Festival, and the award-winning Godiva FestivalGodiva FestivalThe Godiva Festival is a free weekend long music festival held each year in the War Memorial Park, Coventry, England, named after the city's famous former inhabitant Lady Godiva. It first appeared as a day long event in 1997 and became a 3 day event the following year in 1998...
. On the Saturday of the Godiva Festival, a carnival parade also starts in the city centre and makes its way to War Memorial ParkWar Memorial Park, CoventryThe War Memorial Park is a large park of about 48.5 hectares situated in southern Coventry. The park was opened in July 1921 as a tribute to the 2,587 Coventrians who died between 1914 and 1918 fighting in the First World War...
where the festival is held. In recent times the city has also given birth to Hip Hop acts such as C.O.V, Idyllic and Ricta. - In the film The Italian JobThe Italian JobThe Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....
, the famous scene of Mini Coopers being driven at speed through TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
's sewers was actually filmed in Coventry, using what were then the country's biggest sewer pipes, that were accessible because they were being installed. More recently various locations in Coventry have been used in the BAFTA nominated film The Bouncer starring Ray WinstoneRay WinstoneRaymond Andrew "Ray" Winstone is an English film and television actor. He is mostly known for his "tough guy" roles, beginning with that of Carlin in the 1979 film Scum and as Will Scarlet in the cult television adventure series Robin of Sherwood. He has also become well known as a voice over...
, All in the GameAll in the GameAll in the Game is a 2006 British one-off television drama, made by Tightrope Pictures for Channel 4.It is a behind-the-scenes drama based on the power-politics of British football, starring Ray Winstone....
, also starring Ray Winstone (Ricoh Arena), the medical TV series AngelsAngels (TV series)Angels was originally a British television seasonal drama series dealing with the subject of student nurses and was broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1978. The show's format then switched to a twice weekly soap opera format from 1979 to 1983. The show's title derived from the name of the...
(Walsgrave Hospital), the BBC sitcom Keeping Up AppearancesKeeping Up AppearancesKeeping Up Appearances is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke for the BBC. Centred on the life of eccentric, social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket , the sitcom portrays a social hierarchy-ruled British society...
(Stoke Aldermoor and Binley Woods districts) and in August 2006 scenes from "The Shakespeare CodeThe Shakespeare Code"The Shakespeare Code" is an episode of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. It was broadcast on BBC One on 7 April 2007, and is the second episode of Series 3 of the revived Doctor Who series. According to the BARB figures this episode was seen by 7.23 million viewers and was...
", an episode of the third series of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, were filmed in the grounds of Ford's Hospital.
Venues
- The Warwick Arts CentreWarwick Arts CentreWarwick Arts Centre is a multi-venue arts complex at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England. It attracts around 300,000 visitors a year to over 3,000 individual events embracing contemporary and classical music, drama, dance, comedy, films and visual art.Warwick Arts Centre comprises six...
: situated at the University of WarwickUniversity of WarwickThe University of Warwick is a public research university located in Coventry, United Kingdom...
, Warwick Arts Centre includes an art gallery, a theatre, a concert hall and a cinema. It is the second largest arts centre in the UK, after London's Barbican. - The College Theatre: the city's main community theatre, housed at the Butts Centre of City College CoventryCity College CoventryCity College Coventry is a further education college based in the Swanswell area of Coventry, West Midlands. In January 2009, the college completed its move to its new location, Swanswell...
. It's a fully functioning theatre with flying scenery, full sound and lighting boxes. - The Belgrade TheatreBelgrade TheatreThe Belgrade Theatre is a live performance venue seating 858 and situated in Coventry, England. It was the first civic theatre to be built after the Second World War in Britain and as such was more than a place of entertainment...
: one of the largest producing theatres in Britain, the 858-seat Belgrade was the first civic theatre to be opened in the UK following World War II. The theatre underwent a huge redevelopment and reopened in September 2007; in addition to refurbishing the existing theatre the redevelopment included a new 250-seat studio auditorium known as B2, a variety of rehearsal spaces and an exhibition space that traces the history of theatre in Coventry. - Also currently being built is the Belgrade PlazaBelgrade PlazaThe Belgrade Plaza is a £113 million mixed-use development in Coventry city centre in West Midlands, England.- Construction :The Belgrade Plaza is being built by construction firm, Oakmoor Deeley. The development has two phases. The first – a 1,100 space car park – opened in 2007...
. - The Ricoh ArenaRicoh ArenaThe Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
: located 3½ miles (5.6 km) north of the city centre, the 32,600 capacity Coventry City F.C. stadium is also used to hold major rock concerts for some of the world's biggest acts, including OasisOasis (band)Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
, Bon JoviBon JoviBon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, Lady GagaLady GaGaStefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Kings of LeonKings of LeonKings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
and the Red Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili PeppersRed Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
. It is also one of the venues chosen for the footballing events at the 2012 Olympic Games. The adjacent Jaguar Exhibition Hall is a 6,000-seat events venue for hosting a multitude of other acts. - The SkyDome ArenaSkyDome ArenaThe SkyDome Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Coventry, England. It was built in 1999. It is home to the Coventry Blaze Ice hockey team...
, which is a 3,000 capacity sports auditorium, and has played host to artists such as Girls Aloud, Paul Oakenfold, Judge Jules and Paul Morrell. It is the home ground for Coventry BlazeCoventry BlazeCoventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
ice hockey club, and has also hosted professional wrestling events from WWE, TNA and Pro Wrestling Noah - War Memorial ParkWar Memorial Park, CoventryThe War Memorial Park is a large park of about 48.5 hectares situated in southern Coventry. The park was opened in July 1921 as a tribute to the 2,587 Coventrians who died between 1914 and 1918 fighting in the First World War...
