Spon Street – a Graveyard of Historic Buildings?
coventrysociety The main theme for the Coventry Society in the coming year is the Spon Street Conservation Area. Here is some background for those who may be unfamiliar with its history.…
2026
The future of Coventry Canal Basin
Earlier this year the Canal and River Trust – which owns and runs the entire British canal system – quietly put the freehold of Coventry’s 18th century Canal Basin on…
Cultural Cutbacks
Coventry Society founder member Paul Maddocks spent most of his working life in the Museum Service and is concerned to hear of another round of cuts to the service. Paul…
Our Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings – A Depressing Story
Our vice-chairperson, Tim Brown, has been investigating the state of play on our conservation areas and listed buildings which ought to be the jewel in the crown of our built…
Thomas George John 1880-1946
Historian and CovSoc member, Peter James, tells us the story of an important Coventry engineer Thomas George John, the founder of Alvis. Peter writes……. Early Life Thomas George John was…
CovSoc 2025–2026: A Year by the River
Coventry Society’s latest annual report (covering February 2025 to January 2026) paints a picture of a busy, campaigning and increasingly influential civic organisation. From riverside walks to planning battles, blue…
Enclosure and Emparkment
Local historian and Coventry Society member. Peter James, tells us about some of the boundary changes that took place in and around the city and the trouble they caused. Peter…
Bird Grove
Historian and CovSoc committee member, Peter Walters, reminds us of an important building that lies nearly derelict, unused, unloved and forlorn in a Coventry suburb. Peter writes….. It’s fair to…
Hope’s Harbour … continued!
John Marshall presents the third and final part of the story of Hope’s Harbour – the old house in Bray’s Lane that became the first home of Stoke Park School.…
Adam Burdess and his Watches
Coventry Society member, Malvern Carvell, recently purchased a watch made in Coventry in the late 1860s/early 1870s by Adam Burdess. Malvern set out to find out more about its maker,…