There are many things for which Coventry is known, some good some less so, but the tale of Lady Godiva riding naked through the streets of the city is perhaps the most enduring. There certainly was a Lady Godiva, wife of Leofric Earl of Mercia, in the 11th century but whether she actually undertook this stunt, as a protest at her husband's imposition of excessive taxes on his tenants, is very doubtful. Nevertheless, Coventry and Godiva are inextricably linked and it is appropriate that her statue has pride of place in Broadgate at the heart of the city. It was sculpted by William Reid-Dick, and unveiled in 1949; note the words 'self-sacrifice' on the plinth. Behind her is the Botanist, one of a national chain of themed bar/restaurants, which opened in the Cathedral Lanes shopping centre in 2018.
The building that this mosaic SP3379 : Mosaic detail in Cov Centre. decorates was originally the Locarno ballroom, hence the jolly design. The artist was Fred Millet.