History

Old Cathedral

Once the biggest parish church in England, St Michael's had only been a cathedral for around 20 years when it was destroyed by incendiaries on the night of November 14, 1940. It was the only cathedral to be lost in Britain during the Second World War and its destruction sent shock waves around the world. Immediately, its ruins were dedicated to peace and reconciliation and it has become a powerful symbol of the futility of war, a place of pilgrimage for many thousands of people every year. Top of the page

New Cathedral

Opened by the Queen in 1962, the new cathedral was the symbol of Britain's recovery after the Second World War and it retains its central place in the national psyche - in a national poll at the turn of the Millennium, it was voted Britain's most popular 20th century building. An unrivalled gallery of post-war British art, its most famous piece is Graham Sutherland's tapestry, the biggest in the world at the time it was made. A major development project is being planned for the cathedral's 50th anniversary in 2012. Top of the page

St Mary's Hall

Built by the powerful Guild of St Mary in the 14th century, it is now regarded as one of the finest mediaeval buildings of its kind in the country. The imposing Great Hall features a tapestry of Henry VI and his wife Margaret of Anjou, made for the wall on which it still hangs around the year 1500. It has had many uses over the centuries - royal banqueting hall, court room, soup kitchen for starving weavers - and has many associations with famous people, notably the writers George Eliot and Charles Dickens and Mary, Queen of Scots. It is thought probable that William Shakespeare performed in the hall as a young actor, before turning his hand to writing. Top of the page

Holy Trinity Church

The second of Coventry's great central churches, Holy Trinity survived the wartime blitz that destroyed its near neighbour. Parts of the church date back to the 12th century, when it succeeded a small chapel built by the Benedictine order, who had established the nearby priory that became Coventry's first cathedral. The church has many historic features, most notably the recently-restored Coventry Doom, a Last Judgement Day painting dating from around 1430 and virtually complete. Art historians regard it as one of the greatest works of mediaeval art to have survived in England. Top of the page

St John's Church

Founded by Queen Isabella, wife of Edward II, around 1350, the church is thought to have associations with the famous expression 'sent to Coventry'. During the Civil War in the 1640's, it was used by the city's Parliamentary garrison as a prison for captured soldiers from the Royalist armies. The hostility shown to them by the people of the city, who supported Parliament, led to the saying. Being 'sent to Coventry' was an uncomfortable experience for Royalists. Top of the page

Cheylesmore Manor

Another building associated with Queen Isabella and her family, what remains is actually the gatehouse to a royal palace, parts of which survived until the 1950's. The gatehouse, possibly dating to the 13th century, is now the oldest building in the country to be used as a Register Office. Top of the page

Ford's Hospital

Originally founded as an almshouse for men in 1509 by Coventry merchant William Ford, by the 18th century the residents were all women. Ford's Hospital today remains a home for elderly ladies, despite a direct hit from a wartime bomb that killed a number of residents and staff. It is now regarded as one of the most beautiful Tudor buildings of its kind in Britain. Top of the page

Bond's Hospital

A merchant and former mayor of Coventry, Thomas Bond, founded Bond's Hospital in 1507 after a shipment of lead ingots he'd ordered from Spain turned out to be silver! The building, much restored but still in use as an almshouse, stands in a quiet courtyard behind St John's Church and alongside the original Bablake School. Top of the page