, which holds various festivals including the Godiva FestivalGodiva FestivalThe Godiva Festival is a free weekend long music festival held each year in the War Memorial Park, Coventry, England, named after the city's famous former inhabitant Lady Godiva. It first appeared as a day long event in 1997 and became a 3 day event the following year in 1998...
and the Coventry Caribbean Festival, every year. - The Butts Park ArenaButts Park ArenaButts Park Arena is a multi-use sports stadium in Spon End, Coventry, England. It is the home ground of Coventry R.F.C., Coventry Jets, and Coventry Bears....
, home of Coventry Rugby Football ClubCoventry R.F.C.Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
, holds music concerts occasionally. - The Kasbah nightclub, HillfieldsHillfieldsHillfields is a suburb of Coventry in the West Midlands of England. It is situated north of Coventry city centre, and has undergone a series of name changes throughout its history which has seen it change from a village, to a remote suburb, to a large postwar redevelopment zone.- History...
. It was renamed after refurbishment in 2007, but is still often referred to by its previous name, 'Colosseum'. By older Coventrians, it is still remembered as the Orchid Ballroom. - The Criterion TheatreCriterion Theatre (Coventry)The Criterion Theatre is situated in Earlsdon, Coventry, England. It puts on about seven shows a year. The Company has won the Godiva Award for best theatre in the region several times....
, a small theatre, in Earlsdon. - Coombe Country ParkCoombe Country ParkCoombe Country Park is a country park located in Warwickshire, England. Although the park is geographically in Warwickshire, it is only a few miles to the east of Coventry and is managed by Coventry City Council. The park has been developed from the grounds of an old abbey, the buildings of which...
, although outside the city boundary, Coventry City Council's only country park.
Sport
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
(association football); Coventry Buildbase Bees
Coventry Bees
The Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team based at Brandon near Coventry, England. A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the Southern League and then the National League in the pre-war era at Brandon stadium. There were also meetings at a stadium in Lythalls Lane...
(speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
); Coventry R.F.C.
Coventry R.F.C.
Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries....
(rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
); Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002...
(rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
); Coventry Godiva Harriers
Coventry Godiva Harriers
Coventry Godiva Harriers is an athletics club based in Coventry, West Midlands, England and was established in 1879. The club name refers to the notable Lady Godiva of Coventry and the sport of "hare and hounds" cross country running.- Current athletes :...
(athletics); Coventry Crusaders
Coventry Crusaders
The Coventry Crusaders is a Coventry-based basketball team competing in Division 1 of the English Basketball League. They play their home games at the Coventry Sports Centre, alternatively at the North Solihull Sports Centre, and the junior teams play at the Coventry Sports Centre...
(basketball); Coventry Jets (American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
); City of Coventry Swimming Club (swimming); Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
(ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
); Four Masters G.A.A. Club (Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
).
In football, Coventry City have been in existence since the late 19th century, but did not reach the top flight
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
of the Football League until 1967, when they were promoted as Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
champions. Their highest league position so far is sixth place in the First Division in 1970, when they qualified for the European Fairs Cup (later the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
, now The Europa League) in 1970–71. Their only major trophy to date is the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
which was won in 1987 with a 3–2 win over Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
at Wembley.
Coventry City were founder members of the Premier League in 1992, but currently play in the Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
, the second tier of English football, where they have been since 2001, following relegation after 34 successive seasons of top flight football. Their current stadium is the 32,600 capacity Ricoh Arena
Ricoh Arena
The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino...
, which opened in Rowleys Green in the north of the city in 2005, replacing 106-year-old Highfield Road
Highfield Road
The Highfield Road Stadium was a football stadium in the city of Coventry, England. It was the home ground for Coventry City F.C. until the club moved to the new Ricoh Arena after the 2005-06 season...
to the east of the city centre.
Notable former players include Reg Matthews
Reg Matthews
Reginald Derrick Matthews was an English football goalkeeper.-Club career:In a playing career spanning almost 20 years, Matthews turned out for Coventry City, Chelsea and Derby County, making over 100 league appearances for each...
(the first Coventry-born footballer to be capped by England), Clarrie Bourton
Clarrie Bourton
Clarence "Clarrie" Bourton was an English footballer, who played for Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City....
, George Hudson
George Hudson
George Hudson , English railway financier, known as "The Railway King", was born, the fifth son of a farmer, in Howsham, in the parish of Scrayingham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, north of Stamford Bridge, east of York. He is buried in Scrayingham...
, Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
, Willie Carr
Willie Carr
William McInanny Carr is a former Scottish international footballer.-Career:Carr was born in Glasgow but spent part of his formative teenage years in Cambridge, where his family relocated in 1963...
, Ian St. John
Ian St. John
Ian St. John is a former Scottish footballer, who played for Scotland 21 times. He later became a manager and pundit...
, Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
, Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce OBE is an English football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the England national under-21 team and the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic football team...
, Gerry Francis
Gerry Francis
Gerald Charles James Francis is an English former footballer and manager, now working as First Team coach at Stoke City.-Playing career:Francis made his debut for Queens Park Rangers v Liverpool in March 1969...
, Kevin Gallacher
Kevin Gallacher
Kevin William Gallacher is a Scottish former professional footballer and now a sports pundit.He is the grandson of the late Celtic forward Patsy Gallacher, who died before he was born.-Career:...
, Terry Gibson
Terry Gibson
Terence Bradley "Terry" Gibson is an English former footballer who played as a forward for several clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur, Coventry City, Manchester United and Wimbledon.-Playing career:...
