The Coventry Society is pleased to announce that it is moving to a new home for its monthly meetings.
After several years of meeting at the Shopfront Theatre in City Arcade, from the end of the lock-down the Society will be meeting at The Old Grammar School in Hales Street.
Vince Hammersley, Chair of the Society, said “We are extremely grateful to Theatre Absolute who provided us with a home at the Shopfront Theatre when we were homeless. Looking to the future we feel that The Old Grammar School better meets our needs and we are happy to be supporting one of Coventry’s iconic historic buildings. Our thanks to Culture Coventry for making this move possible and we look forward to working together closer in the future.”
The Old Grammar School is a Grade 1 Listed Building which dates back to the 12th Century. It was originally the chapel and the Hospital of St John and was used as a Grammar School from 1545.
The building was recently restored with funding from the Heritage Lottery and the European Regional Development Fund.
The Coventry Society has had a long history with the Old Grammar School having campaigned for its restoration and re-use over many years. The Society declared the building to be one of “The Big Five” in a campaign to save the city’s iconic historic buildings (the others being Whitefriars, County Hall, Draper’s Hall and the Charterhouse).
The Society has helped staff the Old Grammar School on Heritage Open Days for several years and the Society held its first Heritage Conference at the Old Grammar School in 2019.
Following the restoration of the building the Society put it forward for the 2016 Design Awards from Civic Voice and received a “Highly commended” status, with a plaque which is on display there. 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 Society is hoping that it will be able to hold its first post lock-down public meeting on Monday 12th October 2020, subject to the regulations permitting it at that time. The meeting will include tours of the building, a short AGM (delayed from April) and presentations by members of the Society. When permitted the building will also be able to offer a bar for refreshments before and after meetings.
There is more about the Old Grammar School here: