Cooventry Society Newsletter - November 2017

Su da , O to er the first sa the re-lau h of the Chur h of St Mark’s at S a s ell Pool, ears to the da after it losed its doors. More tha ere there at the high e erg e e t to ele rate its resurre tio as a resour e hur h. It is ai ed at stude ts a d ou g people, usi g loud usi a d dis o lighti g to ri g a a ie t essage to a ou ger o gregatio .

A ordi g to Chur hCare A ity e tre resour e hur h is a Chur h hi h, orki g losely ith the lo al ishop, i te tio ally resour es issio a ross a ity, y pla ti g a d re italisi g hur hes, de elopi g leaders a d pro idi g other resour es for issio .

Its ai is to help e a gelise the ity a d tra sfor so iety.

The idea of ri gi g the Chur h a k to life as the isio of the Bishop of Co e tr , The Right Re ere d Dr Christopher Co ks orth, ho appoi ted Re ere d Phil Atki so a d his ife Ra hel to lead the St. Mark’s Chur h o u it .

Si e losi g i the uildi g had a aried e iste e, as a lo al radio statio , the Outpatie ts Depart e t of Co e tr a d War i kshire Hospital, a do tors surger a d a arehouse for Carriers of Hope, supporti g refugees a d e arri als i the it .

The ost ota le feature of the uildi g is a large ural o hat as origi all the east i do of the Chur h. The i do as ri ked up follo i g Warti e o da age a d i / the Chur h o issio ed Ger a é igré artist Ha s Fei us h to pai t a large ural, e titled As e sio .

Fei us h as a fa ous Je ish artist a d as the last to sur i e ho as i luded o Geo al's i fa ous list of "dege erate artists". He e igrated to Britai a d pai ted urals i hur hes a d i i uildi gs arou d the ou tr . He died i at the age of . Fei us h's ork is o re og ised as ei g of atio al i porta e.

Although the uildi g is a k i use a d prote ted, there is still u h to e do e to restore the fa ri of the uildi g a d to o ser e the ural. With Co e tr ’s id to e Cit of Culture the ti e is right to o ser e the ural for the future. It is u derstood that the Chur h pla to ake a appli atio to the Heritage Lotter Fu d a d the So iet has o itted its support to su h a appli atio .

We are delighted to see the Grade II listed St. Mark’s Chur h re-ope .

Monthly meeting

Follo i g the su ess of the talk gi e Jere Gould i No e er , Jere has agreed to retur to talk a out post- ar de elop e t i Co e tr , this ti e fo usi g o uildi gs outside the Ri g Road. The talk is titled "Co e tr the Su ur s".

Jere rites: The architectural history of British post-war cities has focused on the rebuilding of city centres. This lecture looks at the suburbs where the new Coventrians lived,worked and played. Here, architects and planners tried to create egalitarian, social democratic utopias against a background of political change and financial restriction. The suburbs were at once experimental and traditional; at best forming new communities and places, at worst creating remote, mono-cultural ghettos. Amongst it all was some of the best post-war architecture in Britain.

Refresh e ts Ad issio for Visitors £

November 2017

The Chur h of St Marks at S a s ell Pool filled to apa it he it as relau hed last o th, ears to the da after it losed its doors

Are you able to do a little bit more for the Coventry Society?

Would you like to contribute to a discussion about the future of the Society?

If the answer to these questions is YES, then please come to a participatory workshop: Tuesday, November 28 at 6.30 p.m. in the Board Room of the former Coventry Telegraph Building, Corporation Street.

The workshop will be led by Ian Harvey, Executive Director of Civic Voice.

Contacts Postal address: 77 Craven Street, Coventry CV5 8DT Chairman’s tel: 024 7640 2030 Email: info@coventrysociety.org.uk If Twitter is your thing, you can follow us at https://twitter.com/#!/CovSoc We also have our own page on Facebook.

You can also follow us there at http://www.facebook.com/CoventrySociety

More news and views on our website: www.coventrysociety.org.uk

At last the e is e e ed i te est i o e of the it s est-lo ed o ks of a t, the statue of a ou g gi l, Naiad, eated Co e t s ulpto Geo ge Wagstaffe.

His eatio s a e see a ou d Co e t a d Wa i kshi e, ut Naiad, his ost fa ous o k is u e tl i a Cou il sto e.

Effo ts a e o ei g ade Easte G ee a , Vi e t Ha e sle , ho is t i g to get it esto ed. He e e tl o ta ted the So iet to sa : Resto atio ost is £ , a d this i ludes t a spo tatio to the fou d . The o k ill take fou o ths. I ha e ee getti g lots of u offi ial i fo atio that Co e t U i e sit a e i te ested a d I ould 't o je t if it has st i t o ditio s ega di g lo atio a d pu li a ess. It should eall go a k i the po d fo hi h it as ade though.

Naiad o e sat i the pea eful ou t a d Pala e Ya d ut afte the featu e sta ted to go do hill a e ast as ade a d e-positio ed i Lad He e t s Ga de . Withi o ths it as a dalised a d etal thie es had oke it f ee f o its ou ti g. But the ust ha e ee distu ed as it as still i the ga de g ou ds. It as the o ed i to sto age.

It has ee a us o th ith the So iet ei g i ited de elope s a d the Cit Cou il to see se e al ajo s he es. ►The £ 7 pla Li hfields of Lo do fo the Uppe P e i t pi tu ed a o e . ►The Civic Centre plan being developed by Coventry University. ►The Salt Lane car park ►The Coventry Station Masterplan with a new multi-storey car park with 630 spaces and a new bus interchange (pictured below)

Ou eeti g e ue fo the O to e o thl eeti g as the Ro al Wa i ks Clu i To e st eet he e e hea d D . Ruth Che i gto tell us a out o ki g e 's lu s i Co e t a d thei affiliatio to the Clu a d I stitute U io . Ruth is a eal Co e t kid a d told of he pe so al histo ith the Ca le Clu , a eal so ial e t e lo g efo e the te as e e i e ted. The e e e a su h lu s a ou d the it a d he talk a oused a old e o ies. She has a e elle t ook al ead o sale a d he e t o k ill e o d si ila histo ies of the a e elle t lu s asso iated ith the la ge fa to ies. Fi s like Sta da d, Masse a d GEC. Altogethe a highl su essful e e i g.

The Co e t So iet as ep ese ted at the use of t o of Co e t s edie al a ell-atte ded o fe e e a out uildi gs ell de o st ati g the edie al Co e t , hi h as held i late i po ta e of Co e t i the edie al Septe e . The e e t as o ga ised pe iod. Ou it , a o di g to Ma k We is said to etai o e edie al uildi gs tha a othe it i the ou t .

The da as pa ked ith a ade i p ese tatio s a out Co e t i the edie al pe iod. The su je t atte o e ed a ide a ge of i te esti g topi s, i ludi g the atio al a d lo al histo of the pe iod, f o ea l edie al Co e t to the e d of the pe iod.

O e su je t o e ed i detail at the Old Grammar School: Histo ia Ma k o fe e e as a pie e of usi hi h We add essi g the o fe e e as glued to the o e of o e of the leet o ga ised Medie al Co e t . ooks, ooks hi h e o d the it s i i histo . The usi , the Caput Mass, as lo al ha it Medie al Co e t ith elie ed to ha e ee pe fo ed at St. o e tha people atte di g.

Joh s Chu h, Ba lake. U fo tu atel It ope ed at the Old G a a S hool, te h olog failed the o fe e e a d e a d the o ed to St. Ma s Hall, ith e e ot a le to liste to the

e o st u tio of the usi itself.

A othe p ese tatio fo used o the Medie al M ste Pla s a d i pa ti ula the t a s i ed op of the Wea e s Pla , hi h as u i ue to the guilds i the it .

Ch is Pat i k, Co e t Cou il s A haeologist a d Co se atio Offi e , ga e a i te esti g p ese tatio o e e t a haeologi al i estigatio i the it a d his p ede esso , Geo ge De ido itz, ga e a fas i ati g talk a out The D ape , hi h p e eded D ape s Hall a d St. Ma s St eet.

I pa allel ith the o fe e e, the Histo Ce t e at the He e t put o a e hi itio of the i po ta t do u e t, aps a d d a i gs f o this pe iod, i ludi g the Leet ooks.

The e e t as pe haps o e loaded ith i fo atio , ut ga e a fas i ati g ie of the i po ta e of Co e t i the edie al pe iod.