Off to Coventry on Saturday

[rh100]

Jaguars are made in Birmingham and Liverpool - Browns Lane is design only, IIRC.
Modec are the electric van people.
LTI make taxis in Coventry. Probably the UKs largest wholly UK owned car maker, although Aston Martin sell fewer, higher priced models.

And Whitley of course

 

[TVC]

As said, the motor museum, they've got Thrust SSC which is worth the trip on its own.

 

[ColinJ]

Not entirely true

Jaguar
black cabs were made there - are they still?
somewhere else makes electric vehicles
Rolls Royce I think (wasn't that where some early British space race engine testing took place, out the back of Cov somewhere?)

not the same as its hay day but still

Jaguar's Browns Lane factory is a shadow of its former self and is under threat of complete closure - BBC report.

The black taxi cabs are now largely made in China - Birmingham Post report.

 

[rich p]

There was a tatty old pub I can recommend from my stint in Stoke, Coventry called the Northfield Arms. I was at uni during the IRA bomb campaign but we reckoned we were safe there because the juke box only had Republican songs on it.

 

[ColinJ]

If you go to the Cathedrals make sure you go up the tower in the old building.  The views across the city are worth the climb in good weather.  You go past the bells in the tower so on the hour could be interestingly loud.

When I went up it as a child, the only views I got were of a faceful of sandstone! (No head for heights)  A schoolfriend was leaning over the parapet and shouting out "Wow, look at that!" - I declined the offer...

By coincidence, Climbing Great Buildings this evening features an abseil between the old and new cathedrals in Coventry - it might be worth a look!

 

[guitarpete247]

GF and I saw a play about the Coventry bombings "One night in November" earlier this year and she decided she wanted to go and see what was left. We went and parked up near IKEA and found we were in the Spon Street area. A street of delightful medieval buildings, and a couple of nice pubs. If only that night (November 14th 1940) hadn't happened we would have been left with a fantstic medieval city. Wandering round you can see where buildings have gone to be replaced. Spotting sections of the old city walls here and there, the old section of the registry office and Fords Hospital Alms House are gems in an otherwise 50's 60's shopping centre city. We enjoy going over there as it's not too far for us and we find something new everytime. (Sad gits that we are )

 

[biggs682]

motor museum and cathedral are meant to be both good , have nt done either

 

[Riverman]

Thanks guys, I've just realised it's only £3.20 for a return to Birmingham New Street at certain times of the day so might be best just to go there for the day instead and come back to Coventry in the late afternoon.

 

[jig-sore]

transport museum has a good bike section, well worth the visit.

sadly i cant think of any thing else good about Coventry

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I'm living in Coventry and I can't think of anything that hasn't already been mentioned.

 

[Cheule]

Same here.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Same here.

What area? I'm in Holbrooks.

 

[Cheule]

Ah, a Northener!

I'm in the City Centre.

 

[Black Sheep]

Things to do in coventry:

Head to the old cathedral, it's the central point of the ring road, but once there, everything down the hill from it is the university
the tourist information centre is in the base of the spire - of which you can go up, but don't be in the stairs when the bells chime the hour!
the transport museum is good, even if your not a petrol head - there is a motorbike and a bike section to it. there is also an ice-cream van display on at the moment (free)
the herbert museum and gallery is near the cathedral and was free last time I went in

if your after a sandwich about lunch time, i recommend the deli, it's across from the herbert museum and is great - any sandwich you want, they'll make it
if your after somewhere to while away the day, Browns, near the herbert, is nice.


have fun finding your way through the subway network into the centre

 

[Black Sheep]

GF and I saw a play about the Coventry bombings "One night in November" earlier this year and she decided she wanted to go and see what was left. We went and parked up near IKEA and found we were in the Spon Street area. A street of delightful medieval buildings, and a couple of nice pubs. If only that night (November 14th 1940) hadn't happened we would have been left with a fantstic medieval city. Wandering round you can see where buildings have gone to be replaced. Spotting sections of the old city walls here and there, the old section of the registry office and Fords Hospital Alms House are gems in an otherwise 50's 60's shopping centre city. We enjoy going over there as it's not too far for us and we find something new everytime. (Sad gits that we are )

Spon street got heavily bombed during the war, many of those buildings are from other areas of the city that were being re-developed

they were regarded as too good to destroy, so were moved there.

I got married in the registry office - which doubled for the witches house in an episode of doctor who a year or two back. It used to be a gatehouse for the black prince's manner house in stivichall if memory serves me correctly.

I currently live in earlsdon, and have done for the past three years

I saw a night in november a year or two ago, the opening night nearly got cancelled due to a WW2 bomb being found on the building site next door to the theater

the night we were in, the smoke machines / smoke from the pyrotechnics set the fire alarm off.