Brian Redknap RIP

One of the Coventry Society’s most loyal friends passed away on 2nd April at Myton Hospice at the age of 88. His funeral will be held at 1.30 p.m. on Friday 6th May at Canley Crematorium.

Brian was a long-serving engineer who had a great influence on Coventry's Ring Road and civil engineering work in the city as a whole.

Brian started his career as a pupil to the City Engineer in Oxford at the age of 16 before working in Leicester, Bristol and Coventry. He moved permanently to Coventry in 1956 under City Engineer Granville Berry, around ten years after he started his engineering career. In Coventry Brian made his mark as the first engineer dedicated to preparing the initial engineering design for the city's Ring Road. He later became City Engineer.

The Ring Road has always divided opinion in the city, with its supporters hailing it as a logical system which helps Coventry's traffic flow better than other major cities, while its critics describe it as a confusing concrete eyesore. Brian had produced an authoritative booklet detailing the modern - and medieval roots - of Coventry. He also explains why the city's Ring Road is one of the safest stretches of road in the country. Brian was involved in all aspects of the city’s roads, sewage and the engineering associated with the rapid re-development of post-war Coventry from 1956 until he retired from the City Council in 1989.

It is said that Coventry’s Ring Road reveals the history of post-war highway design in the UK. The first stages had grade-level roundabouts and cycle tracks alongside (as can still be seen at the Foleshill Road junction and the length to Bishop Street). Later sections had grade-separated junctions as engineering design developed.

Brian described to Coventry Society members how there were no traffic models in the 1950’s but an American organisation had developed a traffic model for a large roundabout. Coventry Engineers found that they could apply this model to a circular road around the city centre and it demonstrated that it would work. Forty years later, despite a massive growth in car usage, the Ring Road still works as planned, as confirmed at a Coventry Society meeting by the current City Engineer, Colin Knight who said "It does what it says on the tin!".

The whole £14.5 million project took 14 years to complete with the first stage finished in 1962 and the final stage in 1974. The original estimate had been just £1.5 million.

Brian ended his career at the Council as Acting Chief Executive and Town Clerk between 1988 and 1989.

Brian was extremely proud of the work he has done for the city and his love for engineering was demonstrated through all his hard work in the city. Staff who worked in the City Council at the same time as Brian recall him as a very approachable senior manager who was willing to help them with any issues.

Brian will be sadly missed by Society members. He always made interesting contributions to the various talks and Society meetings. Once when we were talking about Walter Ritchie's famous two statues in the city precinct, he told us a city council employee painter took it on himself to paint in parts of the stature with a reddish colour. He had to call a meeting with the artist to explain what had happened. The statues are now on the outside wall of the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, and the paint still there so Brian must have been a successful negotiater.

We will miss him!

Making a Splash! ......Coventry's New Waterpark

Member of the Coventry Society Committee have taken a closer look at the plans for the new City Centre Swimming Pool and Sport Centre in New Union Street, Coventry. The new building, which will house a water park with slides, a 25 metre swimming pool, gym, climbing wall, squash courts, dance studio and a Day Spa. It has been designed to reflect Coventry’s ribbon weaving past – with the outside appearing to be wrapped by a swirling ribbon. The committee were impressed by the range of facilities included in the project which will make a very positive step in implementing the City Centre Area Action Plan.

The building will sit on the site of Spire House and Christchurch House, next to Christchurch spire. It has being designed by international architects FaulknerBrowns and the project managers are Appleyard & True. The circular building will be dramatically lit at night. The building height of 24 metres is sympathetic to the adjoining Spire. It will have active frontages and will interact with the surrounding public realm. The building will be taking heat from the City Heatline project.

Water Technology Inc. (WTI), who specialise in water park development, are providing specialist advice on the design of the pools and indoor features which could include a wave pool, lazy river, children’s splash pad, children’s play structure and six water slides. One interesting approach is that everyone will have an electronic arm band which monitors how long they have been in the main pool areas and you have to come out when your time is up.

The planning application is timed for this month with a decision expected in approximately three months’ time to enable demolition to start in October.

Most reports describe the building as a “splash pool”; but it’s a lot more than that! A snappy name is required for this new Leisure Centre, any ideas?

A Look Back at Spire House and Christchurch House

With the submission of the planning application for the new Water Park on New Union Street, Coventry Society member and architect Angus Kaye takes a look at the buildings that face demolition to make way for it. Angus writes:

“The initial plans for the above Water Park look very promising and should provide a modern, exciting and versatile city centre attraction for the People of Coventry and visitors to the City.

"The proposed building will occupy the site adjacent to The Spire which currently is occupied by The City Council’s Spire and Christchurch Offices. Whilst these buildings await likely demolition, I would recommend a closer look at these existing buildings as they are no ordinary office blocks.

"Designed by Rex Chell and his team in the City Architects Department in the early 1970’s, the office complex is arranged on a square site, around a central courtyard with a recessed ground floor. The buildings vary in height between 3 and 7 public floors and this is a difficult design requirement to pull off without the building looking uncoordinated (boxy) and rather like a poorly constructed castle.

"The designers resolved this by providing horizontal bands of brickwork that wrap around the building and curve at the corners. This horizontal emphasis is also reflected in the bands of windows, which project from the main face of the building.

"Whilst the design is so original, it reflects elements of the1920s and 1930s ‘International Style’ with possible references to Eric Mendelsohn, Alvar Alto and JJP Oud.

"As you pass by, please look at some details:

• Look at the excellent brickwork, which follows the curves of the building and has recessed (raked) horizontal joints to reflect the banding.
• See also the wall tiling on the recessed ground floor areas, although perhaps the entrance door detail is a little overplayed for present tastes.
• Experience how quiet the central courtyard is, although it is right in the City Centre."

 Time moves on and we recognise the need for these buildings to go, but it would be a shame if we didn't acknowledge the quality of the design and understand the social context of when the buildings were constructed; a time when public services were more highly regarded than they are today and the public sector often led the country in architectural design. We hope that the Council will record the buildings before they are demolished.  

The Old Grammar School Receives Civic Voice Award

Two committee members of the Coventry Society attended the presentation of the Civic Voice Design Awards on 24th May 2016 and were pleased to receive a "Highly Commended" award for the restoration of the Old Grammar School.

The Civic Voice awards are unique in that all entries are nominated by local Civic Societies. The Coventry Society nominated The Old Grammar School because of the importance of the scheme for the city and the quality of the restoration work. The restoration work was led by Culture Coventry and the stonework by Underwood and Weston. 

The Old Grammar School was up against a strong field of contenders and the Award winner was The Master's House in Ledbury. A brochure showing all the Design Award winners is available here. 

There is more on this website about The Old Grammar School here.

Your Invitation to join us for a Public Art Trail for Civic Day

This year, for Civic Day, the Coventry Society is celebrating Coventry’s fantastic heritage of public art.

Coventry has many fine works of Public Art, but in our busy lives we don’t always notice them. Have you ever wondered who the artist was? or what was the history of a particular piece of sculpture?

On Civic Day, Saturday 18th June, the Society will be putting on a Guided Trail of Public Art in the city. Our Vice Chairman, Paul Maddocks, will lead us on a trail around the city centre, talking about the subject of the artwork, the artists and other work the artist have done.

In the longer term we plan to ensure that all the Public Art in the city is recorded and we will ask your opinion about which pieces of art are worthy of being listed.

The free trail will start from the Lady Godiva Statue in Broadgate at 12.30pm on Saturday 18th June 2016 and will last for about two hours. This event is open to non-members and you don’t need to book. Just turn up on the day with your camera and a bottle of water if its hot.