, Mark Hateley
Mark Hateley
Mark Wayne Hateley is a retired English football player who played as a centre-forward. He was capped 32 times for the English national team , and played in top-level football leagues in England, Italy, France and Scotland...
, Ian Wallace
Ian Wallace (footballer)
Ian Wallace, , was a professional Scottish footballer who had great success in the late-1970s and early-1980s when he played for top flight English clubs.-Club career:...
, Tommy Hutchison
Tommy Hutchison
Thomas "Tommy" Hutchison is a Scottish former footballer.-Club career:Beginning his professional career with Alloa Athletic in the Scottish Second Division, being spotted by Archie McPherson...
, Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
, Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...
, David Speedie
David Speedie
David Robert Speedie is a retired Scottish footballer who played for several clubs in England during the 1980s and 1990s, most notably Chelsea, Coventry City, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. He accumulated more than 500 football league appearances and scored almost 150 goals in a 14 year...
, Steve Ogrizovic
Steve Ogrizovic
Steven "Oggy" Ogrizovic is a former English goalkeeper who achieved fame during 16 years at Coventry City...
, Colin Stein
Colin Stein
Colin Stein is a former Scottish football player.-Career:Stein began his career with Armadale Thistle, and went on to play for Hibernian, Rangers and the Scottish national team during the 1960s and 1970s. He also had a spell in England with Coventry City...
and Terry Yorath
Terry Yorath
Terence Charles Yorath is a former footballer and has been a manager at both club and international level. He is also the father of television presenter Gabby Logan....
.
Their most famous former managers are Jesse Carver
Jesse Carver
Jesse Carver was an English footballer, best remembered for his enlightened management of some of Europe's finest clubs.-Biography:...
, George Raynor, Harry Storer
Harry Storer, Jr.
Harry Storer was an English professional footballer, cricketer and football manager.-Early life:Storer was born in West Derby, Liverpool, the son of Harry Storer...
and Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
. Others include Noel Cantwell
Noel Cantwell
Noel Euchuria Cornelius Cantwell was an Irish cricketer and football player born in County Cork, Irish Free State...
, Dave Sexton
Dave Sexton
David "Dave" Sexton OBE is an English former football manager and player.-Playing career:Son of former professional boxer Archie Sexton, he started his playing career with West Ham United in 1948. Playing mainly at inside-forward, he would finish his career with time at Luton Town, Leyton Orient,...
, John Sillett
John Sillett
John Charles Sillett is a former football player and manager.His father Charlie Sillett was a footballer with Southampton between 1931 and 1938. He is the younger brother of Peter Sillett, also a footballer.Sillett played for Chelsea, Coventry City and Plymouth Argyle...
, Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
, Phil Neal
Phil Neal
Philip George "Phil" Neal is a former footballer who was, at one time, the most successful player in English football history. He played for Liverpool 650 times over an eleven year period and is the only player to have appeared in the first five of their European Cup finals, winning four of them...
, Ron Atkinson
Ron Atkinson
Ronald Ernest Atkinson, commonly known as "Big Ron" and "Bojangles" is an English former football player and manager. In recent years he has become one of Britain's best-known football pundits...
, Gordon Strachan
Gordon Strachan
Gordon David Strachan OBE is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is currently without a club, having last managed Middlesbrough. Strachan played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Scotland national team. Prior to Middlesbrough,...
, Peter Reid
Peter Reid
Peter Reid is an English football manager, pundit and retired player, who is currently without a club since his departure from Plymouth Argyle.A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Reid enjoyed a long and successful career...
, Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister
Gary McAllister MBE is a Scottish former professional footballer.McAllister played primarily as a midfielder, in a successful career spanning over nineteen years. He started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20...
, Micky Adams
Micky Adams
Michael Richard "Micky" Adams is an English former professional footballer turned football manager who is in charge of League Two side Port Vale. As a player he was a full back, and made a total of 438 league appearances in a nineteen year professional career in the Football League, including five...
, Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie
Iain Dowie is a former footballer and manager. He is currently without a club. He has previously managed Hull City and Queens Park Rangers and was assistant manager of Newcastle United...
and Chris Coleman
Chris Coleman (footballer)
Christopher "Chris" Coleman is a Welsh football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Greek Side Larissa....
.
The Coventry Bees are based at Coventry Stadium (formerly Brandon Stadium) to the east of the city. The stadium has operated both sides of World War II. The Bees started in 1948 and have operated continuously ever since. They started out in the National League Division Three before moving up to the Second Division and, later to the top flight. They have operated at this level ever since.
Amongst the top speedway riders who have represented Coventry teams are Tom Farndon
Tom Farndon
Tom Farndon , was a Speedway rider who won the Star Riders' Championship in 1933 whilst with the Crystal Palace Glaziers....
, Jack Parker
Jack Parker (speedway rider)
Jack Parker was an international speedway rider who made his debut at the Whitsun meeting at High Beech in 1928. He was born in Birmingham England.-Brief career summary:...
, Arthur Forrest
Arthur Forrest
Arthur Forrest was a former international speedway who qualified for the Speedway World Championship finals five times.-Career summary:...
, Nigel Boocock
Nigel Boocock
Nigel Boocock is a former speedway rider who appeared in eight Speedway World Championship finals and was a reserve in one other .-Career:...
, Kelvin Tatum
Kelvin Tatum
Kelvin Martin Tatum MBE is a former British international motorcycle speedway and Grasstrack rider.-Career:...
, Chris Harris
Chris Harris (speedway rider)
Christopher Calvin "Chris" Harris in Truro, Cornwall, nicknamed Bomber, is a Great Britain international speedway rider for the Belle Vue Aces in the United Kingdom.- Early career :...
