Another day in lovely Coventry

Hot chocolate and Jane Austen: the makings of a good day

The chair that Holy Trinity used to allow a Scottish clergyman inside the church in 1883

This is one of the few weekends that I'm spending entirely in Coventry, and a relaxing weekend it has been.

I decided to spend a good part of the day with Jane Austen.  Not literally, but literaturely.  :-)  I headed for Costa (a Starbucks-esque coffee shop), got a hot chocolate, and dove into Persuasion for an hour or two.

Afterward, I meandered back toward my dorm and found that Holy Trinity Church was open, so I took a look inside.  Trinity is just as old as Coventry Cathedral, but it is still in working condition.  There is a congregation there, and they hold multiple weekly services.  It's a cool place to walk through.  There's a tall chair off to one of the sides with a sign that reads:

"In 1883 the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, The Reverend Walter Hook, wanted to invite his friend, the Bishop of Ross, Moray, and Argyll, to visit.  However, Church of England Law at that time forbade Scottish Clergy 'setting foot' in its churches.  The Vicar (Walter Hook) had this Tall Chair made so that his friend (the Bishop) was able to be carried into the Church, and therefore did not 'set foot' in the Church building!"

So basically, Coventry is awesome.

Right next to Holy Trinity are the ruins of St. Mary's Cathedral and Priory Church.  These are pretty minimal, and, apparently, they sat underneath the city centre for a long time before people decided the ruins should be a historic landmark.  The old cathedral's visitors centre has some really cool artifacts as well, and the Priory Undercrofts are neat as well.

The sun was shining and the temperature was a little bit higher than usual, so, after my exploring, I got to sit outside for a little bit and do more reading before I got too cold.  I've been surprised as to how little it has rained since I've been here.  I was talking to some of my friends about it this week, and, apparently, this is normal for Coventry.  Maybe I won't be needing my rain boots after all!  Who'da thunk?

Laura