Coventry

Sister cities

• Graz

History

The Romans founded a large fort on the outskirts of what is now Coventry at Baginton, next to the River Sowe; it has been excavated and partially reconstructed in modern times and is known as the Lunt Fort. The fort was probably constructed around AD 60 in connection with the Boudican revolt and then inhabited sporadically until around 280 AD. The origins of the present settlement are obscure, but Coventry probably began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement. Although there are various theories of the origin of the name, the most widely accepted is that it was derived from Cofa's tree; derived from a Saxon landowner called Cofa, and a tree which might have marked either the centre or the boundary of the settlement. Around a Saxon nunnery was founded here by St Osburga, which was later left in ruins by King Canute's invading Danish army in 1016. Leofric, Earl of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva built on the remains of the nunnery and founded a Benedictine monastery in 1043 dedicated to St Mary. It was during this time that the legend of Lady Godiva riding naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry, to protest against unjust taxes levied on the citizens of Coventry by her husband, was alleged to have occurred. Although this story is regarded as a myth by modern historians, it has become an enduring part of Coventry's identity. A market was established at the abbey gates and the settlement expanded. At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066, Coventry was probably a modest sized town of around 1,200 inhabitants, and its own minster church. Coventry Castle was a motte and bailey castle in the city. It was built in the early 12th century by Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester. Its first known use was during The Anarchy when Robert Marmion, a supporter of King…

Geography

As with the rest of the British Isles and the Midlands, Coventry experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station is Coundon/Coventry Bablake. Temperature extremes recorded in Coventry range from in February 1947, to in July 2022. The lowest temperature reading of recent years was during December 2010. Coventry forms the largest part of the Coventry and Bedworth Urban Area. The city proper covers an area of almost . The protected West Midlands Green Belt, which surrounds the city on all sides, has prevented the expansion of the city into both the administrative county of Warwickshire and the metropolitan borough of Solihull (the Meriden Gap), and has helped to prevent the coalescence of the city with surrounding towns such as Kenilworth, Nuneaton, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Rugby as well as the large village of Balsall Common. Panoramic views of Coventry City Centre from the cathedral tower * Alderman's Green * Allesley * Allesley Green * Allesley Park * Ash Green * Ball Hill * Bannerbrook Park * Bell Green * Binley * Bishopsgate Green * Brownshill Green * Canley & Canley Gardens * Cannon Park * Chapelfields * Cheylesmore *Church End * Clifford Park * Copsewood * Coundon * Courthouse Green * Daimler Green * Earlsdon * Eastern Green * Edgwick (or Edgewick) * Ernesford (or Ernsford) Grange * Finham * Fenside * Foleshill * Gibbet Hill * Gosford Green * Great Heath * Hearsall Common * Henley Green * Hillfields * Holbrooks * Keresley * Little Heath * Longford *Manor House *Middle Stoke *Monks Park * Mount Nod * Nailcote Grange * Pinley * Potters Green * Radford * Spon End * Stoke * Stoke Heath * Stoke Aldermoor * Stivichall (or Styvechale) * Tanyard Farm * Tile Hill * Toll Bar End *Upper Stoke * Victoria Farm…

Most-observed species

• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  8,603
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,685
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,417
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,281
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,080
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,003
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,797
• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,755

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2023-06-28
  2 km SE of Cheadle, United Kingdom
• M 3.6 — 2022-05-30
  2 km ESE of Prees, United Kingdom
• M 3.2 — 2022-02-21
  5 km N of Hockley, United Kingdom
• M 3.1 — 2020-09-22
  5 km N of Aylesbury, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2020-09-08
  2 km WSW of Pitstone, United Kingdom
• M 2.8 — 2015-09-22
  2 km W of Cottesmore, United Kingdom