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This issue Charterhouse past, ‘The Trust has raised present and future 3 over £25m, directly and through its partners, and From the depths of time has eight construction & Monks inspire local artist 4 contracts completing Top picks for City of Culture 5 over the next six months.’ Design students bring Paxton’s Arboretum to life 6 Restoration of The Burges and Hales Street has already been completed and we are in the last stages Charterhouse of work at Drapers’ Hall to convert it to a new music Cemetery podcast venue and home for Coventry Music Service. By this series launched 7 autumn restoration of Swanswell and Cook Street Gates, and Lychgate Cottages in Priory Row will be complete and they will be available as exceptional Volunteering gathers places to stay. The Anglican Chapel in London Road past, present and future pace at Heritage Park 8 Cemetery will be available for public hire from late September. Life in the order continued this way until the preserve the property, residents volunteered many Historic Coventry Trust was set up as Coventry is a historic city filled with The view from my window 10 Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, hours to clean the fields, pick up litter and maintain a charity in 2011 to save Coventry’s Historic Coventry Trust is a community charity buildings that reflect its important taking ownership of historic buildings on behalf of when Henry VIII disbanded religious communities, the rights of way. They’ve also developed a dataset ancient Charterhouse from being sold, past. Many people visit Basil Spence’s took over their income and seized their assets. Most of the various types of wildlife in the area, including the residents of the city, exactly as Colonel Wyley Charterhouse Heritage Park 12 marvellous cathedral or stroll down to raise funds for its restoration and envisaged when he left Charterhouse to the people of the buildings on the site were destroyed and the white egrets, sparrowhawks, and buzzards. to open it to the public. Working with of Coventry. The maintenance of these buildings medieval Spon Street. But not building materials were carted away for reuse. The remaining buildings were sold. One notable owner, The site passed to Historic Coventry local residents we all soon realised and in particular the Charterhouse Heritage Park Reviving the River Sherbourne many visitors, or even Coventrians would not be possible without our growing team of themselves, know about Charterhouse, who purchased the Prior’s House in the 1560s, was Trust, who have secured a £4.3million that there was potential to expand our & 40 species of birds 14 Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who was a great volunteers. We welcome all offers of volunteering and the Grade I listed 14th-century grant from the National Lottery vision to include the surrounding area have lots of ways that you can help both indoors and favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Carthusian monastery just south Heritage Fund to refurbish and repair of wildlife-rich landscape, creating a outdoors. We are also very grateful to our regular Friends share passion for Charterhouse remained in private hands for centuries, of the city centre. Charterhouse will the buildings and grounds. 70-acre Charterhouse Heritage Park. donors. If you can spare something to support our London Road Cemetery 15 and in the 1700s the grounds were leased by John work, please do get in touch. Regular donations start soon be open to be enjoyed by the Whittingham, who ran an extensive garden nursery, This project included archaeological excavation The Trust took another leap forward when, in 2019, at £5 a month. public after a major restoration. providing oranges for manor houses and estates (see page 4) and restoration of the wall paintings it signed an agreement with the Council to take Coventry’s cycling revolution 16 But how has this happened? in the area, including Warwick Castle. In 1848, the (see pages 20 and 21). David Mahony of PCPT ownership of 22 Council-owned historic buildings. As you can see, there is a lot going on and there is Architects, conservation specialists working on the much more to come, so if you’ve not already been Wyley family bought Charterhouse. It was during the This was a bold move by the Council and is a national We know that the original monastery was built of project, explained how their job is to ensure that involved, please help in whatever way you can. Can Wyley’s ownership that the medieval wall paintings exemplar for the scale of the partnership between Fashion freedom 17 local red sandstone between 1381 and 1410, and King the complicated and fascinating history of the site I finish by sending a big ‘thank you’ to you all for were uncovered, and Colonel William Fitzherbert