What is that amazing medieval sandstone building next to the ring road?

Pictures, maps, memories and stories

What is that amazing medieval sandstone building next to the ring road?

Postby dutchman » Sun Oct 01, 2017 6:15 pm

This imposing 675-year-old building hasn't had any major investment for more than 30 years

Image

Sandwiched between the 21st century angles of Coventry University and the grey functionality of the 1960s ring road is one of the city's forgotten medieval gems.

Unlike the Old Grammar School or the cathedral ruins which have recently been refurbished, this imposing 675-year-old building hasn't had any major investment for more than 30 years.

What you see today is all that remains of the eastern cloisters of Whitefriars, a Carmelite Friary founded in 1342.

Locked up behind heavy wooden doors and with metal grills on the windows, it houses museum records and artifacts belonging to the Herbert and only opens to the public once a year for Heritage Open Days.

The remaining cloister would have been one of four which originally formed a quadrangle.

The outer gate to the building can still be seen several hundred yards away in Much Park Street. It became a toy museum in 1973 until it closed in 2007.

The main gate was situated near where the London Road roundabout now stands.

For nearly 200 years, the friars, who wore white habits - hence the name - gave shelter to the needy and travellers, and preached to the townsfolk.

But that all came to an end with King Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536.

The building became the main residence of MP John Hales, who demolished the other cloisters and extended the property towards Gulson Road, although none of this addition remains.

Queen Elizabeth I stayed at Whitefriars in 1565 and famously lectured the people of Coventry from a balcony window about their flippant attitude to religion, and low morals.

From 1801 the monastery became the Coventry Workhouse and in 1948 it became a Salvation Army hostel.

Following extensive restoration in 1965 it was opened in 1970 as Whitefriars Museum but closed in the early 1990s.

Two years ago the Historic Coventry trust said it was looking at options with Coventry University and Culture Coventry to restore the building and open up the massive hall on the first floor for possible public and university use.

Image
User avatar
dutchman
Site Admin
 
Posts: 50286
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:24 am
Location: Spon End

Return to Local History

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

  • Ads