If you’d asked me two months ago where I’d like to go the moment we were eased out of lockdown, I would have reeled off a list of sunny places: Portugal, Crete, Croatia…I fancy the Arizona desert. Eventually, I’m hoping to revamp our trips to Malaysia, Bali, New Zealand and Mauritius (all planned for last year and then cancelled). For now, I’ve set my sights a little lower. Top of the bucket list is, er, Coventry.
Why Coventry? So many reasons. It’s the UK’s City of Culture for 2021, and I’d rather like to see what that’s all about. The Cathedral. As a pioneer of post-war planning in the Festival of Britain era, it fits the bill for my series of city architecture tours (coming soon). I’ve not seen much of the East Midlands before, plus I like the look of the new Telegraph Hotel. The former offices of the city’s local newspaper, the Evening Telegraph, the raw material was built in the 1950s during Coventry’s post-war reconstruction; it’s classic Mid-Century modern and the hotel designers have gone with the flow. Apparently, you can watch the sunset over Belgrade Square from a rooftop bar. In Coventry. More info here.
