Charting Godiva's ride through city history; TIME TUNNEL: 1951: DAVID McGRORY TURNS THE CLOCK BACK TO...

Byline: David McGrory

DAVID McGRORY looks back at the wide array of floats and tableaux which made up the Godiva Pageant and Procession over half a century ago

THIS weekend sees the annual Godiva Procession and Godiva Festival at Coventry's War Memorial Park.

With this in mind, I have held on to these photographs of the Festival of Britain Godiva Pageant and Procession of June 16, 1951.

The main photograph was sent in by L Crane, of Charter Avenue, Canley, Coventry, and was taken by Dean Chapman. It shows West End actress Ann Wrigg as Lady Godiva riding a beautiful 16.3-hand hunter called Willoughby Warrior.

A woman dressed as a Benedictine nun leads her past St John's Church through Fleet Street and into Spon Street.

Godiva was accompanied by heralds, Leofric, her "sons" Alfgar and Hereward, a Saxon guard and nuns and monks.

Five of the other photographs shown here were taken by H J Overton, of Allesley Old Road, Chapelfields. The first shows a section of the "fire brigades" from the Spirit of Coventry 1940 tableau. This depicts a late- Victorian steam-powered fire engine which belonged to Lord Leigh and the Stoneleigh Estate.

This engine and others represented the services who fought to save the city during the Blitz.

The next one shows the phoenix rising from the ashes, symbolic of Coventry rising from the destruction of the Second World War.

The next tableau was created with the help of the Freeman's Guild and shows Sheriffs in Stocks outside Ye Olde Guildsman Inn. An act of 1722 gave men who had served a seven-year apprenticeship the right to vote in elections.

The scene that follows shows Coventry Freemen calling for Glynne to be voted Coventry's Member of Parliament.

Twenty pikemen enter the scene as part of the pageant created with the help of the Coventry Technical College Union. The pikemen formed the front of the tableau which was followed by James I on his throne, the mayor and alderman and members of the council.

James stayed in Coventry in September 1617 when he was entertained at St Mary's Hall and stayed at Whitefriars.

This huge procession finally ended, as today, at the War Memorial Park, and T Bowron, of Sutherland Avenue, Mount Nod, sent in two photos of that day in 1951.

One shows a pageant lorry from the Motor Car and Aeroplane Section, created by the Humber, showing the 1000 horsepower Sunbeam which broke the world land speed record in 1927, reaching a speed just over 203 miles per hour on Daytona Beach.

The other tableau shows From Coventry to the World, created by Armstrong Whitworth. It depicts how the company developed its aircraft. This float, with the three spires in the background, shows a Whitley bomber, an Ensign passenger plane and the revolutionary AW 52 Flying Wing.

This was one of the last great Coventry Godiva Processions, when the city still had hundreds of firms willing to create their own floats - a sight we will never see again.

CAPTION(S):

SPLENDID SIGHT: Actress Ann Wrigg takes the role of Lady Godiva in the procession of 1951; FIRE FIRE!: The Spirit of Coventry 1940 tableau; CITY SYMBOL: The phoenix rises from the ashes; TURNING THE TABLES: It's the sheriffs' turn to end up in the stocks