News

Following last week’s story about the history of the the sewing machine history of Coventry, Historian and Coventry Society member, Peter James, continues with the related story of George Singer. Peter writes….. Stinsford is a small village in Dorset about a mile from Dorchester. It’s where George the son of George and Helen Singer was… Read more: George Singer

The BBC has reported that planning permission has been granted for nearly 500 new homes to be built on farm fields near the A45 in Coventry. Coventry Council granted full permission for 491 homes on Eastern Green at a planning meeting in April. The scheme is the latest part of the 2,400 home Eastern Green… Read more: 500 Homes Approved in Eastern Green

Coventry Society is increasingly concerned about the future of Westwood Business Park. It was developed from the late 1980s onwards as an iconic location, near to Warwick University, for office-type uses including training and conference facilities, consultancy services and product development in a landscaped park setting. A diverse range of accommodation was provided including serviced… Read more: Westwood Business Park or Westwood Student Campus?

Historian and Coventry Society member, Peter James, tells us the fascinating history of sewing machine manufacture in Coventry. Peter writes…… William Newton Wilson set up Newton Wilson & Co. in a workshop in Manchester in 1854 and opened a shop at 144 High Holborn, London in 1857. The company imported and then sold sewing machines… Read more: Coventry Sewing Machine Company

Coventry University is planning a massive redevelopment which could bring a hotel, shops and hundreds of new homes to the site of former Council offices in the city centre. The site of the former Civic Centre, which sits opposite the Council House, was purchased by the University for a prestigious headquarters building with research and… Read more: New Plans for Civic Centre Site

We are sad to report the death of Alan Dyer, the Chairman and Finance Director of the Coventry Canal Basin Trust and former University Lecturer. Alan was an artist, psychologist and writer and ran the artists’ studios at Coventry Canal Basin since 1985. Alan Dyer was born in Nelson, Lancashire in 1944 where he attended… Read more: Alan Dyer 1944 – 2025

On 14th May 2025, twenty-seven intrepid Coventry Society member braved the wild conditions of the Charterhouse Heritage Park to see for themselves what is planned for the area. Guided by Gareth Morgan of the John Muir Trust and Charlotte Stranks, the Council’s Conservation Officer, we walked around the more accessible parts of the Heritage Park… Read more: A Walk on the Wild Side

The Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) project has achieved a significant technical milestone with the construction of a 220-metre single-track demonstrator in the city centre. Installed along Greyfriars Road and Queen Victoria Road, this trial represents the first time CVLR’s innovative modular track form has been embedded within a live urban road. This milestone follows… Read more: VLR Takes Next Steps

The Coventry Society has objected to two proposals for self-build housing at Watery Lane, Keresley. The two sites are part of the Keresley Jubilee Wood, created in 2012 and protected in the current Coventry Local Plan of 2017. Jubilee Wood was created to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, being the 60th anniversary of… Read more: Objections to Building on Celebration Woodland

The National Trust has announced the date that the Charterhouse will re-open under their management.   From Wednesday 21 May, one of the Midlands’ finest historic landmarks will reopen as part of the National Trust! Coventry Charterhouse, a beautifully restored 14th-century Carthusian monastery, which is home to rare 15th and 16th-century wall paintings, picturesque walled… Read more: Charterhouse Re-Opening Date Announced