Highfield Road sculpture slated for historical inaccuracies

[dutchman]

A sculpture commemorating Coventry City’s former home has been criticised by fans for a series of mistakes.



The artwork was unveiled in June on a housing estate on the site of the old Highfield Road stadium.

The piece depicts dates and references in the club’s history while playing at the ground until 2005.

But supporter Lionel Bird says much of the information is wrong, and wants the developer who commissioned it to rectify the mistakes.

Called ‘The City’, the £5,000 sculpture in Signet Square was funded by Taylor Wimpey.

It includes the words Singer FC 1883, Highfield 1898, Bantams 1932, Sky Blues 1961 and a picture of a Singer sewing machine.

But Mr Bird says it should say Singers FC with a plural ‘s’, adding that the club never played at the stadium using that name.

He said the club, now called Coventry City, actually moved to Highfield ROAD in 1899, and earned the Bantams nickname in 1908 and then the Sky Blues in 1962.

And he said the reference to Singer sewing machines was meaningless, as the club was named after the Singer cycle factory nearby.

Mr Bird added that piece should have included the words ‘Coventry City FC’ and ‘Highfield Road 1899-2005’.

He said: “The sculpture is great but unfortunately most of the historical content is either irrelevant, meaningless or wrong.

“The sculpture is a very important piece of work to commemorate 106 years of Coventry City’s history. The errors must be rectified.

“Not doing so would be an insult to the great players who, over the years, graced the stadium’s turf and to all those supporters who attended matches there, many of who still regard Highfield Road as the club’s spiritual home.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “All the information contained within the piece of art was sourced by the artist himself.

“We are currently looking into these discrepancies.”

The sculpture was designed by Warwickshire artist David Dewis who declined to comment.

[dutchman]

Developer refuses to alter inaccurate memorial

A HOUSING developer is refusing to alter a factually incorrect memorial to Coventry City’s former stadium.

Taylor Wimpey says it “would not be feasible” to change the blunders on a sculpture where Highfield Road used to stand.

Instead it wants to install a plaque next to the sculpture in a bid to explain the discrepancies.

But club historian Lionel Bird said: “I would prefer the sculpture removed completely because it’s meaningless.

“The whole point of commemorating something, at the very least, is getting the historical information correct.”

The £5,000 sculpture was unveiled in June on a new housing development called The City where Highfield Road stood for 106 years.

Designed by Warwickshire artist David Dewis, it was meant to depict dates and references in the club’s history while playing at the ground until 2005.

Mr Bird said: “A plaque alongside the sculpture would just reinforce the errors. It’s a ridiculous idea.

“All it needs is a plinth and a plaque saying something like ‘Site of Highfield Road stadium, home of Coventry City Football Club 1899-2005’.”

A Taylor Wimpey spokesman said: “Having discussed the concerns raised about the sculpture at The City with the artist, we have concluded that it would not be feasible to make any alterations to the installation itself.

“In an effort to set the record straight, however, we would be happy to produce a plaque to be placed alongside the sculpture, and we would like to work with Mr Bird to ensure that the content of this plaque is appropriate.”