Coventry Walk: City Centre【4K】

The city of Coventry is located in the county of West Midlands, just over 90 miles northwest of London.

The earliest evidence of Saxon occupation dates back to 870 AD, although Coventry was founded in 1043 when Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and Lady Godiva, his wife, founded a Benedictine church and abbey here. Lady Godiva would become famous for allegedly riding a horse through Coventry without clothes, supposedly as a condition behind getting her husband to lower the oppressive taxes the population were subjected to at the time.

In the medieval era Coventry was a prosperous trading town. One of its exports was "Coventry blue" cloth which became highly sought after across Europe due to the dye's non-fading quality. This is believed to be the origin of the term "true blue".

When the English Civil War broke out in 1642, Coventry became a stronghold of the Parliamentarian forces, and was used to confine Royalist prisoners. This is believed to be the origin of the phrase "sent to Coventry" i.e. to be treated as an outcast, much as the Royalists would have been here!

In the years following the Civil War, during the Restoration, King Charles II ordered the city's defensive walls to be pulled down. All that remains are a couple of gatehouses, including Swanswell Gate (seen shortly after the 20-minute mark).

In the late 18th century the Coventry Canal was opened, transporting mainly coal. Decades later, in 1838, the London and Birmingham Railway was built through Coventry, providing further means of transport, allowing it improved means of trade during the Industrial Revolution. Coventry became the third largest watch manufacturing centre in the 19th century after London and Liverpool.

During the Second World War, Coventry was heavily attacked by the Luftwaffe in the Blitz, killing thousands. Much of the city centre was destroyed, including the cathedral, of which only a shell of it remains. This can be seen during the walk. Right next to the cathedral's ruins stands the New St Michael's Cathedral, consecrated in 1962. It is Grade I listed, one of the youngest buildings in the country to achieve this status. It was decided that the remains of the old cathedral should stay as a garden of remembrance and that the two buildings should effectively form one church.

After the war Coventry was twinned with Dresden as a symbolic gesture to mark both cities' devastating attacks and subsequent rebirths. Coventry's city centre was largely rebuilt into what we see today as a blend of old and new.

In December 2017 it was announced that Coventry is the 2021 UK City of Culture.

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Filmed: 25th February 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/rHBBBHxqshptuKGL7

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Priory Row
0:07 Cuckoo Lane
1:15 Bayley Lane
1:26 Pepper Lane
1:28 The Golden Cross Inn (built circa 1583)
1:51 Pepper Lane
2:20 Hay Lane
3:03 High Street
3:38 The Council House
3:55 High Street
5:23 Broadgate
5:44 Hertford Street
7:36 Coventry history (pause the video to read)
8:17 Fords Hospital
8:38 Greyfriars Lane
10:01 Broadgate
10:35 Lady Godiva Statue
10:42 Broadgate
11:32 Trinity Street
11:44 Lychgate Cottages
12:06 Priory Row
13:49 Coventry Cathedral Ruins
14:06 New St Michael's Cathedral
14:32 Coventry Cathedral Ruins
15:18 University Square
15:50 Coventry Cathedral Ruins
16:25 New St Michael's Cathedral
16:33 Priory Street
16:38 Coventry Boy Statue
16:50 Priory Street
18:24 Fairfax Street
19:22 Whittle Arch
19:32 Hales Street
19:53 Sir Frank Whittle Statue
20:01 Hales Street
20:33 Swanswell Gate
20:43 Hales Street

Видео Coventry Walk: City Centre【4K】 канала 4K Explorer