COVENTRY MOTOR CITY

Coventry’s year as the UK City of Culture begins in May – something for us all to look forward to as the country opens up again. As part of the BBC’s contribution to the celebrations, I have spent a year working on the BBC Four documentary Classic British Cars: Made in Coventry. Among the world-famous cars made in the city were Daimlers, Rileys, Hillmans, Standards, Triumphs, Rovers and Jaguars. By the middle of the 20th century Coventry had become Britain’s ‘motor city’, but it fell into a dramatic decline leading to mass unemployment. Its downturn inspired the single Ghost Town, which earned local band The Specials a number one in 1981. However, there are many green shoots of recovery today.

The car industry developed in Coventry because of a centuries-old tradition of craftsmanship in the city. It was known for its skilled weavers and watchmakers, but when those industries collapsed with the