Coventry: UK City of Culture…
Here’s a few facts about Coventry to get started: it’s the 9th biggest city in England and the 12th biggest in the UK; it lies 19 miles east-southeast of Birmingham, and 95 miles northwest of London. That midlands location means it’s easy to get here by road or rail, and even by air as Coventry airport is just three miles from the city centre. Convenience and variety; sometimes that’s all you need.
Coventry was badly bombed in the blitz and as a result it’s seen much redevelopment; most famously the cathedral was damaged beyond repair, so the very next day work began on building a new one right next to it. You can still visit the ruins of the old one and even climb the spire, one of the few left in the city; how about that for team building?
In 2017 the city won the coveted title of UK City of Culture, testament to the multitude of theatres, museums, and arts centres in the city. One area that’s really up and coming is FarGo Village; this is where all the cool cats hang out, think of it as a bit of Camden comes to Coventry and that’s the general vibe.
The city centre is always bustling, but that’s because it’s packed with shops, pubs, bars and restaurants - some big names, some quirky independent places, so it’s a good mix, and of course you can escape the busyness by heading to one of the green spaces; War Memorial Park is the biggest. Or you could head down to the canal, where the pace is slower, and take a narrow boat cruise along the waters.
There’s a lot going on in Coventry; it’s got a football club (Coventry City FC), a Transport Museum, and you get some very famous faces playing at the Empire and at the mega Ricoh Arena where there are casinos, restaurants, bars and even a hotel on site. Stretch out to the suburbs and beyond and you’ll notice that there’s a lot of historic houses and a few castles to boot; you might like to take corporate guests for a day out to one of them.