Wednesday 13^th February 2019

Brenda had a 12:45 appointment at the bank to change addresses. We first walked to the Coventry War Memorial Park, a long way, right across the other side of the city, but one of the sights we wanted to see. The park is a peaceful oasis within a shit city as Brenda said. It commemorates the 2,587 Coventrians who died in the First World War and each of them has a plaque beside a tree with numerous other plaques around the park, dedicated to Coventry VC holders and various Regiments. The park includes landscaped gardens, festooned with many snowdrops, crocus and budding daffodils, and sports areas, but the most prominent feature is the 90-foot-high Coventry War Memorial, a magnificent structure.

Back in the city centre we just caught the Godiva clock on Broadgate House, on the hour. We didn’t even know about this but saw people gathering. Below the clock face is a mechanical feature that has fairground like characteristics. On the hour the bell strikes, the doors open and from the right hand door comes a figure of Lady Godiva riding a white horse. She travels a short distance, pauses, and then goes through the other door out of sight. While this is happening above is another window that also opens and out pops the head of Peeping Tom. He has a quick look then covers his eyes, as it is said he was struck blind, and quickly pops his head back in. All the doors then close for another hour. 

Broadgate House was the first post-war building the City Council completed. The City Architect, Donald Gibson, played a big part in getting this building built and he wanted artwork to be incorporated into all parts of it.

The clock itself originated in Coventry's old Market Hall Clock Tower. The tower became unsafe after the bombing in the Second World War and its clock mechanism and bell were dismantled and incorporated into the new Broadgate clock in 1953. The clock was made by Edward Thomas Loseby, a well-known Victorian clock and watchmaker. He designed the clock in 1870. In the contract, he agreed to forfeit £1 for every second it varied each day, but although the clock eventually cost twice the original estimate of £308, Loseby never had to pay a forfeit. Trials in 1888 showed it to be accurate to within 0.2 second, making it far superior to the rival Westminster clock. Its time was set by a Greenwich time signal supplied by Rotherham's, who provided this service in the 1870s and 1880s.

Originally, the horse appeared to gallop due to a crank within its clockwork mechanism but the workings were damaged in the excitement of Coventry City winning the F.A. Cup in 1987. The winning team returned to Coventry in an open top bus that was driven through the city and people climbed onto anything they could to get a good view. The Godiva platform was an ideal place to stand, but the horse would come out and swipe people to one side. The mechanism was blocked and badly damaged. When it was repaired the crank was taken out so it now looks like the horse glides along and it stops in the middle for photographs before moving off and back into the building.

We then split up, Brenda going off to the bank and myself going to Hobbycraft and Wickes for more project bits. I started work on the shelf of the world but am having to cut angles on the shelf brackets to match the sloping bulkheads. It’s a good bit of work but will look good when its finished.

In the evening we had a Chinese take-away. We, once again, walked into town, ordered the food and had a beer in a sit-outside wine bar. A change for us. It was quite nice sitting there, people watching and listening to all the different languages.

The food was superb. The restaurant was full of Chinese people eating, always a good sign, and the bill even came in Chinese writing.