, Emil Sayfutdinov and World Champions Ole Olsen, Hans Nielsen
Hans Nielsen (speedway rider)
Hans Hollen Nielsen - a prominent speedway rider active from the 1970s to the late 1990s; a former World Champion....
, Greg Hancock
Greg Hancock
Gregory Alan "Greg" Hancock is an American motorcycle speedway rider.He is a current Speedway World Champion and a multiple World Team champion with USA, with whom he is currently captain...
, Billy Hamill
Billy Hamill
William Gordon Hamill is an American international motorcycle speedway rider. He is a former Speedway World Champion, winning the title in 1996.-Early career:...
and Jack Young
Jack Young (speedway rider)
Jack Ellis Young was a Motorcycle speedway rider who won the Speedway World Championship in 1951 and 1952...
.
Between 1998 and 2000, Coventry Stadium hosted the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
The Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-See also:...
.
In 2007, the Bees won the domestic speedway treble of Elite League, Knock-out Cup and Craven Shield, whilst Chris Harris
Chris Harris (speedway rider)
Christopher Calvin "Chris" Harris in Truro, Cornwall, nicknamed Bomber, is a Great Britain international speedway rider for the Belle Vue Aces in the United Kingdom.- Early career :...
won both the Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain
The Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain is a speedway event that is a part of the Speedway Grand Prix Series.-Winners:-See also:...
and the British Championship. The Bees retained the Craven Shield in 2008, and Chris Harris
Chris Harris (speedway rider)
Christopher Calvin "Chris" Harris in Truro, Cornwall, nicknamed Bomber, is a Great Britain international speedway rider for the Belle Vue Aces in the United Kingdom.- Early career :...
added further British Championship victories in both 2009 and 2010. The Elite League Championship Trophy returned to Brandon in 2010 when the Bees convincingly beat Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates
Poole Pirates are a motorcycle speedway team based in Poole, England, competing in the British Elite League...
in the play-off finals.
Before World War II speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
also operated for a short time at Foleshill Stadium, off Lythalls Lane in the city.
In 2003, Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
won the British National League
British National League
The British National League is a defunct second-level professional ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Although no formal promotion and relegation existed during its period of existence, it was considered to have a standard below that of the Ice Hockey Superleague and above that of the...
and Playoffs. In 2007, Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze
Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:...
won the Elite League and the British Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup (UK Ice Hockey)
The Challenge Cup, hosted annually by the Elite Ice Hockey League, is a cup competition for ice hockey clubs in the United Kingdom. It is one of three competitions ran each season by the Elite League, the others being the league championship and the playoff championship...
and narrowly missed out on the treble by losing in the semi-finals of the playoffs.
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002...
are the major rugby league team in the city now playing in the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
. In 2002 they won the Rugby League Conference
Rugby League Conference
The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the...
, and took the step up to the national leagues. In 2004 they won the National Division 3 title and have appeared in the Challenge Cup.
2005 was a good year for sport in Coventry. Not only did it become the first city in the UK to host the International Children's Games, but three of the city sports teams won significant honours. The Blaze won the treble consisting of Elite League, playoff and Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup (UK Ice Hockey)
The Challenge Cup, hosted annually by the Elite Ice Hockey League, is a cup competition for ice hockey clubs in the United Kingdom. It is one of three competitions ran each season by the Elite League, the others being the league championship and the playoff championship...
; the Jets won the BAFL
British American Football League
The British American Football League was the United Kingdom's primary American Football league from 1998 until 2010. It was formerly known as the British Senior League until 2005. BAFL was the trading name for Gridiron Football League Ltd incorporated as a Company limited by guarantee....
Division 2 championship and were undefeated all season; and the Bees won the Elite League playoffs.
| Club | Sport | Founded | League | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coventry R.F.C. Coventry R.F.C. Coventry Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in the city of Coventry, England. The club enjoyed national success during the 1960s and the 1970s, with many of its players playing for their countries.... |
Rugby union Rugby union Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand... |
1874 | National Division One | Butts Park Arena Butts Park Arena Butts Park Arena is a multi-use sports stadium in Spon End, Coventry, England. It is the home ground of Coventry R.F.C., Coventry Jets, and Coventry Bears.... |
| Coventry City F.C. Coventry City F.C. Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry... |
Football | 1883 | Football League Championship Football League Championship The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League... |
Ricoh Arena Ricoh Arena The Ricoh Arena , home to Coventry City F.C., is a stadium complex situated in the Rowleys Green district of the city of Coventry, England containing a 32,609 seater football stadium, a 6,000 square-metre exhibition hall, a hotel, a leisure club, and a casino... |
| Coventry Bees Coventry Bees The Coventry Bees are a motorcycle speedway team based at Brandon near Coventry, England. A Coventry team was first formed in 1928 and competed in the Southern League and then the National League in the pre-war era at Brandon stadium. There were also meetings at a stadium in Lythalls Lane... |
Speedway Motorcycle speedway Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually... |
1928 | Elite League Speedway Elite League The Elite League is the top division of Speedway league competition in the United Kingdom and is governed by the Speedway Control Bureau , in conjunction with the British Speedway Promoters' Association . It is sponsored by Sky Sports... |
Coventry Stadium Brandon stadium Brandon Stadium, located in Brandon, Warwickshire, England, is the home of the Coventry Bees motorcycle speedway team and is also the city's main Greyhound racing stadium. The stadium's capacity is 5,000 and was built in 1948... |
| Coventry Crusaders Coventry Crusaders The Coventry Crusaders is a Coventry-based basketball team competing in Division 1 of the English Basketball League. They play their home games at the Coventry Sports Centre, alternatively at the North Solihull Sports Centre, and the junior teams play at the Coventry Sports Centre... |
Basketball Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules... |
1987 | English Basketball League English Basketball League The English Basketball League is a semi-professional and amateur basketball league in England. It forms the second-tier of competition below the professional British Basketball League.... |
Coventry Sports Centre |
| Coventry Bears Coventry Bears Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002... |
Rugby league Rugby league Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players... |
1998 | Rugby League Conference Rugby League Conference The Rugby League Conference , was a series of regionally based divisions of amateur rugby league teams spread throughout England, Scotland and Wales.The RLC was founded as the 10-team Southern Conference League in 1997, with teams from the southern midlands and the... |
O C's Stadium |
| Coventry Blaze Coventry Blaze Coventry Blaze are an ice hockey team based in Coventry, England. They currently compete in the British Elite Ice Hockey League .-Club history:... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... |
2000 | Elite Ice Hockey League Elite Ice Hockey League Several competitions fall under the jurisdiction of the Elite League. In 2006–07, the EIHL ran a total of four competitions: the league, playoffs, Challenge Cup and Knockout Cup. The league consists of a single division, each team playing three home games and three away games against the other... |
SkyDome Arena SkyDome Arena The SkyDome Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Coventry, England. It was built in 1999. It is home to the Coventry Blaze Ice hockey team... |
Coventrians
Coventry is well-known for the legendary 11th century exploits of Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva
Godiva , often referred to as Lady Godiva , was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to legend, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants...
