Historic Coventry Trust is an organisation dedicated to championing Coventry’s heritage. In the city centre, they are currently undergoing exciting projects at Swanswell and Cook Street Gates and Lady Herbert’s Garden. The city gates are being carefully restored and internally transformed into unique holiday cottages, to give visitors an immersive experience of Coventry’s heritage and ensure the gates survival for future generations. The gates will also be opened to the public for open days, the first being for a heritage open day on September 19th of this year.
Lady Herbert’s Garden is also a significant heritage site for the city, but has declined in recent years due to neglect and antisocial behaviour. Historic Coventry Trust have exciting plans to help revive the space through activities and events, volunteering and community outreach, to return the garden to the ‘haven of peace and floral beauty’ that founder Sir Alfred Herbert originally intended it to be.
As part of the engagement programme the Trust is creating a community history page on its website, as a place to gather and share local memories of these sites. If you have any experiences or stories about the city gates and Lady Herbert’s Garden that you would like to share, they would love to hear from you!
Entries should be no more than 500 words long, and any accompanying pictures are very welcome. These should be sent to [email protected]. Please note that entries will be credited by name on the website unless you request otherwise.
Consider:
- What do the city gates mean to you, and what are your most significant memories of the site?
- What does Lady Herbert’s Garden mean to you, and what are your most significant memories of the site?
- How have you seen the sites and surrounding area change over time? Do you have any photos that demonstrate this?
- What significance do you see the sites having in Coventry’s heritage?