Civic Day is a national celebration of civic pride. It is a day when communities across the country say "we care about where we live". Coventry’s Civic Day project is in support of Historic England’s campaign for the protection of post-war Public Art

Midsummer Event at St. John's 

Local Performance Charity's Summer Festival

A Dream of Midsummer

Music, dance, history, tradition, art, theatre: we will have it all!

Coventry based charity Unlock the Music Concert Making (UMCM) is collaborating with St. John the Baptist Church, Fleet Street, Coventry to present a spectacular festival of music, dance and theatre, on Saturday 25th June. A Dream of Midsummer features music, theatre, dance and song. This event continues throughout the afternoon and evening and is to be attended by The Lord Mayor of Coventry and local MP Jim Cunningham. The evening concert will be opened by Coventry's Lady Godiva.

Performances commence at 11.00 in the church with a recorder concert performed by The Monday Recorder Group. Then we plunge into wonderful mix of performances in the church and in the cafe, including Coventry Morris Dancers at 13.00 and Forte Gospel Choir 15.00. Keeping them company will be singers from Coventry’s Hereward College, the Medieval Boyz and from the mysteriously titled Wax Myrtle’s Special Structure. Another highlight of the afternoon will be a performance from guitarist Marcellus Taylor at 15.30, who will thrill us all with a dazzling display of Samba music.

At 4.00 there will be a suite of performances from pupils of two of Coventry’s finest piano teachers, Darren Marc Leaper and Cecilia Xi. UMCM are honoured to have these great pianists performing duets in the evening concert, alongside our other guest performer, Katharine Taylor-Jones, an opera singer who has performed with the English National Opera.

The evening concert, which starts at 7.30, will steer you through the long and winding roads of history, from 1066 through to the modern age via baroque, music hall and jazz with more than a nod to Shakespeare on the way and joining with the church to celebrate the Feast of St. John The Baptist and, of course, Midsummer.

Doors open at 10.00 a.m., and our Dream of Midsummer festival continues all day and evening. So come along: there’s lots to see, hear and do. Entry to the day time events is free. Tickets on the door for the evening are £6 with £4 for concessions.

UMCM is a Coventry based charity that supports singers and other performers to develop their skills in showcasing their talents alongside more experienced, and sometimes professional performers.

For more details of this and all UMCM’s activities, and contact please see www.umcm.org.uk.

The Possible Impact of Brexit on Coventry - some thoughts

by John Payne, Coventry Society Committee Member

The views expressed in this paper are purely personal and do not reflect the views of the Coventry Society.

I haven’t read anything in the local press about the likely impact of Brexit on Coventry, so I thought that I would put some thoughts down on paper myself. I’m not an economist, so I can’t promise that this is properly thought through, so I would like to hear what you think might happen.

Austerity. It isn’t going to go away any time soon! So we can expect city council services to continue to be under pressure for many more years and it will probably get worse. The direction of travel is towards removing Government grant to local authorities all together, with funds raised from Council Tax and charges. The roads and parks may get a little worse and there will be less money to spend supporting people in need. We might also expect more things to be charged for. It will depend on the Budget of course, but I would expect schools to continue to receive the existing level of funding support as decisions on their money isn’t made by local government and education is a high priority for all political parties. There might be an impact on the school building programme though!

Investment! This is the big one! Although Jaguar have said that they don’t have any plans for change yet, it is unlikely that the company will go ahead with the big expansion at the Gateway project before the future relationship of the country and Europe are sorted out; so don’t expect any movement on this project in the near future. What about City Centre South? I would imagine that this won’t be as attractive to foreign investors as it was last week. It seems possible that the plans will be put on hold for a few years. The first stage of Friargate and the enhancement of the railway station is well underway and the second building has just received planning permission. It will be interesting to see if this goes ahead to schedule. Beyond this we might have to wait until things get better before the project is completed.

On what some might see as the positive side, it now seems entirely likely that HS2 will either be scrapped or at least delayed, so we should continue to have our frequent and fast services to London for a few more years.

