The Coventry Elephant – Coventry, England - Atlas Obscura

The Coventry Elephant

 

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Before the second world war the symbol of Coventry was the elephant. However after recovery of the city from the devastation of the bombing raids in 1940 (particular the very heavy raid on 14th November) the city unofficially adopted the Phoenix as it’s most commonly used symbol. Elephant motifs however abound in the city and when, in the 1970s, the in-house architects at Coventry City Council designed the new Coventry sports centre  the elephant motif was incorporated into the architecture of the building. The locals all know the building as “The Elephant”.

It was completed in 1977. The grey, metal-clad building stands on 4 legs to allow traffic to flow under it  through Cox Street and the arrangements of windows and the elevated link corridor are suggestive of the ears eye and trunk. Actually the best view to be able to appreciate this as an elephant is to see if from a specific elevated section of the inner ring road (where one is not allowed to stop the car) but you just get a glimpse  and it is gone.   A slightly less good view of the elephant can be obtained from  Cox Street near its junction with Fairfax Street. The elephant is under threat. An application to have the building listed (under the UK system to protect important buildings)  by the Coventry Society has failed and a new sports centre in the city may draw customers away from the elephant. Without protection from the UK’s listing process the building may eventually be demolished as the sports centre is destined to be closed by 2019. Plans for a new leisure centre and water park elsewhere in the city are well advanced. Apparently Coventry City Council officials have also publicly indicated that the building is likely to be demolished as finding an alternative use for that part of the site seems unlikely.

Know Before You Go

If you are viewing the elephant from the ring road as a car passenger the best view is when the car is travelling anticlockwise but you will have to look slightly behind you. If you are driving you will get a quick view in the clockwise direction but be advised that Coventry Inner Ring Road is notoriously unnerving for first time drivers as the entry and exit slip roads are not designed to modern standards.

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