Locations: St Mary’s Guildhall, Holy Trinity Church, St Michael’s Cathedral
Late medieval Coventry was the fourth largest city in England with a population of around 10,000. It rivalled the other regional capitals of York, Bristol and Norwich. Henry VI set up court in Coventry in the 1450s during the early part of the Wars of the Roses. Coventry’s wealth from the sale of wool and woollen broadcloth at this time helped pay for a building boom and investment in remarkable art and material culture. A surprising amount survives to this day and deserves closer attention.
St Mary’s Guildhall is one of the most important medieval guildhalls in the country. It is the former guildhall of Coventry’s Holy Trinity Guild, formed in 1392 when Coventry’s four most prestigious guilds amalgamated. St Mary’s lies in the heart of Coventry’s medieval quarter, adjacent to the ruined St Michael’s parish church, Holy Trinity Church and the remains of St Mary’s Priory, Coventry’s first cathedral.
We will visit St Mary’s Hall in the morning to discuss an impressive early sixteenth-century Flemish tapestry in its original location. The tapestry has recently been subject to multi-disciplinary study, with the results published in a book edited by Dr Mark Webb, who will lead the session. There will also be a unique opportunity to observe an infra-red survey conducted by Dr Constantina Vlachou-Mogire, Heritage Science Manager at Historic Royal Palaces. Abi Brown (MA) will present some rare and relatively unknown fifteenth-century wood carvings currently on display in the Treasury. Dr Heather Gilderdale-Scott will lead a session analysing the medieval stained glass in the Guildhall.
After lunch, we will reconvene at the nearby Holy Trinity Church for a talk on the Doom painting by Dr Miriam Gill. We will then explore the remains of the stained glass from the medieval cathedral of St Michael’s.
Find out more about the timetabling for the day over on the BAA website.
Travel and practicalities:
Trains run regularly from London to Coventry and the fast train takes just under an hour. Coventry is also served by regular trains from Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester.
St Mary’s Guildhall is a 15 min walk from Coventry train station (see map below). There are regular buses (every 20 mins) that run from the station to the city centre (number 11, X30, 9 or 87). Holy Trinity Church is a 5 min walk from the Guildhall and well signposted. We will walk as a group from Holy Trinity Church to St Michael’s Cathedral (also a 5 min walk).
The cost of the day will be £25 for members. The event is free for students, for whom travel grants (to a maximum of £50) are also available.
Places are limited to 20, of which up to 10 are reserved for students.
To apply please e-mail studydays@thebaa.org by February 7th 2025. Please state in the email whether you are a member of the BAA or a student. All names will be entered into a ballot for the study day and the successful applicants will be notified by February 10th 2025.
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