Time in Coventry

Coventry was a centre of the woollen cloth industry growing and changing to production of woven silk ribbon using jacquard looms. This brought great prosperity in the 1800's.  Cash's being the major company, moving from supplying the small cottage weavers with silk to building housing with large well lit work areas on the upper floor with jacquard looms powered by a central beam engine.

Cash's One Hundred Houses

As cheaper ribbons began to be imported from abroad, Coventry's industries changed, large numbers of watch and clock making businesses began to flourish.

Then sewing machines, Singer being the main one.

At the end of the 19th century the bicycle was invented and soon Coventry became a world leader in the cycle industry.  And in turn motor cycle production.

1974 Triumph Tiger 100 taken round the world by Ted Simon

The British motor industry was born in here in Coventry and the area is still at the heart of the nation's motor industry.  The great names in car production; Jaguar, Rover, Triumph, Riley, Healey, Armstrong Siddeley, and many more - all come from here.

1914 Humber conservation project

1920 Alvis

1929 Austin 7 Swallow

1953 Jaguar XK120

1976 Triumph Stag

1973 Triumph Dolomite Sprint (for Keith)

We are now on the Ashby Canal, 22 miles of lock-free cruising. Today, despite a change in the weather, dull, grey and rainy, we have reached the limit of the navigation and stopped for a wander around Stoke Golding,

where HenryVII was crowned King after the Battle of Bosworth. We shall do some more exploring tomorrow and on the way back.

Stoke Golding - Snarestone

12 miles, 0 locks, 1 tunnel