Whitefriars, Coventry

Whitefriars in Coventry stands on a former field and orchard site in the city’s south-east. Founded in 1342 for Carmelite friars, it once covered ten acres and included a church, cloisters and living quarters. The friary was built of red sandstone, its church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and lined with patterned clay tiles. Local benefactors such as Lord Basset and William Botener helped enlarge the buildings through bequests. After the Dissolution in 1538 the site passed to John Hales, who turned part of it into a grammar school and residence. Later it became a workhouse in the 19th century, housing inmates who worked long hours. The surviving fragment is the eastern cloister walk, one of four original ranges that once formed a quadrangle. The cloister’s wooden roof was added in the 16th century from another building. Inside the cloister is a chapter house vestibule with a reused window and two small rooms: the friars’ warming room with a fireplace and their parlour for meetings. Upstairs lies the dormitory where the friars slept and worked. A postern gateway in Much Park Street once led to the friary and now houses a small museum. Today the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum occupies the site. Whitefriars Gate on Much Park Street, a few hundred metres away, still stands and once displayed a toy collection. The cloister wing outside the ring road remains largely unchanged since the 14th century. Marks on the cloister walls show where benches and tables were fixed during the workhouse years. The friary’s coat of arms, found in excavations, points to support from the Ferrers family.