News

Historian and CovSoc member, Peter James, tells us about a Coventry doctor who found fame with a museum in Lyme Regis. Peter writes…. Joseph Wingrave was a chemist and photographer with premises on Coventry’s High Street. He gave his son the unusual name of Vitruvius after the Roman architect and engineer who served under Julius… Read more: Vitruvius Harold Wyatt Wingrave

Councillor Roger Bailey has become the first member of the Coventry Society to serve as Lord Mayor of Coventry, marking a proud moment for both the Society and the city he has spent a lifetime promoting and supporting. Roger’s connection with Coventry runs deep. His parents moved to the city when he was just one… Read more: CovSoc Member Becomes Lord Mayor

Two fortunate CovSoc committee members were given a tour of the ongoing conservation work at the Chace Hotel last week, courtesy of Nick and Tim Cockburn, directors of the Distinct Group. The hotel was a hive of activity with 40 – 50 workers doing a host of jobs, climbing over scaffolding, painting windows, sawing wood,… Read more: A Look Around the Chace Hotel

Earlier in May 2026 the Coventry Society received an interesting email from Michael Tracy from Chicago in the US. Michael is an honorary fellow of Edinburgh Medical School and has been researching the lives of one of his kinsmen. In the course of this work, he recently completed an extensive study of Conrad Christopher Wimberley… Read more: Conrad Christopher Wimberley (1839 – 1906)

This Act, which received the Royal Assent on 29 April, focuses primarily on combined authorities and elected mayors. Coventry is already part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Richard Parker is the current elected mayor who was elected in 2024. The City has already benefitted including funding for new social rented homes in… Read more: English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act

The Coventry Society is planning a visit to Selly Manor and Bournville in May 2026. This article explains what we might see. Bournville Village is a model village on the southern edge of Birmingham, founded in the late 19th century by the Cadbury family, most notably George Cadbury. Designed as a response to the poor… Read more: Bournville and Selly Manor

Historian and CovSoc member Peter James tells us the story of the Francis Family, which made a significant contribution to Coventry’s automotive history. Peter writes…. Lea and Francis Richard Henry Lea was employed at Singer Motors for 17 years when In 1895 he left to form a partnership with Graham Inglesby Francis. Together they founded… Read more: Family Affair

David Bentley, Coventry’s Local Democracy Reporter, reports on a recent decision of Coventry’s Planning Service relating to a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO). David writes…. Coventry HMO plan refused because it would lead to ‘excessive number’ in area. Planners said the proposals to convert a house – which included building two extensions – would have… Read more: HMO Refused

CovSoc founder member, Paul Maddocks, tells us about a recent visit to the Herbert and encourages you to go along too. Paul writes….. I recently visited the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum to see the Stories That Made Us exhibition, which is located on the first floor overlooking the main gallery. The exhibition runs until… Read more: Stories that Made Us

‘Drinking In an Old English Town’ A history of the alcohol trade in Coventry. By Fred Luckett. CovSoc founder member Paul Maddocks reviews a new book written by fellow CovSoc member Fred Luckett. Fred has written several books about Coventry pubs, and this is his latest. Paul writes… Fred Luckett’s new book represents a lifetime… Read more: Drinking in an Old English Town