City facilities
Coventry is a lively, multicultural city, which embraces the
old and the new. Nowhere is this more evident than in the
Cathedral Quarter, where the modern architecture and ancient
ruins of the two Cathedrals dominate cobbled
streets with bustling pubs and restaurants. As you walk around
the modern City-centre you'll find traces of history everywhere
- in the old city walls, the timber-framed buildings and the
reconstructed medieval Spon Street. Coventry
has one of the most compact City-centres in the country, and
boasts busy shopping centres, a large
shopping precinct and a traditional indoor
market. You'll find all the high street stores and
plenty of small specialist shops to cater for your every need.
As a focus for entertainment and leisure, the City's
reputation is rapidly on the increase. There is an enormous
variety of places to eat, drink, dance and relax, including the
£33m Sky Dome complex. This houses a
multi-screen cinema; bars and
café bars; two nightclubs; and quality
restaurants. There is also a 4,000-seat arena a
popular concert venue that doubles up as an
ice rink.
If you're looking for a cultural experience, the
Herbert Art Gallery and Museum is definitely worth a
visit. You may also like to take in a show or two at the
Belgrade Theatre, Coventry's premier theatrical venue,
highly renowned for staging local and national productions.
There's plenty on offer for sport lovers. A £60m project has
been given the go-ahead for Coventry Arena,
complete with a 32,000 capacity football stadium. There is also
a £20m programme underway including a rugby stadium and a
football Academy of Excellence. In addition, it couldn't be
closer to the City sports centre, which is home
to an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
These are exciting times for Coventry, with its ongoing
development plan aimed at transforming the face of the City for
the new millennium. A number of huge projects are underway -
with more planned - including brand new City squares and
gardens, a huge open plaza for outdoor events and the
restoration of medieval walls. The first of the new squares has
been built between the University and the Cathedral, and has
dramatically transformed the appearance of Priory Street. A
lighting strategy - centred on some of the City's key buildings
- has also been developed to give Coventry a dramatic and
vibrant nightscape.
The City's slogan, 'Coventry Inspires', was chosen by the
people of Coventry to reflect the City's unique qualities in
these times of change. It is a play on the famous three spires,
and lends itself so well to the idea that Coventry has inspired
so much in its distinguished history.
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