Quirky Coventry

Coventry has been an important settlement in the middle of England since the Middle Ages. To protest against the Saxon Earl Leofric’s taxation the legend arose of Lady Godiva’s naked ride through Coventry. Coventry grew in wealth through the mediaeval cloth trade, had its city walls destroyed during the Civil War because of its support for the Parliamentarians, then became the centre of new industries of ribbon weaving and clock-making and later, bicycle-making and motor manufacturing. Massive destruction of the historical city took place during the Blitz in the Second World War and a modernised, rebuilt city emerged in the later twentieth century. In Quirky Coventry author David McGrory delves into the fascinating tales from Coventry’s past. In this book, readers will find stories of the original Peeping Tom, the origins of the saying ‘sent to Coventry’, the clerk who attempted to kill Edward III by witchcraft, an eighteenth century female soldier, curious buildings to be found in the city, the city’s mediaeval Mystery Plays, the development of Coventry’s unique dialect through time, a prehistoric elephant found on the site of a car factory and much, much more. Quirky Coventry celebrates the unusual and often strange history of Coventry and its characters over the years. This fascinating insight into Coventry will be of interest to all those who want to know more about the city’s quirky history.