Coventry - UK City of Culture 2021 by Ann Evans
Coventry's Lady Godiva, Pru Poretta at the Heritage weekend. Photo by Rob Tysall. As most people will know, Coventry, which is my home city, is to be the UK City of Culture 2021. Naturally, everyone is delighted and hoping that the new status is going to bring more prosperity into the city, as it has done for Hull, the current UK City of Culture. There was competition for the title from Paisley, Stoke-on-Trent, Sunderland and Swansea. And actually, if Sunderland had won it, that would have been my second choice as my parents and past ancestors all hail from there. The title is awarded every four years and Coventry will be the third UK City of Culture. Londonderry being the first in 2013, followed by Hull. Our city has so much going for it despite no longer having the motor and machine tools industries that it once had. During the 1950s and 60s Coventry was the second largest car manufacturing city in the world. It also led the way with machine tools. Alfr...