who, according to legend, rode through the city naked on horseback in protest at high taxes being levied on the cityfolk by her husband Leofric, Earl of Mercia
Leofric, Earl of Mercia
Leofric was the Earl of Mercia and founded monasteries at Coventry and Much Wenlock. Leofric is remembered as the husband of Lady Godiva.-Life and political influence:...
.
According to the legend the residents of the city were commanded to look away as she rode, but one man did not and was allegedly struck blind. He became known as Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom
Peeping Tom is a nickname commonly given to voyeurs, particularly males. It originated with the legend of Lady Godiva, when a man named Tom watched her during her nude ride and was struck blind or dead.It may also refer to:In music...
thus originating a new idiom, or metonym, in English.
There is a Grade II* listed statue of her in the city centre, which for 18 years had been underneath a much-maligned Cathedral Lanes shopping centre canopy, removed in October 2008.
There is also a bust of Peeping Tom looking out across Hertford Street shopping precinct, and overlooking Broadgate and the statue of Godiva is a clock where, at every hour, Lady Godiva appears on her horse while being watched by Peeping Tom.
The Labour politician Mo Mowlam
Mo Mowlam
Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam was a British Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 1987 to 2001 and served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.Mowlam's time as Northern...
was educated in Coventry; trade union organiser Tom Mann
Tom Mann
Tom Mann was a noted British trade unionist. Largely self-educated, Mann became a successful organiser and a popular public speaker in the labour movement.-Early years:...
and National Socialist Movement
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
leader Colin Jordan
Colin Jordan
John Colin Campbell Jordan was a leading figure in postwar Neo-Nazism in Britain. In the far-right nationalist circles of the 1960s, Jordan represented the most explicitly 'Nazi' inclination in his open use of the styles and symbols of the Third Reich.Through organisations such as the National...
also came from the city.
The statesman and founder of modern Australia, Sir Henry Parkes, was born in Canley
Canley
Canley is a suburban neighbourhood located in southwest Coventry, England. Canley became part of Coventry as a result of successive encroachment of the latter's boundaries between 1928 and 1932, having historically been part of the Stoneleigh parish....
in 1815.
Science, technology and business
Coventry has been the home to several pioneers in science and engineering.
Sir Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
, the inventor of the jet engine
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
, was from the city, as was the inventor James Starley
James Starley
James Starley was an English inventor and father of the bicycle industry. He was one of the most innovative and successful builders of bicycles and tricycles. His inventions include the differential gear and the perfection of chain-driven bicycles.-Early life:Starley was born in 1831 at Albourne,...
, instrumental in the development of the bicycle and his nephew J.K. Starley
John Kemp Starley
John Kemp Starley was an English inventor and industrialist who is widely considered the inventor of the modern bicycle, and also originator of the name Rover....
, who worked alongside his uncle and went on to found car company Rover.
Cyborg scientist Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick is a British scientist and professor of cybernetics at the University of Reading, Reading, Berkshire, United Kingdom...
is also a Coventrian, as is Sir John Egan
John Egan (industrialist)
Sir John Egan is a notable British industrialist, associated with businesses in the automotive, airports, construction and water industries. He was chief executive of Jaguar Cars from 1984 to 1990, and then served as chief executive of BAA from 1990 to 1999...
, industrialist and former Chief Executive of Jaguar Cars.
Sir Frederick Gibberd
Frederick Gibberd
Sir Frederick Ernest Gibberd was an English architect and landscape designer.Gibberd was born in Coventry, the eldest of the five children of a local tailor, and was educated at the city's King Henry VIII School...
, architect and designer, was born in Coventry, and amongst the buildings for which he is best known are Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in the city...
and Didcot Power Station
Didcot Power Station
Didcot Power Station refers to a combined coal and oil power plant and a natural-gas power plant that supply the National Grid. They are situated immediately adjoining one another in the civil parish of Sutton Courtenay, next to the town of Didcot in Oxfordshire , in the UK...
.
Donald Trelford
Donald Trelford
Donald Trelford is a British journalist and academic, who was editor of The Observer newspaper from 1975 to 1993. He was also a director of The Observer from 1975 to 1993 and Chief Executive from 1992 to 1993....
, journalist and academic, was born in Coventry and attended Bablake School
Bablake School
Bablake School is a co-educational Independent school located in Coventry, England and founded in 1344 by Queen Isabella, making it one of the oldest schools in the United Kingdom...
. He was editor of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper from 1975 to 1993.
Born in Coventry, former King Henry VIII Grammar School pupil Paul Connew
Paul Connew
Paul Connew is a British former newspaper editor.Born in Coventry, Connew attended King Henry VIII Grammar School. He entered journalism with the Coventry Evening Telegraph, then moved to the Coventry Express, and then up to London to work for the Daily Mirror...
became editor of the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
and deputy editor of the Daily Mirror and News of The World – he is now Director of Communications at the children's charity Sparks.
Coventrians who established successful businesses from very humble beginnings were known as Coventry Kids.
The arts
Dame Ellen Terry, one of the greatest Shakespearian actors, was born in Coventry in 1847.
Other Coventrians in the arts include the highly acclaimed poet Philip Larkin
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin, CH, CBE, FRSL is widely regarded as one of the great English poets of the latter half of the twentieth century...
, actors Billie Whitelaw
Billie Whitelaw
Billie Honor Whitelaw, CBE is an English actress. She worked in close collaboration with Irish playwright Samuel Beckett for 25 years and is regarded as one of the foremost interpreters of his works...
, Nigel Hawthorne
Nigel Hawthorne
Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the...
, Brendan Price
Brendan Price
-Selected filmography:* The Amorous Milkman * The Sleep of Death * Savage Grace -Television appearances:* Man at the Top* The Sweeney* Doctor Who * Space: 1999...
and Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
, and the author Lee Child
Lee Child
Jim Grant , better known by his pen name Lee Child, is a British thriller writer. His wife Jane is a New Yorker, and they currently live in New York state. His first novel, Killing Floor, won the Anthony Award for Best First Novel....
.
Many notable musicians originated in Coventry, including Frank Ifield
Frank Ifield
Francis Edward Ifield is an early Australian-English easy listening and country music singer. He achieved considerable success in the early 1960s, especially in the UK Singles Chart, where he had four Number 1 hits between 1962 and 1963....
, Vince Hill
Vince Hill
Vince Hill is an English traditional pop music singer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:...
, Delia Derbyshire
Delia Derbyshire
Delia Ann Derbyshire was an English musician and composer of electronic music and musique concrète. She is best known for her electronic realisation of Ron Grainer's theme music to the British science fiction television series Doctor Who and for her work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.-Early...
, Jerry Dammers
Jerry Dammers
Jeremy David Hounsell "Jerry" Dammers is a British musician who is a founder and keyboard player of the Coventry, England based ska revival band The Specials, The Special A.K.A...
, Terry Hall
Terry Hall (singer)
Terry Hall is the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair & Anouchka and Vegas. He has released two solo albums and has also collaborated with many artists including David A...
, Neville Staple, Hazel O'Connor
Hazel O'Connor
Hazel O'Connor is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after World War II to work in a car plant...
, Clint Mansell
Clint Mansell
Clinton Darryl "Clint" Mansell, is an English musician, composer, and former lead singer and guitarist of the band Pop Will Eat Itself....
, Julianne Regan
Julianne Regan
Julianne Regan is an English singer, song writer, guitarist, bass guitarist and keyboard player. She is best known for being the lead singer of the band, All About Eve.- Early life :...
, Lee Dorrian
Lee Dorrian
Lee Dorrian is a singer from Coventry, England. Originally the editor/publisher of the Cov punk fanzine "Committed Suicide" he then went on to be the singer and lyricist with Napalm Death and recorded one and a half albums with them, namely the second half of Scum and From Enslavement to...
, Jen Ledger
Jen Ledger
Jennifer Carole "Jen" Ledger is the English drummer and backing vocalist for the Grammy Award-nominated Christian rock/hard rock band Skillet...
of Skillet (band)
Skillet (band)
Skillet is an American Christian rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1996. The band currently consists of husband and wife John and Korey Cooper , along with Jen Ledger and lead guitarist Seth Morrison. The band has released eight albums, two receiving Grammy nominations: Collide and Comatose...
, Taz
Taz (singer)
Tarsame Singh Saini aka Taz born 23 May 1967, Coventry, West Midlands, United Kingdom), is a British singer, composer and actor of Indian descent. He is the lead singer of the pop band Stereo Nation which was formed in 1996...
(lead singer of the band Stereo Nation), and Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai , better known by his stage name Panjabi MC is a British Indian musician.-Career:...
.
2 Tone
2 Tone
2 Tone is a music genre created in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s by fusing elements of ska, punk rock, rocksteady, reggae, and New Wave. It was called 2 Tone because most of the bands were signed to 2 Tone Records at some point. Other labels associated with the 2 Tone sound were Stiff...
music developed in and around Coventry in the 1970s and two of the genre's most notable bands, The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
and The Selecter
The Selecter
The Selecter are a 2 Tone ska revival band from Coventry, England, formed in mid 1979.Like many other bands in the ska revival movement, The Selecter featured a racially diverse line-up. Their lyrics featured themes connected to politics and marijuana, set to strong melodies and a danceable beat...
are both from the city. Other Coventry bands include Coventry Automatics, The Primitives
The Primitives
The Primitives are a British indie pop band from Coventry, best known for their 1988 international hit single "Crash".-Biography:The Primitives were part of the indie music scene of the mid-1980s alongside bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, the Soup...
, Adorable
Adorable (band)
Adorable were a British alternative rock band. They formed in Coventry in 1991, and consisted of band members Piotr Fijalkowski , Robert Dillam , Stephen 'Wil' Williams and Kevin Gritton -History:...
, Fun Boy Three
Fun Boy Three
Fun Boy Three were a short-lived but successful English New Wave Pop band which ran from 1981 to 1983 and was formed by singers Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding after they left The Specials.-History:...
