Coventry, dropping from 4th to now the 10th biggest city in the UK, is aiming to achieve the desired title of City of Culture by 2021, and Culture Coventry, a trust formed in 2003 to run the major attractions in the city: The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, The Lunt Roman Fort, The Transport Museum and the newly restored Old Grammar School is very confident in achieving this. Culture Coventry is unique from other trusts in that there aren’t many that have such a unique and diverse mix of attractions like they do. Due to the wide variety of culture around Coventry - with an estimated 154 different languages being spoken - it is important that Culture Coventry has the correct skills and different methods of being able to portray the history of Coventry.
Coventry is a city dripping with culture, and history reaches as far back as the founding of the city as a sheep farming community. Coventry is perhaps best known for its Cathedral that was destroyed in the blitz, but there is one historical site which Coventry is less known for, and that is The Lunt Roman Fort, which is more significant than people may have originally thought, as it’s the only roman fort which has a Gyrus – a circular wooden structure where horses were trained for battle – situated inside the fort, whereas all others around the world have Gyrus’ situated outside. It hasn’t had much publicity since being found in the 70s, which Culture Coventry aims to change.
In an interview, chief executive Gary Hall enlightened me on how Culture Coventry works and plans to put Coventry back on the map. Since restoration, the trust are looking to use The Old Grammar School as an events venue, and as The Lunt hasn’t drawn much attention from the public, there are now restoration plans underway, including a new pathway. Restoration plans for The Herbert hope to build relationships with students of Coventry University, as Mr Hall believes this is an area in which they are lacking. Developments the Transport Museum include an exhibition called ‘Future Technology’ which showcases the future of transport, as well as restoring 12 out of 14 exhibition spaces, making the museum the best in the UK, and one of the best internationally.
However, the biggest issue for Culture Coventry is advertising and promoting, as sites are owned by the council, and because of government cuts, the trust has had to find other means of sourcing income. Since 2007, the trust have decreased their dependency on government funding from 95% to 65%, which proves that their way of sourcing new income is a success. However, Hall suggested ‘how do we generate income in museums that are free to enter?’ Despite this, Culture Coventry are determined to achieve City of Culture by 2021, and Gary Hall was certain that ‘City of Culture will put Coventry on the map, whether we win or not’
All photographs are originals and rights are reserved under the creative commons.©
(originally posted 21st March 2016 www.luna-llena.co.uk)
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