Coventry

Coventry is a small, thriving city with an easy to navigate city centre that is largely pedestrianised with an interesting mixture of modern concrete and medieval wood structures. The winding roads and lanes make for an interesting stroll with many small chain and local restaurants to choose from. It is located in the west midlands, a short distance south east of Birmingham.

The city centre is quite compact with an interesting mixture of concrete modernity sitting alongside historical structures throughout.

Coventry Cathedral has to be one of the biggest draws for visitors to the city. The old cathedral (St Michael's) was famously bombed during the second world war with a modern cathedral (“new St Michael's”) built alongside and the shell of the old building whose roofless shell has been turned into a public space that often hosts public markets and events. The modern cathedral is striking with it's wide, modern open interior flanked with abstract stained glass and filled with modern art pieces interpreting the faith of the Church of England.

Entrance to the cathedral is free but donations are encouraged. Guided tours are available.

Spon Street, to the west of the city centre, is home to a number of Tudor and timber-framed buildings dating from 14th century. They are now used, perhaps not terribly sensitively, for local shops, restaurants and pubs.

Worth a wander around and checking out the plaques throughout the area explaining it's history.

There is a large Odeon cinema in the central Skydome Leisure Complex along with other interactive activities but there are also a number of local theatres including the Belgrade Theatre, the Albany Theatre and the smaller Criterion Theatre. There is also the Warwick Arts Centre located in the grounds of the University of Warwick (to the south-west of the city centre) which has cinemas and theatres.

In the centre of the city the shopping areas are all interconnected with the entire area pedestrianised. You can be forgiven for not knowing exactly what shopping centre you are visiting as you easily wander between them.

The traditional covered Coventry Market is open every day of the week except Sunday and offers a good selection of fresh food and produce though also has a number of stalls selling various household items. This is not a tourist market with quite a feeling of community.

Access to the market is via the lower level of Lower Precinct Shopping Centre or at street level just off of Queen Victoria Road.

Lower Precinct shopping centre is a large complex in the middle of the city that is open to the outside and spreads into the surrounding streets though not terribly large. It is home to the typical high street shops but does have a few local businesses including an interesting Polish supermarket.

West Orchards Shopping Centre is a more modern facility immediately adjacent to Lower Precinct.

Visitors to Coventry will find it can be tricky to find parking in the centre of the town with a number of small car parks that fill up quickly. More parking is generally available just outside the city centre, for example, in the Skydome Leisure Complex. By rail most travel into Coventry station.

Within the city there are plenty of buses to get around with the city centre small enough to navigate on foot.

For further information, please see:

• Coventry City Council
• Visit Coventry
• Wikipedia - Coventry
• Wikitravel - Coventry