Housing! On the basis of what has happened over the past week, it seems unlikely that the building industry will recover any time soon. Existing developments should continue unabated, but at the moment the country is not able to provide all the bricks and other building materials we need. It will become more expensive to buy building materials from abroad because of the Exchange Rate changes and access to loans will probably be harder to come by. If immigration really does reduce then there may be less pressure on housing. All this may mean that the Green Belt is safe for a few more years; so long as the Council can come up with a sound phasing policy on development that ensures that the brown field sites are developed first.

Economy and Recession. In the past the city has been very vulnerable to recession, but there has been a lot of diversification over recent years, so we might escape the worst impact of the coming recession. There probably will be a recession, or at least a downturn, as there will be less money in the economy, higher personal taxes, higher prices and therefore less to spend. The big question is how long it will last for? Let’s hope it won’t be for too long and that our businesses can ride it out.

Our Universities. Both our universities are strong players in both national and international markets. However they do have a significant number of EU students. Coventry University has 1500 EU students (approx. 7%) and Warwick has 1700 (approximately 9.5%). At the moment they are entitled to UK loans as a result of the EU non-discrimination requirements. These students have been promised that their loans will continue for the period of their courses, but it does not seem likely that the UK Government would finance EU students after the UK formally leaves the EU. Of course if the Exchange Rates remain low, then it should be possible to attract more students from places like China and India. At the moment foreign students are counted as immigrants so there might be an impact on the number of foreign students if a future Government decides to cap immigration numbers. In 2014/15 there were 437,000 foreign students in the UK; this is good for the economy so it is a bit silly to count them as immigrants, and there will be a strong case for re-classifying them in some way.

Both universities receive a great deal of money via EU research grants. 72% of research at Coventry University is funded by Europe and somewhere between 20 – 30% at Warwick University (but a larger cash figure). The Leave Campaign gave reassurances that there would be no reduction until 2020, but the future is to say the least uncertain, and we can expect some economising and re-direction within the University community. However overall I expect both universities to continue as major forces in our city.

Communities. Coventry has a good record of community cohesion, but until things settle down we might expect a growth in the number of hate incidents. There is also a growing issue of generational intolerance and blame. In previous times of tension in the city we have seen the Cathedral, Police, city and community leaders take active cohesion initiatives, and we might expect to see something along these lines in the near future.

In summarising all this, the main issue is uncertainty. Until we know what the future relationship with Europe is, it won’t be possible to predict the future and people will wait before investing. With or without Brexit, the city will change and the degree of change is mostly driven by economic prosperity or the lack of it. But we have been through recessions and depressions before and the city always rises to the challenge after a bit of a delay. We are not called the Phoenix city for nothing!

John Payne

28/6/2016

Commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme

By John Payne, Committee Member

 This week I represented the Society at two contrasting commemorations of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. On Thursday evening I had the honour of attending the national service of remembrance and vigil at Westminster Abbey. All together there were eight members of Civic Voice and volunteers from civic groups from around the country at the Service. We joined the Queen and Prince Philip together with the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition in a very moving short service, which was followed by an overnight vigil around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Picture: Some of the volunteers from civic groups including Cheltenham, Coventry, Southgate and Worcester attending the Somme Commemoration service at Westminster Abbey.

By contrast, the following morning I was invited to a School Assembly at Eden Girls School in Stoney Stanton Road. Some of the girls in Year 9 had visited World War I battlefields and had researched two soldiers who had died at the battle of the Somme. The Assembly included information about the Battle of the Somme, music, poetry and readings from soldiers present at the battle and two minutes silence in memory of those who died in the most devastating of all battles. Some children had created painting relating to the War.

After the Assembly the girls and their teacher unveiled a memorial garden that they are creating in memory of the two soldiers that they had researched; Private Philip Gray West, aged 33 and Private A. H. Carpenter, aged 27. The memorial had been created as part of a project called Legacy 110, which is an initiative which encourages students who engage in the First World War Centenary Battlefields Tour Programme to deliver a community-based First World War project.

