Coventry's Universities

It seems long gone are the days when a monument would be erected by way of a Founder's statue in the grounds of the Uni's, at the same time I do enjoy a piece of 'art work' but to me when I look at those shavings I imagine only the artist knows what it represents, so to me that's all it is 'Shavings'. I have no doubt quite a lot of time went into the developing of that piece of work but could someone who is more cluey than me explain to me what it really represents, as I don't wish to be totally ignorant. Some of the female gender might call it 'Ringlets'. I don't wish to discriminate the artist in any way but I would like to know what was intended.

It conjured up images in me of a cylinder of aluminium being unwrapped and unrolling into the air. Maybe aspirations of a new University. It is what you make it.

From the University website: In 1978, the artist commented that the five individual coils of Grown in the Field were different sizes to symbolise the various stages of growth of a tree: "My work is very much nearer nature and has life like a tree or plant. My pieces respond to atmosphere like natural vegetation ... They grow under the sun, breathe open air, swing like trees and vibrate like leaves." Grown in the Field is one of the sculptures included in the University's sculpture trail. A leaflet about the sculpture trail is available from the Mead Gallery.

The word for them is Swarf, the waste from metal turning. Lathes etc.

This came to me via 'Streetlife' and I feel sure some of our forum members may like to have their say: How does Coventry University affect the local population

I was grew up in Coventry and went to the Lanch (as I know it). I read this thread hoping to see if other peoples experiences were as positive as mine. Maybe I am reading the wrong thread but this mainly seems to be people spouting off about what has happened in Coventry since the Luftwaffe flatttened it, namely unplanned redevelopment leaving a piece part city? From my mid teens I was aware of the disjointed planning but surely this should be about the Poly / Uni and peoples memories?

Hello 3TA, Seems you had a similar experience as me. That is, studying at Henry VIII and also the Lanch. I really enjoyed my time at the Poly. I only did a one year course but wished it could have been longer. The lecturers were really pleasant. And the lectures - so few of them! I don't know how many hours, but I could comfortably handle that work load. We had Friday afternoons off and I would get home and relax in preparation for the weekend, just gazing out into the garden of my parent's home thinking life was pretty good at that point. The library was a comfortable place to study. I felt at ease there. I wasn't too sure about the student bar. One or two lads would have a pint of a lunchtime but I've never been able to take drinking at that hour of the day. They had some good (great?) bands performing at the Lanch. Pink Floyd, perhaps? I only went the once to see a group called Stackridge (?). That is off the top off my head. More research needed. They were seriously loud as far as I was concerned, but put on a good show. My favourite lecturer was a guy called Murphy. He probably taught Sociology but I can't remember the title of the lecture course we had with him. It wasn't examinable, from memory. He really challenged me to question norms. He presented a different perspective on life and coming from Henrys it was utterly refreshing. I didn't necessarily agree with what he said, but that didn't matter. It was just enlivening to hear an alternative way of thinking about social, cultural and political matters. And he was interesting, enthused and amusing. Definitely the best lecturer/teacher I ever had by some distance. One thing that stays in my memory - and this is unusual - is starlings swooping around the place during winter time. It must have been a roosting place nearby because there were hundreds of them above. I would come out of an evening, see these birds performing their routine, look over to the Cathedral with some of it illuminated and just feel pleased to be alive. That is something I never experienced at King Henrys.

If you were in a foreign country and saw buildings like these you would probably remark how interesting and refreshing they are! They are certainly better than the plain concrete oblong blocks put up in the 60's when I was there.

While I like many of Coventry's new buildings and modern design in general, I'm fairly sure that this one is ugly in the eyes of most foreigners and locals alike. It would be tolerable, maybe even pleasing, if not for the silly turrets at the top. They unbalance the building and ruin the whole thing. They are reminiscent of guard towers but not in a quaint castle way. At other times it makes me think of something that has died with its feet in the air. There is innovative and daring or then there's just plain weird. This is the latter.

I am at one with you 3TA and Last of the Inkers. I was at KHVIII too and then at Lanch 1961-65, student apprentice at Coventry Gauge & Tool, degree in Mech Eng. I have been terribly disappointed reading this thread which I was hoping to be full of nostalgia about the early days of the Lanch and student life in the 60's. But it's mostly moaning about what's happened to Cov far more recently. I was never aware of any violent reputation, maybe that was later after I'd gone elsewhere, but in my time there were certainly punch-ups at the Locarno and other places. One of the groups at the student dances was The Barron Knights, a comedy/rock outfit, I think Russ Abbot played drums. Can't recall any other names but I did see Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran at the Gaumont, Johnny Kidd & the Pirates somewhere, and the Beatles at the Hippodrome.

rufford, while this is a forum where anything can crop up, due to the basic raison d'etre of the site, it attracts those who are nostalgic for the city's old architecture. Some of the people here even predate the war. The architects of the poly bulldozed a lot of historic buildings in the 70s that would now be cherished and preserved. The town planners before the war did even more damage to an extraordinary medieval city. Having only seen Coventry for the first time in the 90s, the changes are not so painful to me but I am still irked by the mistakes the planners have made over the years. As one of the younger visitors (and I'm middle aged), I only studied some evening classes at the poly so have no real memories of it as an institution.

I agree with you that it does have a 'prison' vibe to it. But those towers are there for a reason - to let in natural light and ventilation and helped make it one of the most energy efficient buildings of the time. With that information it does become interesting as opposed to weird.

I actually quite like that one 'cause it's so unusual. Bit like the elephant - anything different!