Past and present photos of Coventry, attempting to recapture how it looks from the very same angle. I do not own any of these pictures and all rights belong to their respective owners.
I still can't understand it. Hundreds of years ago there were no such things as planning departments. Yet our ancestors managed to create highly attractive towns in a mixture of styles. Now we have regulations galore - but we end up with Coventry (and other UK towns too) looking like shitholes. Seeing these pictures is enough to make you weep.
Very true. You should see my local new modern architect designed corrugated sheet "monstrosity" railway station & compare it to the old Victorian building. I think the explanation is down to costs. Nowadays everything goes to the cheapest quote, using the cheapest materials and cheapest construction methods. Can't pay for the best if we have to cough up 13 billion quid in overseas aid can we.
All it takes to make a nice buildings is skill and hard work. They had a lot of that in the old days but unfortunately this is in short supply in modern Coventry especially within the council.
Rome wasn't built in a day and neither was the old Coventry. Yet after the war these cities were all asked to be rebuilt in a metaphorical "day" .... and what we see today is the result. This is also what happens when everything is done in the name of consumerism. So so sad.
My sentiments exactly. Germany restored its war-torn cities to their former spendour but Britain just sent up grotesque monstrosities. to replace the bombed edifices
My pleasure, it was indeed a work of devotion to take them and display them on my website historiccoventry.co.uk which is where these were all copied from!
This is brilliant and heart breaking at the same time. Evidence of what the Luftwaffe and Coventry City Council did to what was one of the best preserved historic cities in England.
Thank you very much for the beautiful presentation of Coventry then and now. I was reading my undergraduate studies at Coventry Lanchester Polytechnic from 1977-1981. Love the city!
How beautifully old Coventry was, so sadly ruined by men of war but far more sadly by mankind and futuristic development of the 'modern' day society. Apart from the ravages of war I would love to have seen the city then in all it's fine decadence, at 46 I missed all the true beauty of a historic city and it's picturesque qualities where monstrosities of new buildings now stand.
The 'men of war' comment isn't the whole story, Coventry City Council began pulling down many of its old buildings before WW2. Then of course there were the German bombing raids in retalliation to those over German cities - curious how the German planes were able to fly over the Channel and all the way to the Midlands without being intercepted by RAF and US Airforces.
I mean, it was literally bombed to bits and they were given virtually no money to rebuild it, and most of it happened in the 60s. Its a shame but it was better than letting it sit in rubble :/
lives what you make of it no matter where you live im proud to come from Coventry and thankyou to whoever posted these old and new photos of cov I really enjoyed looking
By the way, I forgot to say how excellent this video is. It must have taken a lot of work. So many thanks, Christopher (only problem is that having watched it, I now want to shoot myself.)
I like the way how you made the new shots fit exactly with the old. By the way, some of the comments on here decrying the current architecture are in one sense right to do so but let us not forget that lots of good post-war rebuilding was actually knocked down and replaced by the crap we have now. So Coventry in the early 50s and 60s was arguably better than it is in the 2000s, although that could be a matter of taste.
Coventry was almost entirely medieval pre-war and its a complete tragedy that its know today for being such a concrete jungle when it could have been a European treasure but for the war. Unfortunately timbered buildings burnt very well thanks a night of incendiaries.....
Cov is finished over crowded filthy streets people walking around in their night clothes in the day sunflower seeds spat out when they've ate them on pavements filth and muck everywhere scrap metal vans dead rats etc
As an objective observation, it's a pity that the locations are largely unnamed; if they were, it would make identification easier. Some of the 'old' places I remember from the 1950's but, for me, the city has subsequently lost its heart, focus and direction. Even poor old Lady Godiva was shuffled off from centre-stage in the middle of Broadgate to a non-descript location, where people walk past and ignore the historical significance. It's almost as if she's an embarrassment... I suppose in a way that's symptomatic of Coventry, being a place where the 'planners' rushed to complete the job that the Luftwaffe started in November 1940. Such a shame - and what a completely wasted opportunity.
So fucking sad it was a beautiful city I love the old building they have more character . Now they have built endless university accommodations next to historical buildings it’s so off why they give it so much emptiness
The 'before' photos are invariably more pleasing than the 'after' photos. I guess that means Coventry is getting uglier year by year. The number of beautiful old buildings that have been demolished is very sad.
Not just the blitz. Butcher Row had some of the finest examples of mediaeval buildings. A builder (who was a Councillor) started to dismantle it. This stopped when the second World War broke out. Even after the war it was still standing although with some damage. The builder then smashed it all to the ground. Thank goodness Stratford didn't get our councillors to decide the fate of their beautiful city. Builders should not stand as councillors because of conflict of interest.
The Hippodrome, later the Coventry Theatre, a beautiful and historic Art Deco building was not destroyed by the blitz, it was destroyed by Coventry Council.
Brilliant video wow Coventry has changed so much in some areas and not much in others it looked a lot better in the old days not much of the old Coventry left now great shame.
Sickening to see what's being done to our once beautiful country. It's not just in Coventry, this is happening all over. I wish my son could see how it used to be, so much better than it is now.
Good job. I was brought up on Primrose Hill Street Hillfields. I used the Swanswell Park for soccer, letting my dog swim and some schoolboy fishing. Glad to see Cook Street gate still standing well marked by long ago cannon rounds! Memories, memories. Thank you so very much.
Cologne in Germany was blasted by the RAF and has some hideous post war construction. But on the whole, they kept the prewar street plan, so it feels more intimate and in touch with its past. In Coventry the prewar street plan seems to have been almost entirely ignored so not only do you have cheap looking buildings, but they look as if they had been just dropped randomly on the city and if that meant that a street had to end in a brick wall or multi storey car park, tough!
Thanks, after many years on the other side of the planet this was sad and nostalgic for me. Much was destroyed, but enough remains to perhaps rebuild the city as has been done with Dresden - perhaps in time for the 100th anniversary of the blitz. My folks were in Holbrooks, and the 14th November was my Grandfather's birthday. PUSB.
I think there are some council officials of the post ward years, that should be made accountable for there very poor judgment, regarding rebuilding Coventry after the war. The city centre in its current state is appalling, although there are sighs of redevelopment. The problem is they only have the 50s and 60s architectural devastation to work from.
Lived in Coventry in the early 1980's and hated the ugliness of the the post war buildings. Just been reliving some memories on street view and then watched this. Seems we learned nothing and now even more old buildings gone and modern eyesores erected. It is worse than ever. So sad and depressing.
well researched and well presented. thank you. having grown up in post war Coventry i was always envious of the beautiful city that was destroyed. destruction initiated by german bombs and completed by city planners.
A lot of the "NOW" photo's have changed with this new redevelopment going on. The Royal Mail depot is no longer there, they are building ugly tower block, and most of it is for students.
Despite the rebuilding of much of Coventry after the war, it still retained much of its prewar charm. The town planners after the early ‘70’s have progressively turned it into one of the ugliest cities in England. Thank goodness we moved away.
So do I. I remember Broadgate having a roundabout filled with mature trees and Lady Godiva's statue standing in the middle, now we have concrete slabs and sickly little trees. Councillors listen to Coventry people most of who hate what you've done.
What I don't understand is, wouldn't Coventry have had some sort of reparation payments from ze Germans after the war for the damage done? If so, it's pretty obvious that the rebuild was done on the cheap. Therefore, did someone line their own pockets with the cash?
Cov was bombed heavily, but we returned the favor x10 to Germany. Should we pay them reparations ? Instead look how our sister city Dresden has rebuilt since 1990. Perhaps as Cov is again redeveloped we can rebuild many of the old buildings - perhaps in time for the anniversary of the blitz in 25yrs ? PUSB.
The winners of any war have to rebuild the losers country. Companies like Wimpey , etc wre getting lots ofcontracts out there. That is why we rebuilt Berlin, Hamburg etc. If Ze Germans had won, it is they who would have had to rebuild Coventry, Kingston Upon hull, Newcastle & London
⭐ Think of the Richo sale. Before the latest rebuild of Pool meadow it was sheds as shops on fairfax street from the 50s . Concrete in town & Prefabs accross the City. Yes they always pocket the money 🌙
Lovely job...well done..thoughtful and reflective. Time come and gone..sad and beautiful at the same time..Coventry indeed had some beauty back then but for the most part you can see what a disaster the civil planning has been...atrocious decisions! Play Up Sky Blues by the way!
There's many great things about the new Coventry. For one we had the world's first modern pedestrianized city centre, and set a precedent for healthier urban living And though the architecture of past days seems beautiful and lost to us, a lot of those buildings were essentially slums that were not pleasant places to be. A main reason that so many 19-20th century buildings were demolished post-war was because many of them were decayed, bodge-built and simply unsafe to live in. You can see on some of the photos many buildings with crooked frames and rough brickwork That being said, the newer architecture is a plastic injection that's incompatible with the soul of the city. It feels like what remains of our history is concealed and unprioritized as if it's some kind of wart, such as the block of restaurants concealing the window of the Old Grammar School The city needs it's architecture to breathe and reflect it's soul as something more than just a business hub for students and VIPs to pass through
i lived all my childhood in the 60s about 100 yards behind the camera that took the picture of the arches. what a pity there was no google street view so i could walk virtually back up the road. a better time, a better place.
this is my home....I remember looking at the images of weelright lane were the bus stop is and it being an open field in Morrisons in holbrooks and getting to the point of tears....we lost so much on the 14th November but we lost so much more in the 60's
Still happening. Town is an absolute disgrace. Too many tacky buildings (mostly student accommodation). So many people I've spoken to don't go into town anymore. For a democratic country we should get a say in what buildings should go up and in what style. The idiots that have ruined my city should have been left to play with lego.
I left in 78 and it is sad to think the town council could start with a pretty, architecturally magnificent town and by spending quite a few millions turn it into a total s**t hole.
with online shopping were back to the old days when milk floats delivered, shops in major cities becoming bars, jobs going from shops to warehouses and their delivery drivers. More people using bars, takeaways, cafe's and restaurants outdoor life becoming more to do with recreational activities.
This wonderfully made video needs to be retitled Coventry Then and Then because so many student accommodation blocks have been thrown up that the city is barely recognisable . And they are still building more and more . Meanwhile there is an entire population of Street Sleepers inhabiting the city centre .
I can almost forgive the planners having to rebuild so quickly and cheaply after the war bombing. What is totally unforgivable is the post war destruction of so much of our surviving Victorian heritage in the name of modernisation. Birmingham city centre, Euston Station, The Imperial Institute, Nottingham Central Station. The list is endless. Stunning architecture that could have lasted a 1000 years. Lost forever to cheap concrete tat.
After I had been to Coventry, I was shocked to find what this city used to be. Thanks to town planners and the Luftwaffe, this once beautiful city is lost, probably forever. This video is wonderful and really gave me some insight into what this city was, however at 3:40 that lake was not at the sight of the whittle arch, it was at Swansell pool. Great work nevertheless, thumbs up.
Oh dear.. I came here expecting to see improvement!! Not severe damage. Wow this is extremely, sad, disappointing and somewhat scary... just imagine how dull it will look in years to come 😳. The cities today have no character at all, soulless. And walking through some areas you get a lot of stares your way. It’s a bitter country England has become
Building companies have missed a trick. They're always on the look out for reasons to persuade 'planning' departments to let them knock something down and build something 'new'. For their next trick they could get people on their side and propose knocking down everything they've just finished building and rebuild in a style that restores the elegance and style the majority of people actually prefer. This could be a money-making bonanza for the construction industry - surely they can spot an opportunity like this?
It really hits you hard when you see what they did to Hertford Street at 2:39. What a monstrosity. True story: "San Ling Centre" (shop on the left) was a "rub and tug" (now closed down). I found that out by accident after venturing in one day...
2/3 of Coventry city was destroyed on 14th November 1940 in the blitz. After the war the city was rebuilt quick as possible to try and make the city functional once again . The city centre is undeniably ugly but that may be down to the fact that the city planner who also designed the (ridiculous) ring road was german
I wish I could see it back then. Amazingly, even though I am in the US and visit occasionally, I can still recognize some of the structures. I really just wished I could see it then before Hitler went and "boogered" everything up.
no my friend - depends on your prespective -it has changed a lot over the years like everywhere but that's life! Greatb old photos of a Coventry from years back!
If the Germans were able to restore their flattened cities such as Dresden and Braunschweig to their former pre-war appearance why couldn't the British have done the same? Instead all major cities outdo themselves erecting hideous architectural monstrosities like those seen here in Coventry.
City planners of late need sacking, how much nicer was it before all these monstrosity's were built in the city centre.... Disgrace, take me back to the 1950's
the fabulous post-war rebuild of Coventry has been completely shat upon, and then shat upon again. and again. i think Coventry might just be the worst place in Britain to suffer at the hands of local authority meddling. those responsible should be shat upon in return.
Look into Tartarian buildings,, council/gov buildings are the most grandest and a lot older than we are told.. Built in a time when horse and cart was the mode of transport? ...i think not..
Now they are trying to remove some of the gaudy stuff they've built over the years for the City of Culture 2021. It's kind of offset by the growing number of massive blocks of apartments in the city centre that are all student accommodation. It's mixed feelings on those, as the students bring in a lot of money to Coventry, which I think would be pretty much dead if they were not there, as a lot of the big manufacturing has long ago gone. I hope Coventry rises like the phoenix one day, it's a good city with good people but has lost a lot of investment, made worse by 'fashionable' directions of the planners over the years.
Ignore that really stupid comment by Janchura, he should have gone with the blitz, have to say as a Coventry Kid with a button in my cap it brought a lump to my throat, I now live in Cyprus but lived and worked at MF Banner lane. Miss the old town as it was..Jim
People don't know how old cov talk if it was going to rain we used to say looks black over bills mother's meaning the clouds looked black over the houses we used to say if someone was ugly looks like someone has stood on their face to wind the clock up and if my aunt had balls she would be my uncle if we didn't like someone we would call them Dracula arse
From a beautiful place to a monstrosity. Modern architecture has a lot to answer for. What on Earth is that ugly thing where the beautiful Art Deco Coventry Theatre used to be? Looks like something out of a bad science fiction movie.
Sad to see a once beautiful city destroyed by war and then further destroyed bad local government. Hopefully one day Coventry can become a great city again and not just become a university campus.
Sorry I don't undestand what you'r saying. I was merely lamenting the destruction of the beautiful timeless achitecture that has mostly disappeared and/or replaced over time. There are many reason to wish the war never occured, to me part of it is the loss of art as well as lives. Coventry today looks like a mass of grubby concrete blocks and the streets are rarely clean in some areas. I'd feel more pride in my home town if thing were otherwise.