, The Colourfield
The Colourfield
The Colourfield were a British band formed in 1984 in Manchester, when former Specials and Fun Boy Three frontman, Terry Hall, joined up with ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale...
, King
King (band)
King were a British New Wave pop band of the mid 1980s, from Coventry. Their name comes from the surname of lead singer Paul King. The band recorded two albums for CBS Records ; both were produced by Richard James Burgess and certified gold.-Overview:The band was formed from the remnants of...
, Jigsaw
Jigsaw (band)
Jigsaw were an English pop music group, fronted by the singer-songwriter duo of Clive Scott and Des Dyer. In Australia the group was called "British Jigsaw" due to the existence of a local band of the same name.-Overview:...
, The Sorrows
The Sorrows
The Sorrows are considered perhaps to be the archetypal freakbeat band. They were formed in 1963 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England by Pip Whitcher.-Career:...
, and The Enemy
The Enemy (UK band)
The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
.
Record producer Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
is also from the city and is president of Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears
Coventry Bears are a rugby league club, formed in 1998. They have a proud history pioneering rugby league in the Midlands, their major honours include winning the National League 3 title in 2004 and the Rugby League Conference in 2002...
.
Broadcaster Brian Matthew
Brian Matthew
Brian Matthew is a veteran English broadcaster, who became well known in the 1960s. He is still broadcasting on radio for the BBC, having presented Sounds of the 60s since 1990, often employing the same vocabulary and the same measured delivery he used in previous decades.-Early life and...
, theatre producer Dominic Madden
Dominic Madden
- Career :Dominic Madden is an entrepreneur in the music and entertainment sector who is primarily responsible for the redevelopment and successful operation of 2 premiere central London music and nightclub venues, The Coronet, a 2300 capacity ex ABC Cinema located in Elephant and Castle and also...
, comedian and writer Emma Fryer
Emma Fryer
Emma Fryer is a British stand-up comedian, actress and writer from Coventry, best known for playing Tania in BBC Three's Ideal, Janine in E4's PhoneShop and Gaynor in BBC 2's Home Time, which she co-wrote with Neil Edmond....
and adult model Debee Ashby
Debee Ashby
Debee Ashby is a former English adult model and actress. She is also known as Debbie Ashby or Debby Ashby.Ashby became well known at the age of 16 years when she was expelled from King Henry VIII School, Coventry on 16 December 1983 because she had posed topless in her school uniform for the...
are also Coventrians, as were comedian Reg Dixon and ventriloquist Dennis Spicer
Dennis Spicer
Dennis Spicer was a British ventriloquist who appeared on British television, and in variety in its twilight years, with his dummies: mainly James Green and Maxwell Monkey, but also Sexy Rexy The Wolf, Puppy Doll The Poodle, Rikki Tikki The Tiger, The Ugly Duckling and Russian bear...
.
Disgraced former Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
broadcaster Richard Keys
Richard Keys
Richard Keys is an English radio presenter best known for his time with British sports channel Sky Sports from 1991 until 2011. In February 2011, Keys along with fellow Sky presenter, Andy Gray signed with talkSPORT....
is also a Coventrian, a product of Whitley Abbey School.
Sport
Notable Coventrian sportsmen include speedway
Motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes and racing takes place on a flat oval track usually...
rider Tom Farndon
Tom Farndon
Tom Farndon , was a Speedway rider who won the Star Riders' Championship in 1933 whilst with the Crystal Palace Glaziers....
; Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
tennis player Tony Mottram ; footballers Reg Matthews
Reg Matthews
Reginald Derrick Matthews was an English football goalkeeper.-Club career:In a playing career spanning almost 20 years, Matthews turned out for Coventry City, Chelsea and Derby County, making over 100 league appearances for each...
, Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
, Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander
Graham Alexander is a Scottish international footballer who plays for Preston North End. He is naturally a right back, but has recently been deployed in defensive midfield, as he did early on in his career with Scunthorpe. He is currently the third oldest player to score in Premier League history...
and Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey
Gary McSheffrey is an English footballer who plays as a left winger. He is currently in his second spell with hometown team Coventry City in the Football League Championship....
; cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
ers Tom Cartwright
Tom Cartwright
Thomas William Cartwright MBE was an English cricketer. He played in five Tests for England in 1964 and 1965. His withdrawal from the 1968-69 tour to South Africa, and replacement in the touring team by Basil D'Oliveira, precipitated the sporting isolation of South Africa until apartheid was...
and Ian Bell MBE ; rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
players Ivor Preece
Ivor Preece
Ivor Preece was an English rugby union footballer who represented and captained England Schools, England and Coventry. He is the only Coventry RFC player to have achieved this accolade...
, Keith Fairbrother
Keith Fairbrother
Keith Fairbrother is a former Chairman and rugby union player of Coventry R.F.C.. He also played for England national team as a prop. He was bought out as Chairman of Coventry R.F.C. in August 2006 by Andrew Green, though he retained the lease to part of the Butts Park Arena site. He had been...
, David Duckham MBE
David Duckham
David John Duckham MBE is a retired English rugby union player. He played 36 games for England from 1969 to 1976 and scored 10 tries. Duckham made his debut at centre, partnering John Spencer against Ireland in 1969...
, Neil Back
Neil Back
Neil Antony Back is a former international rugby union footballer for England, who also played for Leicester Tigers, and captained both England and Leicester during his career....
, Danny Grewcock MBE
Danny Grewcock
Daniel Jonathan Grewcock MBE is a retired English rugby union rugby lock who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions...
