The Story of Lady Godiva

Since its Friday we thought we’d have a little fun with our blog post today and retell a famous legend about the city of Coventry.

Since we are a Coventry double glazing company, we enjoy the history of the city we’ve been based in since 1996. Coventry was quite a famous city during the Second World War bombings and was the only British City to lose a Cathedral. Another famous story from the history of Coventry is that of Lady Godiva.

The legend goes that Lady Godiva, who was the wife of the Earl of Mercia, took pity on the people of Coventry over the taxes that her husband had imposed on the city. She tried to appeal the taxation but the Earl always refused, instead saying that if she rode naked on a horse through the streets of Coventry. Godiva wanted to help the people and so agreed to do this, but asked all the people to stay indoors and close their Coventry windows. She then rode through the streets of Coventry with nothing but her long hair covering her.

Lady Godiva and Tom peeping out
of his Coventry window
(clock located in Coventry City centre)

There was only one person who peered out of his window though, a tailor called Tom, and this is where the phrase ‘Peeping Tom’ comes from. According to the legend he was struck blind for defying Lady Godiva’s request. Because of what Godiva did though, her husband kept to his word and abolished the taxes.

There are many references to Lady Godiva in Coventry including a statue of Godiva outside the Cathedral Lanes shopping centre and the Broadgate Clock which strikes each hour and shows Lady Godiva riding past, secretly watched by Peeping Tom out of his window.

Now we know that was a tenuous link so that we could talk about Coventry windows, but you have to admit it worked...didn’t it?