Coventry is a metropolitan borough located in the West Midlands, England.
Earlier it was part of Warwickshire, Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 12th largest in the UK. It is the second largest city in the West Midlands region, after Birmingham, with a total population of 345,385 in 2015. It is located 95 miles north-west of central London, 24 miles south-west of Leicester, 19 miles east-south-east of Birmingham, and 11 miles north of Warwick.
History
The Romans founded a settlement in Baginton, around the River Sowe, and formed another Saxon nunnery, founded c. AD 700 by St Osburga, that was later left in ruins by King Canute's attacking Danish army in the year 1016. Mercia’s Earl Leofric and his wife Lady Godiva made on the remains of the nunnery and founded a Benedictine monastery in the year 1043 dedicated to St Mary.
Coventry Castle was a motte and bailey castle in the city, constructed by Ranulf de Gernon in the early 12th century, 4th Earl of Chester. Its first use was in The Anarchy when Robert Marmion, a supporter of King Stephen, barred the monks from the priory of Saint Mary and converted it into a fortress from which he had a battle against the Earl.
Education
Coventry has two big universities; Coventry University is located on a modern city centre campus while the University of Warwick lies three 1⁄2 miles (nearly 5.6 kilometres) to the south of the city centre, mostly within the Coventry and straddling the border with Warwickshire.
The University of Warwick is among one of only five universities never to have been rated outside the top ten regarding teaching excellence and research and is a member of the well-known Russell Group.
In April 2007 a team from the University won the BBC TV University Challenge trophy. Coventry University is among the best universities to conduct a degree course of automotive design at the Coventry School of Art and Design.
