Coventry Society member Peter Garbett has used his lockdown at home more productively than many of us. He has created a huge model of the City of Coventry as it was in 1509.
The model measures four metres square and includes all of the main buildings that were present in 1509. This was early in the reign of King Henry VIII and before the dissolution of the monasteries. Coventry was an important city at that time of its history.
The model includes the Benedictine Priory and Cathedral of St. Mary’s which dominated the city in medieval times. The city’s spires or St. Michael’s, Holy Trinity and Christchurch also existed as well as St. John the Baptist Church, Bablake Hospital and Ford’s Hospital.
The City walls and gates surrounding the main area of the city were in pristine condition, with the Charterhouse outside the walls.
As well as the city’s most famous buildings, the model also shows rivers, homes and even cattle. The model is all to scale, and gives a realistic insight to what our city was like at the time.
Peter retired as a Community Safety Officer with Coventry City Council and also worked for the Fire Brigade and as a DJ. Peter leads the hugely popular Visit Historic Coventry Facebook group.
Peter spent 800 hours working on the model – eight hours a day, seven days a week, for four months.
The model has found a temporary home at Coventry Central Library where it will be on view during May and June. You can now visit the library without making a booking.
Peter is still looking for a permanent home for the model.