Picture: The girls of Year 9 of Eden Girls School unveil their memorial garden.

I recorded Coventry’s newest War Memorial for the War Memorials Online database and our website, bringing to 72 the number of First World War memorials in the city that we have surveyed.

1st July 2016

Our September 2016 Meeting - Speaker Nick Marchini

Our October 2016 Meeting - First World War Memorals in Coventry

Next Meeting - Jeremy Gould - The Historic Significance of Coventry's Postwar Building and Planning Heritage

Link to Review of Jeremy and Caroline Gould's Book

Coventry Society Meeting - 12 December 2016 - 7.30pm

Recognising Coventry’s Public Art Heritage - William George Mitchell (born 1925)

According to Wikipedia, William George Mitchell was born in 1925. He is an English sculptor, artist and designer, best known for his large scale concrete murals and public works of art from the 1960s and 1970s. His work is often of an abstract or stylised nature with its roots in the traditions of craft and "buildability". His use of heavily modelled surfaces created a distinctive language for his predominantly concrete and glass reinforced concrete sculptures. After long years of neglect, many of William Mitchell’s remaining works in the United Kingdom are now being recognised for their artistic merit and contemporary historic value, and have been granted protective and have listed status.

Recently one of his major works has been Grade II listed by Historic England. The ‘Story of Wool’ is a sculptural mural which is located at the International Development Centre on Valley Drive, in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.

Other famous works he has done are the bronze sliding doors and carved stone bell tower of the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

Coventry also has an important work by William Mitchell. The decorative cast concrete wall of the former Three Tuns Public House in the Bull Yard was done by William Mitchell in 1966. It is one of over 140 Public Art Works in Coventry.

Our Vice Chairman, Paul Maddocks, remembers William Mitchell appearing on several editions of the BBC show Tomorrow's World explaining his ideas for the different public art projects he was working on at that time.

The Coventry Society is concerned about the future of this important piece of art, as it is affected by the City Centre South development. We are pleased to hear that Rachel Lancaster, our Cabinet Member for Public Services, has her eye on it for relocation and we look forward to hearing of her plans in due course.

The Society is planning to organise a tour of Public Art work in the City Centre for Civic Day on 25th June 2016. Participants will discuss which works of art deserve national listing and we will discuss what needs to be done to safeguard Coventry’s rich heritage of public art. This is particularly important in view of Coventry’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021.

This is an opportune time to look again at Coventry’s public art, as Historic England are currently holding a major exhibition called “Out There” now open at Somerset House, London, telling the story of post-war public art created between 1945 and 1985. It is time that Coventry’s contribution to public art is nationally recognised.

Updated 30/3/2017

Hertford House foyer by William Mitchell. (At the top of the ramp). 

This entrance foyer to the offices above the shops in Hertford street, has been boarded up for many years. Before they knock down Hertford street this should be saved, recorded or casts made of it. This is another hidden treasure.

Introducing the Year of the Sherbourne 2017

Partners in Coventry, including the Coventry Society, have designated 2017 as the Year of the Sherbourne. Across the year we are planning events every month to promote awareness of the River Sherbourne and its importance to the city both historically and now. Look out for the Blue Sheep image and the hashtag #yearofthesherbourne2017

Download this leaflet

See the programme for the Year of the Sherbourne here...

Coventry in Fifty Buildings by David McGrory

The CovSoc Review

Just out this month is Coventry historian David McGrory's new book entitled 'Coventry in 50 buildings'. It's Dave's 26th published book and is another very interesting read.

The essence of a city is reflected in its buildings and Dave has taken 50 buildings in Coventry and told their story and how they fit in with the story and culture of the city. He examines the proud and distinctive history of the city through a selection of its greatest architectural treasures, from some of the oldest to the very modern, such as the Coventry University's Engineering, Environment and Computing building. It includes one of the world's best-loved new Cathedrals and possibly the country's best preserved Guildhall.

