[23
AUG 00] HERITAGE OPEN DAYS FACTFILE
Council
House Called Late To Politics
Coventry’s
Council House may be based on a Tudor style, but it has only been
officially open for 80 years.
It
took four years for the building in Earl Street to be constructed by
Edward Garret and HW Simister of Birmingham.
 The
building was finished in 1917, but because of the war, it was not
opened until June 1920. The Duke of York, who later became George VI,
performed the ceremony.
Many
of the rooms are open to the public at all times, and the council
actively encourage people to visit the council chamber during
meetings.
But
for Heritage Open Days one of the most prestigious parts of the
building will be open that the public is not normally allowed into.
Many
of the people of Coventry look up to the Lord Mayor, but only a chosen
few are invited into the ceremonial rooms that go with the job.
This
year’s incumbent, Cllr Sheila Collins, will be on hand in her
ceremonial robes to welcome members of the public and explain about
the history of the mayor’s position.
With
all the civic grandeur that accompanies the mayor, people might think
it is an ancient position. Indeed, the city has had a mayor for
centuries
But
the city was only granted the right to call the mayor the Lord Mayor
in 1953 and is only one of 24 cities in he country to have one.
The
Lord Mayor traditionally spends a year as Deputy Lord Mayor before
moving up to the main role.
The
Deputy Lord Mayor is chosen from the most experienced councillors able
to take the role.
Each
week both Lord Mayor and the Deputy have a busy diary at functions in
the city and further afield representing the council, and the Lord
Mayor chairs the council
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