11th August 2013 Hunt for Godiva

On the BBC website was an article about a 20' model of Lady Godiva which had returned from London and was to be kept at the Ramada Hotel in the centre of Coventry. I saw this huge puppet when it was towed to London by 50 cyclists just before the Olympics last year, so well worth a visit to Coventry to capture this for the blog.

Belgrade Theatre Coventry

Got to the Ramada and no puppet! That was a failure then. Best have a look around the city centre and see what else is about.  The Belgrade Theatre is right in the city centre and is a live performance venue. This was the first civic theatre built after the second world war and as such is more than a place of entertainment.  The name comes from the city of Belgrade in Serbia (Coventry's official sister city) and is in recognition of a gift of timber from that city. It has been open since 1958.
The statue is a memorial to Bryan Bailey the first artistic director of the theatre.

Sir Frank Whittle

Frank Whittle, the inventor of the gas turbine engine, was born in Earlsdon, Coventry in 1907 and the family later moved to Leamington. After joining the RAF, Whittle became a proficient pilot and as an engineer, worked on this new engine which went into production during the second world war. This statue commemorates the centenary of his birth and is placed under the Whittle Arch outside the Motor Museum in Coventry.

Godiva

To make up for not finding the 20' puppet, here is the more traditional statue in Broadgate Coventry.  Notice the blue ribbons that are on the statue. These ribbons are all over the city centre and are a form of protest by Coventry City supporters against losing the club ground due to a financial argument that is going on between different factions of the clubs admin and financial hierarchy. Seems very harsh, but the club have been deducted 10 points before the season had started and have to play their 'home' games in Northampton. No wonder the natives are up in arms.!

Green footballer.

On the way back home, going under the subway near the railway station came across this fellow.  A bit spooky really, at least he has got his blue ribbons on.

A good 20.5 miles today. Good weather. Pity I didn't achieve the objective but contacting the Ramada later, the puppet will be there from tomorrow onwards. Looks like I will be going back!