Coventry has seen many changes in its 1,000 year history, through wars and changes in fortune and its many trades and industries and the destruction caused by the Blitz. It changed the modern world with Europe's first pedestrian precinct and had the country's first post-war theatre, the Belgrade. This is a great book to have as it will give you great pride to be living in such an interesting city. It's these building plus many more Dave had to leave out that will boost our tourism and hopefully will be celebrated as part of the City of Culture 2021, whether or not we win the bid. 

The book is available in all good book shops and Amazon for £14.99. We recommend that you buy it.

Paul Maddocks

Vice Chairman of the Coventry Society

Pages from the book

Historian David McGrory

War of the Roses re-enactment day at the Coventry Charterhouse Priory

Saturday 27th May 12 noon till 4pm.

Join in the fun day re-enactment of the Sir William Stanley's Household, military and craft skills of the 15th Century War of the Roses period. Activities include: Arms and Armour of the 15th Century; have a go at arrow fletching; Medieval Archery talk; Drill and Judiciary Combat; Cooking, medieval battlefield style. All of this is displayed in the beautiful medieval surroundings of Coventry's Charterhouse.

To get there by car take junction 4 off the city ring road, follow the London Road, past Gulson Road & Acacia Avenue, turn left into Charterhouse Drive opposite the London Road Cemetery. The car park is on the right. Walk down the drive to the house over the bridge.

Free admission, car parking free (donations welcome).

Download Event Poster

Programme of events at the Charterhouse

Delia Derbyshire 80th celebrations

Delia Derbyshire will always be remembered as the Electronic Music pioneer who gave us the iconic 'Doctor Who' theme tune. But her genius was more than just one piece of music and working for the BBC Radiophonic workshop. A street is to be named after her in the Stoke Heath area and the Coventry Society are putting up a 'Blue Plaque' on her old Coventry home in Cedars Avenue. A special concert in the Cathedral ruins and talks and events at the Coventry Music Museum are all part of the 80th celebrations of her birthday.

Delia Derbyshire was born in Coventry on 5th May 1937. She was born and lived at 124 Cedars Avenue with her father Edward a sheet metal worker in a local car factory and her mum Mary Amelia, nee Dawson. In 1939 they moved up the road to 104 Cedars Avenue. Delia would have been in Coventry when the Blitz happened and they say she used the sounds of the air raid sirens, the drone of the German bomber aircraft engines and the swishing sounds as the 'incendiary bombs' dropped, as her inspiration in the making of the iconic music in the 'Doctor Who' theme tune.

She was educated at Barrs Hill Girls School, Coventry. At the age of 19 she went to Girton College, Cambridge, where she was awarded a degree in mathematics and music.

Delia Derbyshire was of course most famous for producing the electronic 'realisation' of Ron Grainer's theme tune for 'Doctor Who' but she worked with many musicians including Paul McCartney and George Harrison in 1966 and on the sound-track for the Yoko Ono film in 1967. She also influenced many musicians and bands including Karlheinz Stockhausen, George Martin, Pink Floyd and the Chemical Brothers.

Delia Derbyshire has a special section devoted to her in the Coventry Music Museum, Ball Hill. The museum is well worth a visit, it is situated in the Two tone Village, 74-80 Walsgrave Road, Coventry.

Delia died in July 2001 aged 64. After her death, 267 reel-to-reel tapes and a box of a thousand papers were found in her attic. These were entrusted to Mark Ayres of the BBC and in 2007 were given on permanent loan to the University of Manchester. Almost all the tapes were digitized in 2007 by Louis Niebur and David Butler, but none of this music has been published because of copyright complications. In 2010, the University acquired Delia's childhood collection of papers and artefacts including her 'child's gas mask' from Andi Wolf who lives in her old home in Coventry. This collection is accessible at the John Rylands Library in Manchester.

