Memory Monday posts will resume next week with a series on Bockendon Grange and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, I wanted to draw your attention to some history treats coming up.
Autumn seems to be well and truly upon us, and with that nip in the air it is a good time of year to get out and about. Summer may be over and the children back at school but over the next couple of weekends there are plenty of opportunities for family activities as Heritage Open Days are back...and this year for a longer period, from 13th-22nd September, in celebration of 25 years of Heritage Open Days.
If you have never attended an event before, visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk to plan your visits. It is a fantastic time to see places which are not usually open to the public. We have discovered many hidden gems over the years, most of which are lovingly cared for by dedicated volunteers, keen to chat to visitors and share the history and stories of these places. Tea and cakes is normally on offer as well...what's not to like?! From past visits, I can recommend: London Road Cemetery & Chapel, a very peaceful, green and leafy High Victorian cemetery. Bagot's Castle - a nice one for families and they have a light railway running nearby this year The Drapers' Hall - an amazing building, soon to be a music venue. There has been an archaeological dig going on there, so I understand there will be information about this onsite, as well as at The Coventry Society blog here: . https://news.coventrysociety.org.uk/2019/08/12/drapers-hall-dig-reveals-ancient-coventry/?fbclid=IwAR2Ga3ni2bWvR3vsJRAPjSPewECB9eWzNpDKtIWyEMZ987yGSYjd_lZpWvs A few years ago, we had a memorable visit to St Mark's Church, Swanswell, Stoney Stanton Road. This church was built in 1869 in Gothic Revival Style, but ceased to be used as a church in 1972. Some of you might have visited it when it was the Out Patients' Department of Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital. The church houses a breathtaking 40ft mural, said to depict the second coming of Christ. Of historical importance, this mural was painted in 1963 by Hans Feibusch, a German-born Jew who had fled from Nazis in his home country. In recent years, the church's future seemed uncertain as the building had no purpose and found itself on the "Buildings At Risk" register. Now, thanks to a restoration project, it is in use once again, as a City Centre Resource Church. There are a great many more possibilities, and there is something for everyone, so I hope you will enjoy yourselves if you can go out exploring over the Heritage Open Days! If so, please share your photos and your own recommendations with us! Next month sees the return of the Warwick Words History Festival - this year seems to be one for Tudor lovers. Can't wait for that. You can check events and book online at www.warwickwords.co.uk Images: Drapers' Hall exterior and interior Feibusch Mural
Commenti