Lychgate Cottages – A Quiet Echo from Coventry’s Medieval Past

Tucked between the bustle of Coventry city centre and the shadows of Holy Trinity Church stands a row of charming timber-framed houses that often go unnoticed by hurried passersby. These are the Lychgate Cottages, a group of medieval and post-medieval buildings that form one of the most atmospheric corners of the historic city core. Their proximity to the cathedral ruins and their timeworn appearance make them feel like survivors of another age; and in many ways, they are.

The cottages take their name from the nearby lychgate, an old wooden gateway traditionally found at the entrance to a churchyard, where coffins would rest before burial. In Coventry, the gate once marked the boundary of consecrated ground adjoining Holy Trinity Church. While the original lychgate no longer stands, the name lives on through these buildings.

Lychgate Cottages - Coventry

What makes the Lychgate Cottages especially significant is their architectural continuity. Some of the buildings here are believed to date back to the 15th century, with later additions and restorations layered over time. Their jettied upper stories, timber framing, leaded glass windows, and exposed beams are hallmarks of vernacular medieval architecture in this part of England. Peering through the mullioned windows or noticing the irregular brickwork reveals how these homes evolved - patched, repurposed, and quietly adapted across the centuries.

Today, these cottages serve as a rare visual reminder of what Coventry must have looked like before wartime bombing and post-war redevelopment changed the cityscape so drastically. The area around them has been modernized, but this small cluster, restored with care, remains rooted in its original character. Some are still residential, while others have been converted into small shops or used for community purposes.

Lychgate Cottages - Coventry

Standing here, in the narrow lane between Holy Trinity and the remnants of the original cathedral, you are surrounded by centuries of Coventry’s layered history. The cottages face the Holy Trinity Church, a poignant reminder of the devastation caused during the Blitz. That these modest homes survived when much else around them did not, lends them an added sense of fragility and resilience.

The Lychgate Cottages aren’t just architectural curiosities. They are physical memories; remnants of domestic life, ordinary and uncelebrated, yet deeply woven into the city’s ecclesiastical and civic heritage. For the heritage walker or the casual visitor, they offer a serene moment of pause and a chance to glimpse medieval Coventry through a living lens.

Happy travelling.

Lychgate Cottages - Coventry