Coventry (redirected from City of Coventry)

Coventry, city, England

Coventry (kŏv`əntrē, kŭv`–), city (1991 pop. 318,718) and metropolitan district, central England. Coventry is an industrial center noted for its automobile production. Tractors, airplanes, machine tools, synthetic textiles, electrical equipment, and engineering products are also made. Telecommunications are important.

Lady Godiva and her husband founded a Benedictine abbey there in 1043. By the 14th cent., Coventry, a flourishing market and textile-weaving town, was one of the five largest towns in England. The entire central portion of the city, including the 14th-century Cathedral of St. Michael, was destroyed (Nov., 1940) in one of the worst air raids to be suffered by Britain during World War II. A new cathedral, alongside the ruins of the old one, was completed in 1962.

Of interest are a statue of Lady Godiva; St. Mary's Hall (1340–42, with 15th-century additions); Holy Trinity Church (13th cent.), with a spire 237 ft (72 m) high; the spire (230 ft/70 m high) of Christ Church; and Ford's Hospital, a restored Tudor almshouse. The city's educational institutions include the Univ. of Warwick, Lancaster College of Technology, Coventry College (a teacher training school), and two old public schools.

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Coventry, town, United States

Coventry, town (1990 pop. 31,083), Kent co., W R.I.; settled 1643, set off from Warwick and inc. 1741. Formerly a noted lace center, it still has textile industries, but manufactures such as glass, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals have become important. Coventry's many historic structures include the Payne house (1668) and Nathanael Greene's homestead (1770).

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Coventry

City and metropolitan borough (pop., 2001: 300,844), central England. The city was the home of Lady Godiva who, with her husband, founded a Benedictine abbey there in 1043. It was probably the centre of the presentation of the Coventry mystery plays in the 15th–16th centuries. During World War II, heavy bombing by the Germans left the town severely damaged. The spire of the 15th-century St. Michael's Cathedral and its ruined nave stand beside the new cathedral built in 1962. Chief industries are motor vehicle manufacturing and telecommunications.

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Coventry

1. a city in central England, in Coventry unitary authority, West Midlands: devastated in World War II; modern cathedral (1954--62); industrial centre, esp for motor vehicles; two universities (1965, 1992). Pop.: 303 475 (2001)

2. a unitary authority in central England, in West Midlands. Pop.: 305 000 (2003 est.). Area: 97 sq. km (37 sq. miles)

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Coventry 

a city in West Midlands, Great Britain, in England. Population, 334,800 (1971). A transportation junction and one of the country’s important machine-building centers. Coventry’s manufactures include automobiles, aircraft, machine tools, and electrical equipment. Synthetic fibers are also produced.

Coventry was founded as a monastery in 1043. From the 13th to the 17th centuries it was an important center for trade and crafts. In November 1940 and April 1941 it was subjected to heavy bombing by fascist German aircraft; more than 50,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged. In 1946 reconstruction was begun. The ruins of the 14th-century cathedral have been preserved as a reminder of fascist barbarism. As part of the reconstruction and redesign of Coventry (architects D. Gibson and A. Ling), industrial and residential zones were set apart. A system of housing regions was established, with microregions. Large apartment houses of various heights were built. Other additions include several commons, a belt highway, and a traffic-free shopping area. Civic buildings and a cathedral (1954–62, architect B. Spence) were also built.

REFERENCE

Spence, B. Coventry Phoenix. London, 1962.