, Geoff Evans
Geoff Evans
Thomas Geoffrey "Geoff" Evans, is a former Wales international rugby union player. In 1971 he toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions as a replacement. Evans played club rugby for London Welsh RFC.-External links:...
and Andy Goode
Andy Goode
Andrew James Goode is a rugby union footballer who plays fly-half for Worcester and England.-Career:...
; motor-cyclist Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow
Cal Crutchlow is a professional motorcycle road racer. He is a former British Supersport champion and British Superbike race winner, and the 2009 Supersport World Champion.-Early years:...
; golfer Laura Davies CBE
Laura Davies
Laura Jane Davies CBE is an English professional golfer.She is considered the most accomplished English female golfer of modern times being the first non-American to finish at the top of the LPGA money list...
; sprinter Marlon Devonish MBE
Marlon Devonish
Marlon Ronald Devonish, MBE is an English sprint athlete.He is a member of the Coventry Godiva Harriers athletics club and is coached by Tony Lester. Early in his career he was successful at both 100 and 200 metre distances, winning English Schools and European Junior titles at both, but in recent...
; distance runners Brian Kilby
Brian Kilby
Brian Leonard Kilby is a retired marathon runner from Great Britain, whose best year was 1962. He then won the gold medal in the men's marathon at the European Championships and at the 1962 Commonwealth Games...
and David Moorcroft OBE
David Moorcroft
David Robert Moorcroft is a former middle-distance and long-distance runner from England, and former world record holder for 5,000 metres. His athletic career spanned the late-1970s and 1980s. He subsequently served as the Chief Executive of UK Athletics from 1997 to 2007. He was awarded an MBE in...
; darts player Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation...
; professional wrestler Adam Windsor
Adam Windsor
Adam Bryniarski , better known world wide as Adam Windsor, is a British born professional wrestler from Coventry, England.-Early life:...
(Adam Bryniarski) ; fencer
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
Kevin Reilly.
Economy
Coventry has long been a centre of motor and cycle manufacturing, dating from 1896. Starting out with some less familiar names such as Coventry Motette, Great Horseless Carriage Co, Swift Motor Company
Swift Motor Company
The Swift Motor Company made Swift Cars in Coventry, England from 1900 until 1931.Founded by James Starley as a sewing machine maker in 1859, the Coventry Sewing Machine Company as it was then called, started making bicycles in 1869 and changed its name to Coventry Machinists. In 1896 they became...
and more familiar names like Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
, Riley
Riley (automobile)
Riley was a British motorcar and bicycle manufacturer from 1890. The company became part of the Nuffield Organisation in 1938 and was later merged into British Leyland: late in 1969 British Leyland announced their discontinuance of Riley production, although 1969 was a difficult year for the UK...
, Francis-Barnett
Francis-Barnett
Francis-Barnett was a British motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1919, by Gordon Inglesby Francis and Arthur Barnett, and based in Lower Ford Street, Coventry, England,...
and Daimler
Daimler Motor Company
The Daimler Motor Company Limited was an independent British motor vehicle manufacturer founded in London by H J Lawson in 1896, which set up its manufacturing base in Coventry. The right to the use of the name Daimler had been purchased simultaneously from Gottlieb Daimler and Daimler Motoren...
and the Triumph motorcycle
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd
Triumph Motorcycles Ltd is the largest surviving British motorcycle manufacturer, which was established in 1984 by John Bloor after the original manufacturer Triumph Engineering went into receivership...
having its origins in 1902 in a Coventry factory. The Massey-Ferguson tractor factory was situated on Banner Lane, Tile Hill, until it closed in the late 1990s. Although the motor industry has declined almost to the point of extinction, the Jaguar
Jaguar (car)
Jaguar Cars Ltd, known simply as Jaguar , is a British luxury car manufacturer, headquartered in Whitley, Coventry, England. It is part of the Jaguar Land Rover business, a subsidiary of the Indian company Tata Motors....
company has retained its corporate and research headquarters in the city (at Allesley and Whitley), and Peugeot
Peugeot
Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën, the second largest carmaker based in Europe.The family business that precedes the current Peugeot company was founded in 1810, and manufactured coffee mills and bicycles. On 20 November 1858, Emile Peugeot applied for the lion...
still have a large parts centre in Humber Road. The famous London black cab taxis
Hackney carriage
A hackney or hackney carriage is a carriage or automobile for hire...
are produced in Coventry by LTI and these are now the only vehicles still wholly built in Coventry.
The manufacture of machine tools was once a major industry in Coventry. Alfred Herbert Ltd
Alfred Herbert (company)
Alfred Herbert Ltd was one of the world's largest machine tool manufacturing businesses. It was at one time the largest British machine tool builder.-History:...
became one of the largest machine tool companies in the world. Unfortunately in later years the company faced tough competition from foreign machine tool builders and ceased trading in 1983. Another famous Coventry machine tool manufacturer was the A. C. Wickman company. The last Coventry machine tool manufacturer was Matrix Churchill
Arms-to-Iraq
The Arms-to-Iraq affair concerned the uncovering of the government-endorsed sale of arms by British companies to Iraq, then under the rule of Saddam Hussein...
which was forced to close in the wake of the Iraqi Supergun (Project Babylon)
Project Babylon
Project Babylon was a project commissioned by the Iraqi president Saddam Hussein to build a series of superguns. The design was based on research from the 1960s Project HARP led by the Canadian artillery expert Gerald Bull...
scandal. It had been owned by the Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
government, via front companies, and closed amidst much controversy and bad feeling.
Coventry's main industries include: cars, electronic equipment, machine tools, agricultural machinery, man-made fibres, aerospace components and telecommunications equipment. In recent years, the city has moved away from manufacturing industries towards business services, finance, research, design and development, creative industries as well as logistics and leisure.