Archives

Maps and Plans

Coventry Archives holds a large number of maps and plans for the city of Coventry dating back to the early 1700s and forward to some of the most recent developments of the city. Maps and plans are essential in helping you to trace the history of a building such as your house, church or school. They allow us to see the development and growth of the city.

The most appropriate sources for your enquiry will depend on the age and type of the building you are interested in and its location. Coventry has changed its boundaries over the years and we also hold plans for parts of Meriden and Bedworth, Rugby and Warwickshire. For further specific advice please telephone Coventry Archives on 024 7683 1949.

Building Plans

In order to construct buildings within the city area it is necessary to gain local authority approval. Building Plans are the architectural drawings and supporting documentation submitted in order to gain that approval. Coventry Archives holds Building Plans and Byelaws (early plans) dating back to the early 1900's up to 1986.

Each application will include some or all of the following; floor plans, elevations, sections, drainage and street layouts. They may also include constructional detail.

In order to check whether we hold the correct plans for you it is necessary to consult the microfiche index that is in the searchroom. These plans are stored off site and two days notice is required to retrieve them. Please refer to our charges for photocopying prices specific to Building Plans.

Architectural Plans

Coventry has some detailed architectural plans from the late 1800s with a particularly good series for the post-war reconstruction of the city. The plans have an index card system in the searchroom and are also being inputted into our Heritage Database catalogue. These plans are stored off site and two days notice is required to retrieve them.

Ordnance Survey maps and Aerial Photographs

Coventry Archives holds maps showing the layout of the city from 1662 to the present day. We hold Ordnance Survey Maps from 1888 forward (there are gaps in the series), and aerial photographs from 1946 to 1980. These maps are available in the searchroom and older ones may by photocopied. Ordnance Survey maps are also available in the Local Studies Library.

Other Map Sources

Of particular interest are the Board of Health Maps from 1851.

The map in the photograph (see office leaflet) is a copy of one section of the 1851 Coventry Board of Health Maps. These maps were commissioned so that the authority could see how crowded or open a district was so that they could decide where to allow further housing development and was a direct result of the Public Health Act of 1848.

Public health was a major concern in early Victorian times because many more people than before were living crowded together, a situation which spread killer infections such as cholera. Coventry was a particularly good example of these crowded conditions with hundreds of courts or small passageways lined with houses crammed in behind normal streets in what would originally have been spacious garden areas. Poor water supply and bad hygiene helped spread cholera swiftly through the population.

Coventry, along with other cities, suffered severe cholera outbreaks throughout the early 1800s with a major epidemic in 1848-49. A quote from the Coventry Poor Law Union Directors Minutes (held at Coventry Archives) for the 25th July 1849 demonstrates the poor conditions, 'It appearing that a very great Nuisance arises from the Cesspools in public streets not having stench traps placed over them which appear to be desirable at the present time'.

The collection of 1851 Board of Health Maps covers all areas of the city and is made up of over thirty 10ft to the mile maps, beautifully coloured and detailed, even down to the level of showing individual trees! Reprints of selected sections of these maps are for sale at Coventry Archives, Local Studies and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.

top of page | back | ©The Herbert 2007 All rights reserved