Coventry’s Secret Printing Press
coventrysociety Although the days of Good Queen Bess are portrayed as a golden age, particularly for the arts, exploration and commerce, it was not an age of free speech. It was…
Heritage and History
John Rastell 1475-1536
From his prison cell, John Rastell reflected bitterly on the crushing nature of his downfall after a life of startling achievement. He was, he wrote, ‘now by long imprisonment brought…
Going Smokeless in Coventry
It was 69 years ago that Coventry became the first UK city to go smokeless. March 1st, 1951 became ‘No Smoke Day’, heralding Coventry city centre as the UK’s first…
The White Lion Inn, Smithford Street
The White Lion Inn, Smithford Street – from murderous deeds to philanthropic endeavour News was recently revealed that an old pub sign, made of ornamental tiles and bearing the name…
St. Nicholas Church, Radford – soon to be demolished!
In his talk to the Coventry Society in February 2020, architect Aidan Ridyard, focused our attention on St. Nicholas Church in Radford. It is an interesting example of post-war Church…
The Knights Templar
One of our planned Summer visits was to Temple Balsall in Solihull to learn something of the Knights Templar and their connection with the area. Sadly, because of the ongoing…
Selina Dix – the Campaigning Head
Selina Dix was the daughter of Edward Dix, a lace machine smith and his wife Emma, and was born in Beeston, Nottingham, on 15th March, 1859. She took over the…
Gordon Cullen – The Townscape Man
At the last CovSoc meeting we heard a presentation from Lesley Durbin about the restoration of the Cullen tile mural in the Lower Precinct. But who was Gordon Cullen and…
Upgrading the Guildhall
Major plans are developing to make St. Mary’s Guildhall fit for the 21st Century. A dual faceted approach is being proposed – with a heritage offering and a commercial offering.…
Half a Century of Civic Care
The Coventry Society was formed in 1970 as the Coventry Civic Amenity Society by a group of people concerned at the loss of some 80 historic and listed buildings in…