More than 80 representatives and supporters of heritage groups in the city ensured a lively audience for the Coventry Society’s heritage conference in the stunning setting of Drapers Hall on Saturday.
The second annual event of its kind, dubbed The Future of Coventry’s Past 2, the conference featured around a dozen presentations from heritage groups and key players, reporting on work under way and picking up on current concerns over heritage matters.
The keynote speaker, Councillor David Welsh, Cabinet member for Housing and Communities, opened the morning session and was followed by Anne Cranston, the recently appointed Director of the Historic Coventry Trust and Judith Mossman, Pro-Vice Chancellor of Arts and Humanities at Coventry University.
Concern about future public access to the Priory Visitor Centre, now due to be taken over by the university’s Student Union, emerged as a significant issue among audience members.
During a packed afternoon session, conference-goers heard from heritage groups in Hillfields, Stoke, Westwood Heath and Earlsdon and listened to presentations on a range of ‘green’ heritage issues, including orchards and farming landscapes in the city, the Coventry Canal and the historic Stoney Road Gardens.
Peter Walters, Chair of the Coventry Society, said, “Our first annual heritage conference was back in 2019 and it was great to pick up the threads from that in such a historic setting.
“We were delighted by the size of the audience and the range of presentations we were able to offer. It shows how much is going on in the city at the moment and that interest in heritage in all its variety is growing.
“As a Society we’d like to do more to act as a loose umbrella organisation for all the wonderful groups working hard in Coventry. The enthusiasm we saw on Saturday gives us plenty of grounds for hope in that direction.”
