77 years after The Blitz... then and now

TODAY marks the 77th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz.

Walking through the city centre today it’s difficult to imagine the full destructive horror of the bombing.

The ruined medieval cathedral is probably the only tangible reminder of what happened in November 1940 and April 1941.

But digitally blending wartime photos with the street scenes as they are today brings home the true horror of what the city endured, and how times have changed.

Perhaps the most striking is the view across the city centre from the tower of St John’s Church, in Fleet Street.

Standing in the same place nearly eight decades later and the city is unrecognisable, save for the spires of St Michael’s and Holy Trinity in the distance, which still stand proud.

Gone is the market tower which stood in what is now the pedestrianised precinct, near where the fountain can be found today.

However, one landmark which remains is the bank on the corner of High Street and Hertford Street which can be seen in the top right, albeit with the now long-gone Smithford Street running by.

Our other photos show contrasting scenes in Greyfriars Green, the ruined cathedral church of St Michael’s, St Mary’s Street where the police station took a direct hit and King Henry VIII School which was hit by incendiary bombs.