Famous Coventry Visitors

I worked for Harry Ferguson Research at Toll Bar End in the sixties and remember Stirling Moss, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Mike Hawthorn, Jim Clark (before he was really famous), Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus, and Raymond Baxter visiting the factory at various times. When I worked at Meriden later, in 1976, the Stranglers visited to, I think, pick up a bike for their lead singer.

I received years of orthopaedic surgery at the Paybody Hospital in Allesley as an infant, child & teenager. One of the entertainers who came to visit us was Mr. Pastry. I think 1956. This is a library picture of him from Flickr, it is not my picture. If you will pardon the pun, he had everyone in stitches.

I saw the late author Beryl Bainbridge once when she visited my stepfather's art gallery in Hearsall Lane. That would have been around 1974. The weird thing was she was also on the TV upstairs talking to (I think) Melvyn Bragg at the same time she was drinking whisky with my stepfather downstairs!

In the 1950s/60s my brother and I were Coventry Tape Recording Club members. The club - in the shape of Les Skingley, editor of GEC's "Loudspeaker" magazine and one other - took a wind up Boosey and Hawkes tape recorder to the Coventry Theatre to interview various well-known entertainers when they performed there. They interviewed a (reluctant!) Bernard Miles, and also the Beverley Sisters, among others. Harry Secombe performed there too, but I don't think they got to interview him. After talking to the latter for about 20 minutes, someone picked up the jack lead of the microphone, and said "Do you think it might be an idea to plug this in?" Amidst much embarrassment and grovelling, the Beverleys patiently agreed to do it all again. In those days, the club met in a pub (?) lounge, in a yard off the High St, but later migrated to Rotherhams' social club, inside their factory in Spon St. Incidentally, I know John, Bernard Miles' son, very well indeed from my Lotus days.

You mean Lord Miles yes a lot of famous people went to the Cov Theatre. The pub in the High Street, was it the Court Yard?

Has David Tennant been mentioned yet? I think Dr. Who came here to shoot a few scenes for an episode in the old part of Coventry.

How on earth could I have forgotten him? I dunno! I even took photos of him with "Martha" when they started rehearsing.

I'm quite surprised there's been no mention of Pope John Paul II

A little nearer present day was the visit by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1968 when they planted two acorns in the Cathedral grounds and presented a circular white bench to the city. Yoko re-visited Coventry in 2005, where she sat on a reproduction of the original bench - made for the Theatre Absolute play; "The Lennon Bench"

Allan Clarke, lead singer of The Hollies, married local girl Jennifer Bowstead at St James' Church, Leamington Road, in 1964

Another possible Coventry connection - does anyone know if its true that the actress Mary Ure is buried in London Road cemetery? She was from Glasgow and died of an overdose in London but reports suggest London Road is her resting place? If so any idea why there? For those not familiar she starred in films like 'Where Eagles Dare' and was married to Robert Shaw.

An exhibition golf match was played at Hearsall GC in 1960 featuring top British players Dai Rees, Bernard Hunt and Ken Bousfield, together with local assistant professional Ralph Moffitt Ralph represented GB in the 1961 Ryder Cup against USA and as a rsult was made joint professional at Hearsall by George Robins, before going on to succeed him as club professional So, three more famous visitors to Coventry - here's two of them from the programme from that day : And here's the third

Early 60's... Elizabeth II. Princess Margaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones Mid 80's... Princess Diana opened a Remploy factory

In 1977, the playwright, Arnold Wesker, came to the Criterion Theatre in Earlsdon to see the world premiere of his play The Journalists.

Probably the most famous of visitors to Coventry has been Queen Victoria. Although only of a short duration, and a stop-off point on her journey, she was met with great enthusiasm by a huge crowd. I quote below from this article I found on BirminghamUK.net relating to her visit to Coventry. The Royal train, consisting of seven carriages, left the station at Euston Square at three o'clock and, stopping only at Bletchley for a few minutes, arrived at Coventry at half past five, the hour indicated in the time-table. There, an immense concourse of the citizens had stood for hours, exposed to the glare of a burning sun, to catch a sight of the Queen. The station was profusely decorated with banners and evergreens and the platform spread with crimson cloth. As the cortege entered the station, a Royal salute was fired from a battery expressly sent from Weedon for the occasion; the city bells were rung and the crowd raised an enthusiastic cheer.