Coventry Heritage Tour

The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum is the perfect place to delve into Coventry’s history and engage with art and culture. You can investigate the natural world, modern art, and the Old Masters. Wander through dazzling interactive displays, and enjoy the latest exhibitions while admiring the building’s unique architecture. The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum is named after Sir Alfred Herbert, a local industrialist who founded Alfred Herbert Limited, at one time the world's largest manufacturer of machine tools. As well as the art gallery’s ever-changing displays which are often created in partnership with national museums, the Herbert offers a wide range of detailed talks, fantastic events and inventive workshops for adults and families. The Herbert Art Gallery encourages creativity, exploration and fun. Gain a fresh perspective on the legend of Lady Godiva, delve into the Coventry Archives, and explore British & European paintings from the 1500s onwards. All of this is just a stone’s throw away from Coventry Cathedral. The permanent galleries range from the Visual Arts, to Social and Industrial History, Archaeology and Natural History, there is something for every visitor. The Herbert is also home to Coventry Archives, the city’s destination for historical documents, photographs, maps and archival materials. The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum Shop is located on the ground floor. It is filled with amazing items and some fantastic souvenirs for you to take home. Money spent in the gift shop will go straight back into conserving the collection for future generations to enjoy! Alongside there is Alfred's Café serving British authentic food and delicious coffee. Located in the heart of Coventry city centre, next to the historic Cathedral, the Herbert is the perfect place to learn more about the history of Coventry and immerse yourself in some art and culture.

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Although it blends in well with the buildings surrounding it, St. Mary’s Guildhall was built between 1340 and 1342 on the site of the former Coventry Castle. It hosted the first meeting of the guild of St. Mary in 1342, which is where it gets its present name from. Guilds were merchant fraternities for the city's leading businessmen, which regulated trade in the city, influenced civic government, and promoted moral principles. Throughout the middle ages, the Guildhall acted as the focus of guild business, chiefly as a ceremonial space, meeting place, and banqueting hall. Kings Henry V, VI and VII all were entertained at the hall, and Mary Queen of Scots sought refuge overnight in the guild in the winter of 1569. It was utilised as an Armoury during the English Civil War, and even as a soup kitchen for weavers who had been left destitute by a collapse in their trade in the nineteenth century. It was also used as a Council House where the local government made decisions regularly until the 1800’s, and the venue was used for the annual ‘mayor-making’ ceremony from 1349 until as recently as 2002.
The Guildhall largely survived the devastation of the Coventry Blitz in 1940. Its current role is as a primary venue for civic functions, welcoming visitors from around the world, and hosting weddings and celebrations for the people of Coventry and beyond., continuing its long history of hosting a variety of different purposes.

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The Coventry Cathedral Ruins are the remnants of the second Cathedral to serve Coventry, the first being demolished in 1539 due to Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. The second, known as the Church of St. Michael’s, was built before this but it was designated as a Cathedral much later in 1918. At 90 metres high, the spire is the tallest structure in Coventry and it is also the third tallest Cathedral Spire in England, after Salisbury Cathedral and Norwich Cathedral. The spire is also home to 12 bells, and there are 181 steps to walk up to get to the panoramic views of Coventry which can be seen from the top. On the main floor of the ruins, there are numerous memorials, one of the most prominent being the Charred Cross which is where the altar used to be. Near to this is the Coventry Blitz Museum which is accessible in what used to be known as St. Michael’s Hall, situated below the altar. Some of the stained glass is still present in some of the former windows of the cathedral too. Another prominent memorial is the Reconciliation statue, installed in 1977 in the former nave of the Cathedral. Due to similar bombing campaigns employed by the Allies towards the end of the Second World War, the people of Coventry established links with some German cities such as Dresden and Kiel, of which the Cathedral gifted the city of Kiel a cross. The Coventry Cross of Nails was employed as a symbol of Peace and Reconciliation, the original cross was made out of three large nails which were salvaged from the roof of the cathedral after the bombing.

