List of commemorative plaques in Coventry
This is a list of commemorative plaques (including blue plaques) in the city of Coventry, England.
Coventry is a city full of rich culture and history with notable figures and events. Typically, notable figures and landmarks which mark the heritage of the city will have a blue plaque nearby to the landmark or statues. Chairman of the Coventry Society, Keith Draper, says, "All over the city, we have plaques of various shapes, sizes and colours that tell the story of prominent people and their achievements, and of important events".[1] The list of plaques can be found below.
Plaques
 |
| Subject | Notability | Location | Plaque Image | Year installed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siegfried Bettmann (1863-1951) | Coventry Live write how, "he was president of the Coventry Liberal Association, a freemason, a founder member and president of Coventry’s Chamber of Commerce, a Justice of the Peace, and chairman of the Standard Motor Company, and in 1913 he became Mayor of Coventry - the first non-British subject ever to do so"[2] | Stoke Park. | 2015 | |
| Dame Ellen Terry (1847-1928). | Women's history Network highlights how Terry was "A prominent Shakespearean actress born in Coventry. She is one of the most respected performers of the era and achieved international success."[3] | Upper Precinct. | 2015 | |
| One of the few surviving three-storied jettied buildings of Coventry. | The Plaque highlights one of the few building left in Coventry which was bombed in the Blitz where Coventry was known to be heavily affected by it. | Spon Street. | 1500 | |
| In memory of the 45 Comrades that fell in the WWI 1914-1918. | Created by the Coventry Chain Co which paid tribute to the 45 comrades of theirs who lost their lives in the First World War. | Koco Building, Spon street. | ||
| Coventry Watch Industry. | One of the watch workshops of the Coventry Co Operative Watch Manufacturing Society set up by the watchmakers. | Mount Street. | 2000 | |
| The Phoenix by George Wagstaffe. | A Sculpture that highlights the rebuilding of Coventry and was unveiled by Princess Margret. This sculpture symbolises the rebuilding of the city using the mythical Phoenix Bird creature which rises out of the ashes of a fire.[4] | Hertford Street. | 1984 | |
| The ruined cathedral church of St Michael. | This was one of the largest parish churches in England at the time, built for the Earls half of Coventry. This is one of the defining monuments for Coventry which dominates the city centre.
Atlas Obscura writes how; "The original St Michaels Cathedral in Coventry was built between the late 14th century and early 15th century. It now stands ruined, bombed almost to destruction during the massive attack on the city by German bombers on the night of November 14th, 1940.[5] After the war, the cathedral was not rebuilt on site but left in ruins as a testament to the futility of war."[5] |
St Michaels Avenue. | ||
| Delia Ann Derbyshire. | She is best known for carrying out pioneering work with the BBC Radiophonic Workshop during the 1960s, including the theme music to the British series Doctor Who..[6] Derbyshire was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts at Coventry University. | Coventry University. | 2017 | |
| Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS. | Whittle was a Royal Air Force officer who made a major contribution to the invention of the jet engine.[7] | Millenium Place | 2007 | |
| Lady Godiva Clock. | A clock in Coventry shows puppets playing the story of Lady Godiva and how she rode across Coventry on a horse naked and peeping Tom who disobeyed the order stay behind closed doors.
The Coventry Society recalls, "On the hour the bell strikes, the doors open and from the right hand door comes a figure of Lady Godiva riding a white horse. She travels a short distance and goes through the other door out of sight. While this is happening above is another window that also opens and out pops the head of Peeping Tom. He has a quick look then covers his eyes as it is said he was struck blind, and quickly pops his head back in. All the doors then close for another hour."[8] |
Hertford Street, Coventry. | 
|
|
| Philip Larkin CH CBE FRSL (1922-1985). | Larkin was a renowned poet and novelist born in Coventry.
The Independent says, "His poems evoke the widest range of moods, from the heartwarming celebration of The Whitsun Weddings to the bloody-minded zest of Toads; from the yearning of An Arundel Tomb to the despair of Aubade".[9] |
Coventry Station, Platform One. | ||
| The Council House. | 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 gilded armorial decoration under giant figures of Leofric and Godiva.[10] | Earl Street. | 1913 | |
| Highfield Road Stadium. | This was the home of Coventry City Football Club from 1899-2005. Coventry Live reminisces fondly on how "Highfield Road was in the heart of one of Coventry’s communities and you could basically see into people’s homes between the stands, which added to the feel that the club was part of the city itself."[11] | Signet Square. | 2008 | |
| St Mary's Hall. | This landmark is located in the city's historic Cathedral Quarter, the magnificent medieval interiors and fine artworks offer a window into Coventry's glorious past. Mary, Queen of Scots, and Shakespeare are some of the few notable figures who have visited this historic landmark.[12] | Bayley Lane. | 
|
2017 |
| The Hand and Heart. | This was a public house that was known to house a number of major musical bands, the Coventry band The Specials were one of the artists. Reggae band Hardtop 22 played there – a few months later key members of the band would form the core of the Selecter. On February 23, 1978, a band called the Coventry Automatics played the venue; on Friday, December 1, 1978, they returned as the Specials.[13] | Far Gosford Street
52°24′28″N 1°29′43″W / 52.407788°N 1.495206°W |
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|
2009 |
References
- ^ Griffin, Mary (5 July 2011). "Coventry Society asks people to help compile city plaques gallery". CoventryLive. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
- ^ Gibbons, Duncan (6 August 2017). "World War One: When Coventry's German-born Lord Mayor was forced from office". CoventryLive. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Law, Dr Kate (14 November 2018). "The Enigma of Ellen Terry (1847-1928) – Dr. Veronica Isaac". Women's History Network. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Phoenix - The Coventry Society". www.coventrysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Coventry Cathedral Ruins". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "BBC Two - An Adventure in Space and Time - Delia Derbyshire". BBC. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "BBC - History - Frank Whittle". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Godiva Clock - The Coventry Society". www.coventrysociety.org.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Philip Larkin: Misogynist, racist, miserable? Or caring, playful man". The Independent. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Plaques, Open. "Open Plaques". openplaques.org. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Eccleston, Ben (30 April 2020). "'Nothing beat it' - Ten things we miss about Highfield Road". CoventryLive. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Pearce, Matt. "Visiting St Mary's Guildhall". www.stmarysguildhall.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ Chambers, Pete (26 November 2009). "Hand on Heart, it was a fantastic 2-Tone pub!". CoventryLive. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
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