Coventry
Motofest.
Since
the Southern Classic Bike Show I have been busy with car related
projects. One is rebuilding a kit car and the other preparing for the
Citroen Centennial celebrations in Coventry.The car related project
meant I have been to Stroud in Gloucestershire and, by chance, met up
with a bike enthusiast taking his bikes out for a spin, not at the
same time I add. An Ariel and a Triumph. Looking good with the patina
of age.
Although
the reason for going to Coventry was for cars, there was a bit about
bikes too. On Saturday a parade of motorcycles lined up out side the
camp ground which was in Coombe Park to ride into Coventry as part of
that days’ celebration. Bikes were parked everywhere in the city.
Some of the roads were closed to allow for street racing and stunt
performances. It was an event not to be missed.
Sunday
was the day for the cars and having a Citroen we all set off in
sunshine and directed around the town and by chance drove around part
of the racing circuit. Parked up by the Cathedral we headed off for a
coffee and snack before going on to the Transport Museum. I left some
flyers as in previous visits and went around the museum. I think this
was my fourth visit in about 6 years. The first time was to see Robin
Spalding’s collection of scooters in Scooter Mania and this was in
my first ever posting for the Museum. This collection is now in the
Haynes Museum in Sparkford.
I
went around the museum with Richard, an old friend and left Gita in
the shops. I was the impromptu guide and I still saw more interesting
things on the machines I saw before. There were two Francis Barnetts
that drew my attention. One was thought to be a prototype with some
different tubing arrangement in the “built like a bridge” frame
and another that had a coil spring on the girder forks that like a
big clock spring. How many people know what I’m talking about? Bill
Lyons had a presence with one of his sidecars. Swallow were the coach
builders making cars and sidecars and later Jaguar. By the time we
had gone around the museum it had started to rain and feeling a bit
hungry collected Gita on the way to Weatherspoons for some lunch and
waited for the rain to stop. After lunch it was a quick walk around
the bike club stands in Biker Village before going on to the
Cathedral and the rain started again. This put a real dampner on the
day as being at the Motofest was to show off the cars. It was a bit
too damp to stand around chatting.
It
was nice to sit in the Cathedral out of the rain listening to the
choir practice. Every place you go to has a snippet of information
about something or other. This time in the Cathedral it was about
Siegfried Bettmann.
His
success enabled him to become President of the Coventry
Liberal
Association.
A Freemason
and
founder member of Coventry's Chamber of Commerce,
he was also a
Justice
of the Peace
and
in 1913 became Mayor
of Coventry,
the first non-British subject to have the position. His German
origins resulted in him being removed from this position on the
beginning of the
first World War. A bit more up to date and I now know where the
Triumph factory was sited next to the Cathedral.
Just across form the
original front entrance and about where the bollards are now sited. I
took a few photos to show where it was. An incendiary bomb set the
Triumph factory ablaze with such ferocity that it took the Cathedral
with it. The modern Cathedral has a minimalist elegance and amazing
stained glass windows.
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