Coventry’s Council House is an imposing red sandstone building. An inscription on the building reads as follows:
Built 1913-17. The red sandstone facing and early tudor styling was chosen by a competition to be in keeping with nearby St Mary’s Hall. The large porch is flanked by guilded armorial decoration under giant figures of Leofric and Godiva. Architects E. Garret & H.W. Simister of Birmingham.
Inside the building I met Mick who remembered me from when I had previously visited together with Pru. He took me to see the community tapestry. The tapestry was an idea by Pru and commissioned by the Godiva Trust. It is formed of 20 panels created by artists and various multi-cultural and multi-generational communities in Coventry. It covers the key historical epochs in Coventry over the last 1000 years. The tapestry was created for the 1000 anniversary of the destruction of the convent of St Osburga by Cnut the Great. It was displayed at Coventry Cathedral in May 2017.
I have set out all the tapestry panels in the slideshow below:
Mick also took me to see various historical photographs of Coventry and helpfully answered all my questions.
He gave a brochure to the montage and sent me to visit St Mary’s Guildhall
Pocket number 23: Marion at St Mary’s Guildhall >>
Artrospektive 