As part of the celebrations for what would have been her 80th Birthday, there are a number of events including a music concert in the Coventry Cathedral Ruins on Friday 5th May from 7 pm. until 11.30 pm. Tickets are available from the 'Tin' on thetinmusicandarts.org.uk/events/deliaphonic £15 advance / £12 concession. The evening will be featuring Pete Kember (Sonic Boom), Dr. Peter Zinovieff, Hannah Peel, Jerry Dammers (from the Specials) playing a DJ set of Ambient and electronic 'Library Music' some from Delia Derbyshire. The event is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Coventry City of Culture Trust.

Details of celebrations for Delia Derbyshire's 80th Birthday celebration.

The Coventry Society will shortly be erecting a blue plaque to celebrate Delia Derbyshire. More information to follow. 

Famous Coventry Sculptor Dies at 81

We are sad to report the recent death of Jean Parker, the Coventry sculptor who created The Enfolding, outside the Herbert Gallery. 

The following letter has been received from her son James.

"It's lovely to hear about your interest in my mother's work. She was very talented and creative as i'm sure you're aware.

"She grew up in liverpool the youngest of four with three older brothers. She was born 30.03.36. Having married Ron in Liverpool they moved to Birmingham then to Coventry in 1978 when he got a consultant surgeon job at Walsgrave. Mum initially trained to be a teacher in Matlock but had always had artistic flair and once the children were older she did a foundation in art at the 'lanch' at cov poly. She went on to do both a degree in art and masters in fine art there. She has had many commissions nationally for her art, with her bald statements series of heads on grief is still being exhibited for free on request by the westhill foundation. She has also made prints, written poetry. She has always been an active member of the united reformed church, being an elder in Brinklow.

"She moved from Brinklow four years ago for a quieter life in Bude, close to her eldest daughter Rachel. Inevitably she didn't have a quiet life as she quickly made many friends, many through university of the third age, where she was part of the poetry group, book group and ukelele group. She died quite unexpectedly on Sunday 23rd April at home having had a lovely day and having played in her ukulele band's first concert that afternoon.

"She's having a funeral in Bude on 6th May and a memorial in Brinklow URC on 10th may at 11am."

New exhibition celebrates motoring pioneer who saved Kenilworth Castle

Speed and Power exhibition at Kenilworth Castle Now Open

A landmark new exhibition – ‘Speed and Power: John Siddeley, Pioneer of the Motor Age’ – opened at Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire this week, celebrating motoring pioneer John Davenport Siddeley, 1st Baron Kenilworth, the founder of Armstrong Siddeley Motors who bought the castle in 1937, and placed it in the care of the Ministry of Works in 1938.

Working with the Armstrong Siddeley Heritage Trust, English Heritage has gathered a selection of artefacts and ephemera to tell the story of Siddeley’s lifelong association with the glamorous worlds of motoring and aviation. The new exhibition, Speed and Power: John Siddeley, Pioneer of the Motor Age, bring Siddeley’s work back to the castle gatehouse, which famously found itself called into service as his company’s drawing office during the Second World War when Armstrong Siddeley’s Parkside Works in Coventry were bombed out during the Blitz.

Siddeley started out developing racing bicycles in the 1890s and he went on to create the hugely successful British engineering group, Amstrong Siddeley, best known for producing luxury motor cars and aircraft engines. In the interwar years, Armstrong Siddeley was celebrated for its luxurious cars, and wealthy clients included the future King George VI who took the Queen Mother on their honeymoon in his own Siddeley in 1923. In 1935, Siddeley arranged a merger with Hawker Aircraft, resulting in the creation of Hawker Siddeley, a partnership which became vital to the war effort during the Second World War. In 1937, Siddeley was created Baron Kenilworth and he bought the castle in the same year, placing it in the care of the Ministry of Works in 1938.