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The Blitz Museum is a “Hidden gem” of coventry. Hidden in the depths of an iconic city landmark, the Coventry Blitz museum is a treasure trove of history that brings the 1940s in Coventry to life. You can immerse yourself in the reconstructed 1940s school room, kitchen and bomb shelters that have all been positioned in such a way as to allow visitors to get interactive and learn about what Coventry was like in the 1940s. The museum was opened in 2002 and is filled with real life artefacts that Coventry residents have donated from their lives during the war. The museum is certainly tucked away, and is situated behind the altar in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. A symbol of our resilience as a city, the Cathedral is often the first stop for tourists and locals alike. The Blitz came to define the war-time experience of many people in Coventry, as huge parts of the city were destroyed or damaged. From the old 1940s style classroom, to the immersive walk through the Blitz experience, the museum is a powerful reminder of the city's heritage.

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After the bombing of Coventry Cathedral in the Blitz of 1940, Coventry was without a Cathedral until a competition was launched to find an architect to build a new one in 1950. The winning architect was Sir Basil Spence. It was decided that rather than rebuild over the Cathedral Ruins, a new Cathedral should be built next to it as a statement of remembrance and progression, with a physical connection connecting the two buildings. The foundation stone of the new Cathedral was laid by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956, and the new cathedral was consecrated in 1962. The design of the cathedral is unlike most, adopting a modernist approach with the maximum height being 24 metres high, at the unconventional spire known as a flèche. On the outside of the Cathedral you can find the prominent St Michael's Victory over the Devil statue created in 1958, which symbolises the victory of good over evil. Inside the cathedral one of the most prominent features is the Christ in Glory in the Tetramorph tapestry which depicts Jesus Christ. It measures 23 metres by 12 metres and was unveiled in 1962. The Cathedral remains a site of reconciliation, and it regularly hosts events and galleries to keep the dialogue of this open. Worship remains central for the cathedral, with daily services open for everyone regardless of religious background.

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Coventry Transport Museum houses the largest publicly owned collection of British vehicles on the planet and tells the story of a city which changed the world through transport. Fourteen fully accessible galleries are home to the fastest vehicle in the world, pioneering bicycles, transport champions and many of the most innovative, memorable and luxurious vehicles of the last 200 years. For those seeking more adventure, walk through The Blitz experience or enjoy a ride in one of three 4D simulator rides. It is home to the Thrust2 and ThrustSSC, the British jet cars which broke the land speed record in 1983 and 1997, respectively, and cars owned by royalty including Queen Mary's and King George V's State limousines. Aside from the collection itself, themuseum includes touring exhibitions from across the globe, hands on family activities and a wide range of events from Breakfast Clubs to fusion festivals. It also has a cafe and picnic areas throughout the museum, as well as a gift shop. The Museum’s collection consists of motor cars, commercial vehicles, cycles and motorcycles. In addition, extensive collections of automobilia, books, photographs and a wealth of other archive material is held and conserved at the Coventry Archives at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.
Coventry Transport Museum aims to educate and inspire visitors through the history and development of vehicle manufacturing in Coventry over the last 150-years; highlighting Coventry’s transport heritage and its central place in the British car industry. The exhibition spaces that tell the stories of the people that lived and worked in the city through the road transport vehicles they produced.

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The Belgrade Theatre is the primary live performance venue in Coventry city centre. Built in 1958, it was the first theatre to be built after the Second World War and it gets its name from the Serbian capital city Belgrade, due to it being the source of the timber used in its construction. The theatre can seat 858 people and throughout its history it has been a pioneer in community and arts initiatives beginning with Theatre-in-Education movement in the 1960s. To this day it continues to provide access to the arts to disadvantaged communities through other programmes such as Acting Out. It provides acting and dance classes as well to complement its community programme. Not only does it provide shows that tackle social norms, it offers a diverse programme of productions from touring musicals to critically acclaimed plays, alongside traditional pantomimes, comedy, and live music. More recently in 2017, the theatre was used as the venue for the announcement of the 2021 UK City of Culture result, and the theatre will host numerous events throughout the City of Culture year.

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