The Coventry Society’s 2026 Heritage Conference explored how historic buildings, places and communities can contribute to health and wellbeing, while examining the opportunities and challenges facing the city’s heritage.
The Coventry Society’s annual Heritage Conference brought together Coventry’s heritage community to explore the relationship between heritage and wellbeing and to share what is happening in the city on the heritage front.
Held at The Herbert on Saturday 17 October, the conference took the theme Our Heritage – Our Health & Wellbeing. Speakers examined how Coventry’s historic environment can contribute to a healthier city, while highlighting the importance of conserving and finding new uses for its historic buildings.
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Roger Bailey, welcomed participants, sharing his own enthusiasm for heritage, including a project to map the subterranean structures beneath Holy Trinity Church.
Historic buildings and the wellbeing of communities
The conference opened with Dr Eugene Malthouse of the University of Nottingham, who presented research exploring the relationship between the built environment and wellbeing.
His research suggests that historic buildings can contribute to the scenic quality of urban areas in ways comparable to natural landscapes. The presence of listed buildings was associated with a 25% increase in scenicness scores, equivalent to the scores for areas containing forests and lakes.
The research also found stronger associations where buildings were more prominent, older or of a higher listing category.
These findings provide an important perspective on the value of heritage, suggesting that historic buildings are not simply remnants of the past but can contribute to the quality of life of people living in today’s cities.
The theme was developed by Tim Brown, Chair of the Coventry Society, who highlighted the challenges facing Coventry’s health and wellbeing. Healthy life expectancy in the city is below the national average, while significant inequalities exist between neighbourhoods.
Tim argued that improving the built environment should form part of the response to these challenges. He also highlighted national research demonstrating the potential of heritage buildings to contribute to health, wellbeing and housing provision through their refurbishment and reuse.
A framework for Coventry’s heritage
Salla Virman, Head of Culture and Creative Economy at Coventry City Council, outlined progress towards the city’s long-awaited Heritage Strategy.
She explained that the intention is to develop a framework covering both tangible and intangible heritage, maximising its value not only for its own sake but also for the city’s economy, culture and communities.
Emerging priorities include participation and engagement, pride in place, tourism, inclusive growth, health and wellbeing, and skills development.
Potential programmes include developing Coventry’s heritage stories, using historic high streets and neighbourhoods as catalysts for regeneration, and exploring the contribution of heritage to biodiversity and climate adaptation.
Salla also acknowledged the challenges involved, including funding, skills shortages, changing consumer behaviour and the perception that heritage can be a problem rather than a solution.
The next steps are to finalise the framework, consult further with stakeholders and establish a delivery plan. The target date is 31 March 2027.
Progress and challenges for Coventry’s historic buildings
Ian Harrabin, Chair of Historic Coventry Trust, provided an update on the Trust’s work to secure the future of historic buildings across the city.
Established in 2011 to save the Charterhouse, the Trust now owns 14 properties. Its work includes the regeneration of the Burges and Palmer Lane, where the naturalised River Sherbourne provides an attractive setting for plans incorporating artists’ studios and visitor accommodation.
Ian described the opportunities presented by other sites, including Whitefriars Gate, the Nonconformist chapel at London Road Cemetery and the Charterhouse itself.
However, the challenges remain considerable. Spon Street, in particular, has several vacant buildings and sites, while the recent closure of the Genting Casino has added to the difficulties. Ian highlighted the potential for linking future activities with the former IKEA store, now known as the Gateway Building.
He concluded that Coventry’s built heritage presents significant opportunities, but that the Trust needs additional revenue and capital funding to deliver its ambitions.
Bringing heritage to new audiences
Niamh Carton, Programming and Partnerships Manager at the Charterhouse, described the success of the National Trust’s work at the site.
Visitor numbers exceeded 50,000 in the first year of its five-year operational lease to May 2026, more than double the 26,000 reported the previous year.
Initiatives such as Summer Sounds, with family workshops and musical events, have helped attract new audiences. Niamh emphasised the importance of removing barriers to access, including the introduction of free entry for GoCV+ card holders.
The conference also examined the practical work involved in conserving historic buildings.
Architect Robert Davies described the ongoing challenges at St John the Baptist Church, a prominent fourteenth-century landmark which underwent extensive renovation by George Gilbert Scott in the 1870s. The church remains on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk list, with its porous sandstone requiring continual attention.
Robert explained how repairs have sought to conserve original materials wherever possible, while allowing the building’s ongoing evolution to remain visible. The costs of further work and the availability of funding remain significant concerns.
The future of Coventry Canal Basin
John Goodman, who was Secretary to the Canal Basin Trust at its inception in the 1980s, traced the history of Coventry Canal Basin from its opening in 1769 to recent developments.
The basin has played an important role in the city’s industrial and cultural history, with its warehouse, coal vaults and other buildings subsequently accommodating artists, designers and community organisations.
The Canal and River Trust’s decision to sell the basin and surrounding properties has prompted attempts to secure its designation as an Asset of Community Value.
Despite these efforts, the site was sold at auction on 13 October to Cyntra Properties Ltd for a reported £280,000. Its long-term future remains uncertain.
Learning from the past to shape the future
The conference also explored the history of housing in Spon End, with Dr Simon Davies of Archaeology Warwickshire examining three examples of homes built for working people.
These included the surviving Grade II listed building at 9 Spon End, the Well Gardens bungalows designed by Donald Gibson, and the post-war prefabricated maisonettes at Milestone, Trafalgar and Kerry, which have since been demolished as part of the Spon End Regeneration Plan.
The final presentation came from Coventry University architecture lecturers Jose Romero Garcia and John Prevc, who showcased students’ proposals for reusing existing buildings and reconnecting the city with the River Sherbourne.
Their designs explored the potential of sites including the former IKEA store and the now redundant Central Swimming Baths, demonstrating how imaginative approaches to existing buildings could create new community spaces and bring nature back into the urban environment.
The conference concluded with a discussion among participants, bringing together the day’s themes of conservation, regeneration, community participation and wellbeing.
The presentations demonstrated that Coventry’s heritage is not simply a record of the city’s past. It is also an important resource for its future, with the potential to support healthier communities, strengthen local identity and contribute to the regeneration of the city.
The conference was part-funded by a generous grant from the Pioneer Health Foundation.
Read the full conference report in text form with links to the presentations.
Read the full conference report in newsletter format with pictures.
