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Museums! In Coventry!
Aug. 2nd, 2011 08:44 pmThere are a few museums in Coventry, and we went to the transport one and the history + gallery one. The history + gallery one is like most smaller regional history + gallery museums: a strange, eclectic collection of paintings and sculpture (not lesser works from known names, but works from lesser-known artists working at the time of known names, that kind of thing) plus some local history stuff.
Thing is, most of Coventry's history in the last hundred years has to do with vehicle manufacture (hence the transport museum) but there was a fair amount of older artefacts. Taken together, the two museums give a fairly pathetic picture of Coventry's history.
First, there were lots of churches and monasteries. Then, Henry VIII tore most of them down: economic bust for Coventry. Next, for a few centuries they became the nation's producer of woven ribbons. Then, Parliament jiggered the import duties and the market turned to cheaper French ribbons: economic bust for Coventry. After struggling for a while, they hit on bicycle and then auto manufacture. Then, Hilter noticed and bombed the city to the ground: economic bust and destruction of infrastructure. The auto industry struggled on but in the last decade all but two firms have closed their operations. (Now, I suppose it's the city's two universities which contribute most?)
More interesting: pictures from exhibits! I wasn't expecting to see much so I only had my phone, so apologies for quality.
( Bug pictures, George Eliot's writing desk, Ewan McGregor's motorcycle, and a Delorean )
Next: tomorrow we're off to see Much Ado again in London, and then Thursday we're off to Dublin. WOO!
Thing is, most of Coventry's history in the last hundred years has to do with vehicle manufacture (hence the transport museum) but there was a fair amount of older artefacts. Taken together, the two museums give a fairly pathetic picture of Coventry's history.
First, there were lots of churches and monasteries. Then, Henry VIII tore most of them down: economic bust for Coventry. Next, for a few centuries they became the nation's producer of woven ribbons. Then, Parliament jiggered the import duties and the market turned to cheaper French ribbons: economic bust for Coventry. After struggling for a while, they hit on bicycle and then auto manufacture. Then, Hilter noticed and bombed the city to the ground: economic bust and destruction of infrastructure. The auto industry struggled on but in the last decade all but two firms have closed their operations. (Now, I suppose it's the city's two universities which contribute most?)
More interesting: pictures from exhibits! I wasn't expecting to see much so I only had my phone, so apologies for quality.
( Bug pictures, George Eliot's writing desk, Ewan McGregor's motorcycle, and a Delorean )
Next: tomorrow we're off to see Much Ado again in London, and then Thursday we're off to Dublin. WOO!
