Things to do in Coventry
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Café Bar Inspire
Coventry's Christchurch church was destroyed during World War II, leaving only the spire, which now, slightly sacrilegiously, shelters this bar. This is forgivable as it is very good. It serves an international selection of bottled brews, as well as baguette and salad snacks throughout the day.
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St Michael's Cathedral & Ruins
The pretty cathedral quarter is historically the richest part of the city. The wonderfully evocative cathedral ruins of St Michael's Church Cathedral, destroyed by Nazi incendiary bombs in the blitz of 14 November 1940, still stand as a permanent memorial. The 180 steps of its Gothic spire can be climbed for some panoramic views.
Symbolically adjoining the old cathedral's sandstone walls is the Sir Basil Spence-designed cathedral, a modern, almost Gothic, architectural masterpiece. It includes a giant Graham Sutherland tapestry of Christ, glorious stained-glass nave windows (best seen from the altar), and a towering etched glass front. Look out for the Jacob Epstein statu…
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Coventry Transport Museum
Down by the bus station, this stupendous museum is every schoolboy's dream. Inside you can view hundreds of motor cars from across the ages, from the earliest 'horseless carriages' produced by Daimler in the 1890s to the jet-powered car that broke the land speed record (and the sound barrier) in 1997. Also on display are motorcycles, buses, tractors and early pushbikes and the car that Field Marshall Montgomery drove to Berlin in WWII. Kids will love the atmospheric 'Coventry Blitz Experience' and the Thrust speed simulator.
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St Mary's Guildhall
This hall is where the town's trades came together in the Middle Ages to discuss town affairs. As one of England's finest guildhalls, it was chosen to be a jail for Mary Queen of Scots. Stained-glass windows glorify the kings of England; further down the hall, stands WC Marshall's statue of Lady Godiva. Look out for the medieval tapestry depicting Henry VI.
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Browns
With a door policy that makes Groucho's look slack, Browns nevertheless is one of the most easy-going, stylish places around. Spacious (you can normally find a seat here) and split on two levels, it also dishes out excellent-value canteen-style meals.
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Tin Angel
It's a shame Coventry's coolest bar is the size of a sardine tin (although there are expansion plans), but this is the most hip, laid-back place in town. DJs, acoustic music and poetry evenings are just part of the entertainment.
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Habibi
Coventry's only Arabic restaurant is relatively normal downstairs, and like something out of Arabian nights upstairs, all silk cushions, cross-legged diners on the floor. The food is fantastic although expect a wait.
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Priory Visitor Centre
The story of the massive St Mary's cathedral, the original Coventry cathedral dismantled following the Reformation, is told in the small but well-presented Priory Visitor Centre.
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St Michael's Cathedral
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Holy Trinity Church
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Tin Angel
Looking like something you'd find in an arty part of Berlin or Barcelona, Tin Angel is where local hipsters come to sip, chat and groove. There are regular live gigs, film screenings and comedy nights.
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Playwrights
On the cobbled lane leading from Earl St to the cathedral, this bright, inviting cafe, bar and bistro is as good for breakfast as it is for a working lunch or an intimate dinner.
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Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
Behind the twin cathedrals, the Herbert has an eclectic collection of paintings and sculptures (including work by TS Lowry and Stanley Spencer), a delightful cafe, and lots of exhibitions and activities aimed at kids. Don't miss the room dedicated to Lady Godiva, the Anglo-Saxon princess who rode through town naked on a white horse to protest the taxes imposed by her tyrannical husband, the Earl of Mercia.
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Golden Cross
The beer is warm and so is the atmosphere at this historic ale-house, set in a jettied timber-framed building from 1583.
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Coventry Cathedrals
The evocative ruins of St Michael's Cathedral, built around 1300 but destroyed by Nazi incendiary bombs in the blitz of 14 November 1940, still stand as a permanent memorial to Coventry's darkest hour. You can climb the 180 steps of its Gothic spire for panoramic views.
Symbolically adjoining the old cathedral's sandstone walls is the Sir Basil Spence–designed Coventry Cathedral This cathedral is a modernist architectural masterpiece, with a futuristic organ, stained glass, a Jacob Epstein statue of the devil and St Michael, and ghostlike angels etched into its glass facade.
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