The mystery of the bench outside the Locarno
coventrysociety Coventry Society founder member Paul Maddocks recalls an unusual memorial outside the Locarno Ballroom and asks what happened to it. In the mid-1960s, a tree stood outside Coventry’s Locarno Ballroom,…
Heritage and History
Coventry’s Motoring Heritage
Coventry Society founder member Paul Maddocks reflects on Coventry’s remarkable history of car manufacture and asks whether the city is doing enough to celebrate its industrial heritage. Paul writes… The…
In Need of a Loo?
Do you remember the old gents’ toilet in Lower Ford Street? CovSoc founder member Paul Maddocks certainly does. Paul writes…. It was one of those Coventry landmarks that probably attracted…
Saving the Ruins
An international campaign has been launched to secure the future of Coventry Cathedral’s historic ruins – a site which has become an internationally recognised symbol of both the devastation of…
Tudor Codebreakers
Historian and CovSoc member, Peter James, tells us about a Coventry nobleman who used his illicit skills to help some of the most famous medieval espionage specialists. After studying at…
Coventry Society Revisit the Chace Hotel
Exactly four months earlier, a couple of members of the Coventry Society Committee were invited to see the renovation work at The Chace Hotel in Willenhall. We received a further…
A Dark History of Coventry
Coventry historian and author, David McGrory, has published his 29th book about Coventry and its history. In ‘A Dark History of Coventry’, David delves into the dark and lesser known…
Coventry Then and Now
An exhibition of rare footage and photos brings the City’s past to life. The exhibition, at the Priory Visitor Centre Undercroft, shows visual records of a city’s past and present…
Jet pioneer celebrated with new Royal Mail stamps
The pioneering work on the jet engine by Sir Frank Whittle has been celebrated with a new set of stamps from Royal Mail. Alec Blackman writes on the BBC website….…
The Plague in Coventry
Historian and CovSoc member, Peter James, tells us how the plague affected Coventry over centuries. Peter writes…. The first plague epidemic known as The Black Death initially appeared in Europe…