The exhibition once again brings the glamour of Armstrong Siddeley’s cars and aeroplanes to Kenilworth Castle , and the centrepiece is a 1937 painting of Siddeley himself - loaned by the Siddeley family - by Frank Salisbury, the celebrated artist known for his portraits of Winston Churchill, the Queen and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Other highlights include:

• A Grand Prix d’Honneur trophy won by one of Siddeley’s cars in the 1931 Monte Carlo Rally
• A 1917 letter from Windsor Castle following Queen Mary’s visit to Coventry’s Parkside Works
• Equipment from the drawing office which was once housed within the castle gatehouse
• Furniture from the boardroom at the company’s Parkside Works
• An anvil made from a yew tree which stood beside the Parkside Works until it was felled during an air raid on 14 November 1940.
• Sphinx mascots and items relating to Siddeley’s glamorous cars

The exhibition also features family activities, including a chance to design your own Armstrong Siddeley car and a game based on an epic 1933 journey by William Bradley and daughter Margaret from London to Istanbul in a Siddeley Special car.

Martin Allfrey, Senior Collections Curator at English Heritage said:

“We are delighted to be bringing this fascinating new exhibition to Kenilworth Castle. It is great not only to be able to celebrate the motoring history of the area, but also explore a forgotten chapter in the castle’s history, when the gatehouse joined the war effort as the drawing room for Siddeley’s Parkside Works. We are very lucky to have been able to work with the Armstrong Siddeley Heritage Trust and the Siddeley family to bring these stories alive with items from their extensive collections.”

Chris Allen, Director of the Armstrong Siddeley Heritage Trust said:

“The motto of the Armstrong Siddeley Heritage Trust is ‘To educate and preserve’ and it has been an honour to join forces with English Heritage to show the general public the great contribution that J. D. Siddeley made to both the automotive and aircraft industries in this country, and the part played by Kenilworth Castle.”

In addition to the exhibition, a special event exploring the spirit of the 1930s at Kenilworth Castle, The Thrilling Thirties will take place over the weekend of Sat 22 & Sun 23 July 2017, offering visitors the chance to experience the sights and sounds of Kenilworth in the interwar years with a celebration of 1930s style and technology inspired by motoring pioneer Sir John Siddeley, the former owner of Kenilworth Castle, including Siddeley vehicles and all the fun of a vintage fair.

There is more about the exhibitiion here:

You are cordially invited to the Coventry Society's Free event for Civic Day 2017.

Saturday 17th June 2017 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

At The Old Grammar School, Hales Street

Please join us to celebrate Civic Voice's National promotion of Civic Pride, "Civic Day". This year we are focussing on the 50th Anniversary of the Civic Amenity Act 1967 that established the concept of Conservation Areas. Our event is based at the historic Old Grammar School, located in the Lady Herbert’s Garden and the Burges Conservation Area, which was recently extended to include additional parts of the Burges. We will be spotlighting the regeneration plans for the Burges as well as the “daylighting” of the River Sherbourne.

This year our event is part of Coventry’s Positive Images Festival as well as the Year of the Sherbourne and we will be using it to promote Coventry’s bid to be City of Culture 2021.

There are lots of fun and educational activities for all the family.

• Meet the Deputy Lord Mayor at 12.00 noon.
• An exhibition of the history of the Burges
• An exhibition on the regeneration plans for the Burges
• Historical walking tours of the Conservation Area
• Join Warwickshire Wildlife Trust for a tour of the City’s wildlife, hopefully including the Cathedral’s Peregrine Falcon.
• Tours of the Old Grammar School
• Visit the hidden River Sherbourne and see the plans to “daylight” part of it.
• A colouring project for children / adults
• Ring the historic Old Grammar School bell (for a donation)
• Take tea and cakes with The Little Vintage Tea Company
• Coventry Historian Peter Walters will be signing his latest book
• Sale of goods stall – cards, book, leaflets etc.
• Quill making workshop
• Join a tour of the City Walls with the Deep Fat Fryer at 12.00 noon (charges apply)
• Children’s activities
• Meet the Coventry Ambassadors.