Coventry Watch Museum

About the museum

Coventry became a centre of clock and watchmaking from the 17th century, and the trade flourished well into the 19th century. The museum was set up by a group of local people, many of them from Coventry, to tell the story of this industry.

The group bought a plot of land with three derelict cottages built around 1820, known as Court 7 on Spon Street. The cottages are all that remains of the court, and the city’s conservation officer believed it to be the only surviving court in Coventry. Courts of this kind were built on land behind large town houses, with a row of cottages on each side of a cobbled yard, and they were often badly overcrowded.

Volunteers cleared the overgrown and rubbish-filled site by hand, and it first opened to the public during a heritage weekend, when more than 600 visitors came. Today the museum displays Coventry-made clocks and watches together with photographs and equipment used by watchmakers. Volunteers are on hand to explain the exhibits, and the building still shows a crack caused by a shockwave during the Blitz of April 1941.

Highlights

• Clocks and watches made by Coventry makers
• The only surviving court of workers’ cottages in Coventry, dating from around 1820
• Crack in the building caused by a Blitz shockwave in April 1941
• Knowledgeable volunteers who explain the collection

Permanent exhibitions

• Coventry clocks and watches – Clocks and watches made by Coventry watchmakers, with photographs and equipment from the trade.
• Court 7 cottages – The surviving cottages of a 19th-century working-class court, including the crack left by a Blitz shockwave in 1941.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Coventry Watch Museum Project

Admission & discounts

Admission is £2.00 per person; children under 16 are free. Admission is waived during Heritage Open Days.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The museum lists full wheelchair access, accessible toilets on site and a welcome for assistance dogs. Pushchairs and prams can be used.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

Pushchairs and prams are welcome. Children under 16 enter free.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in Court 7 at the rear of the public house on Spon Street; signs point the way to the entrance.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit