An interactive, digital record of Coventry, featuring maps and photographs charting the city’s history, has been launched with a call to the public to get involved.
The Coventry Atlas tracks the city’s story in layers from the age of Lady Godiva into the modern era through thousands of drawings, maps and photos, with text to support collections of images based on people and places.
And now Coventry folk are being asked to upload onto the site their own images to build up a bank of photographs that will eventually lead to every street in Coventry being represented on the Atlas. They can submit material for the Atlas through Coventry University’s new Coventry Digital site, which was launched earlier this month and will shortly introduce a submissions portal, making contributing easier.
Coventry Atlas will also act as an educational resource – with specific learning packs aimed at schools – and is designed to be accessible on both desktops and mobile phones.
It has been produced by Coventry City of Culture Trust with a range of partners including Coventry University, Culture Coventry and Photo Archive Miners. Copywriting for the project is by Coventry Society member Peter Walters, while education consultant Madalyn Baskerville has been responsible for schools resources.
Photo Miners will be working with communities over the next few months to develop trails through the city. The trails will encourage people to get out and explore different bits of Coventry and will be created from collections of community-contributed images and stories which will be available on Coventry Atlas.
Mark Cook, from Photo Miners, said “We have a fantastic platform in the Atlas. Now we need to work with the public to surface the hidden stories that make Coventry so special.”
Chenine Bhathena, of Coventry City of Culture Trust, said, “It’s something for everyone who lives, works or studies in Coventry to enjoy and also a resource to learn about the history of the city, right down to the road each individual lives in. For us to be able to showcase the history of each area and every street, we need people from right across Coventry to come forward with their images and help us build up Coventry Atlas as a lasting legacy of UK City of Culture 2021.”
Dr Benjamin Kyneswood, from Coventry University, said, “It’s been great working with the Trust to show items in Coventry Digital on the Atlas. It gives the public another way to enjoy their heritage and share their stories of the city.”
The project has also received contributions from the Historic Coventry Trust, historian Dr Mark Webb, Historic Towns Atlas and many Coventry photographers, past and present.