the Council and Historic Coventry Trust. Richard II laid the foundation stone of the church. is highlighted and to find new and exciting ways working with us to create a lasting legacy for the Wyley recognised the importance of preserving the The original complex included a cloister, monks’ cells, that the public can engage with the space. ‘It’s a future generations of Coventry kids still to come. From soil to plate 18 medieval character of the house. He was a dynamic a church and a chapter house, and the Prior’s Cell and Edwardian and very civic-minded. As well as being challenging task’, he notes, ‘as buildings are always refectory or dining room, which is now the building learning and changing and adapting themselves to Ian Harrabin a founder of the Chamber of Commerce, he was the known as the Prior’s House. Each monk had a self- new situations. Coventrians should be proud of this Chairman, Historic Coventry Trust Restoring Coventry’s mayor of Coventry from 1911-12. Sadly, his only son contained cell made up of a two-storey house within historical gem that is part of their patrimony, and not best kept secret 20 was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme and a walled garden. The Carthusian Order emphasises Wyley decided to leave his home to the benefit of miss the chance to come and experience in person solitude and contemplation, so the monks would the people of Coventry. the many secrets it has to offer’. have spent the majority of their time alone in their Charterhouse will open to the public later in the cells, where they worshipped, studied, worked and Since then, the site has seen various uses. Blue Coat City of Culture year. To follow or be part of the prayed, leaving three times a day to attend mass in School was built in the 1960s and the Charterhouse journey of the restoration, connect with us on social the church. The monastery was mostly self-sufficient, itself was most recently used as part of Coventry media and join our mailing list. Design: Alice Ferreira, Lewis Spencer, Susan Schweitzer, Josie Kyriacou (rbl), Helena Andrews (rbl), Clare Flude (rbl). and there are signs that the outer precinct walls City College. When, in 2010, the sale of the property Contributors: Adam Goss, Adam Tranter, Alison Smith, Andrés Nava, Andrew Mcleish, Barbara Griffiths, Cara Pickering, on the private market was planned, a public outcry Carl Haymes, Charlotte Graham, Charlotte Ridpath, Chloe Morgan, Claire Lishman, Colin Bell, Cory Barrett, Dave Griffiths, contained not only the religious buildings and living Words by Susan Schweitzer Dominic Read, Dylan Parrin, Emilie Lauren Jones, Glynn Purnell, Harvin Chagger, Hollie Edwards, Ian Harrabin, Ian Malin, Ian quarters, but also an orchard, a mill, and fishponds. ensued. As well as lobbying the City Council to Woolley, Jack Freeman, Jane Biggs, Janet Vaughan, Jenny Egerton, Jessica Thorley, JJ Raines, Jon Plumley, Kevin Foxon, Kirsty O’Mahony, Loui Whitmore, Louise Sinclair, Mark Perry, Mary Allen, Mary Ogbolu, Milk Vintage, Nevaeh Lovell, Nicola Summers, Nula Byrne, Olivia Holmes, Omolola Sey Oladele, Paula Murarescu, Ruby Hunter, Ryan Hughes, Sam Whitmore, 3 Simeon Jambawai, Stewart Easton, Tara Routledge, Tim Seeley, Tom Illsley, Unique James, Victoria Beddoes. When an archaeology team comes The tile was broken at some point, in to start a project, they begin by and the thrifty monks re-used the From the assessing the site, looking at historical piece in the garden of the eastern Top picks for records and the geophysics specialists cloister. Another interesting find was scan the area to see what might lie a decorative copper clasp from a depths of time below. Then the digging begins. medieval bookbinding. For Andrew City of Culture and his team, these are exciting The Charterhouse site was one of pieces of the puzzle. only nine Carthusian monasteries Andrew has worked at sites around What are you excited about in the Coventry Andrew McLeish, a Senior in England, and is one of the best the globe, digging up artefacts from For more information on City of Culture programme? We asked four Supervisor at the University preserved. The Prior’s House still various periods of history, and has even this project please visit: stands, as well as parts of its inner and locals what’s on the top of their list and why. of Leicester Archaeological done work underwater as a trained historiccoventrytrust.org.uk/ outer precinct walls. In 1542, after the Services, has been a visitor scuba diver in marine archaeology. But projects/charterhouse Dissolution of the Monasteries, the site to Coventry all his life, there’s something special at every site, was sold to speculators and the lead in Visit the City of Culture but didn’t know about the and Charterhouse is no exception.

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