The Council House, Coventry is a

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

style civic building which acts as the meeting place of

Coventry City Council Coventry City Council is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Coventry in England, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. The city is divided up into 18 Wards each with three councillors. Coventry ...

and was built in the early 20th century. It is a Grade II-listed building.

History

The Council House was commissioned to replace

St Mary's Guildhall St Mary's Hall is a municipal building in Bayley Lane in Coventry, West Midlands (region), West Midlands, England. It is a Grade I listed building. History The building was built in the Medieval architecture, Medieval style between 1340 and 134 ...

as the headquarters of the mayor and city corporation. The site on Earl Street had previously been occupied by a row of shops. The foundation stone was laid on 12 June 1913 and the building was designed by Edward Garrett and

Henry Walter Simister Henry Walter Simister LRIBA (1881 - 21 December 1958) was a 20th-century architect based in Birmingham. History He was born in 1881 in Staffordshire, the son of John Simmister (1855–1923) and Annie Harper (1854-1924). He was articled to ...

of Birmingham in the

Elizabethan style Elizabethan architecture refers to buildings of a certain style constructed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland from 1558–1603. Historically, the era sits between the long era of the dominant architectural style o ...

. It was completed in 1917 although, because of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the official opening by the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

only took place on 11 June 1920. Statues designed by Henry Wilson depicting Leofric (who founded

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

in Coventry),

Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly reme ...

(who was patron of the local monasteries) and

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

were installed around and above the entrance in 1924. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the bombings on the night of 14 November 1940, known as the

Coventry Blitz The Coventry Blitz (blitz: from the German word ''Blitzkrieg'' meaning "lightning war" ) or Coventration of the city was a series of bombing raids that took place on the British city of Coventry. The city was bombed many times during the Seco ...

, gave rise to some damage to the building including the destruction of the stained glass windows. The former Duke of York returned to the Council House as

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

to survey the damage in the aftermath of the raid. In September 2017 the council moved some 1,500 staff to its new 13-storey tower block at One Friargate. Coventry Council House interior - 2015-02-25 - Andy Mabbett - 09.JPG, The interior corridors have decorative

plasterwork Plasterwork is construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior or exterior wall structure, or plaster Molding (decorative), decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called parge ...

and

leaded window Leadlights, leaded lights or leaded windows are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came to be known as came glasswork. The term 'leadlight' could be ...

s Coventry Council House coat of arms over entrance.jpg, The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

of Coventry over the entrance to the Council House. Coventry's motto ''Camera Principis'' translates as "The Prince's Chamber", used because Coventry was regarded as the chamber of

Edward, the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, known to history as the Black Prince (15 June 1330 – 8 June 1376), was the eldest son of King Edward III of England, and the heir apparent to the English throne. He died before his father and so his son, Richard II, su ...

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Coventry Grade II listed buildings in the West Midlands (county) City and town halls in the West Midlands (county) Government buildings completed in 1917