A HISTORY of Coventry through female eyes will tell the untold stories of the women who helped shape the city.
Acclaimed historian Dr Cathy Hunt will investigate the role of women during Coventry’s ‘century of change’ from 1850 to 1950.
Cathy will unpack the city’s transformation into an industrial hub using previously unseen images and deeply moving stories of its female contributors.
Cathy specialises in social history from a local perspective and she has lived in Coventry for many years.
She has written women’s history from both national and local perspectives.
She focuses on bringing to light the lives and work of ordinary people, particularly women, whose achievements have so often been ignored, she says.
Cathy began her career working in community education and went on Coventry University and the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum.
She said: “I have now moved away from higher education to work independently and it has been a pleasure to once more immerse myself in studies of community, place and people.
“This year, my book on women’s lives in Coventry between 1850 and 1950 will be published by Pen and Sword.
“Its chapters include education, making a living, housing, health and welfare, leisure and community involvement.
“It is illustrated with some wonderful images of the city and its women citizens.”
During Coventry’s century of change, Cathy says women broke through barriers so future generations of women might experience greater freedoms than had ever been possible for their mothers.
She says there are many examples of women who offered their time and exceptional talents for the good of the community.
One was headmistress Miss Grace Howell who sought the very best for her pupils at the city’s first secondary school for girls, Cathy says.
She encouraged her students to seize opportunities in higher education, training and jobs which had previously been closed to them.
Publishers Pen & Sword said: “The main focus of this engaging study is on the too often neglected details of women’s daily lives, of triumphs and tragedies, changes and continuities, loves and losses.
“What was it like to grow up in Coventry, to go to its schools, to work in its offices, shops and factories?
“What were women’s experiences of getting married, setting up home and raising children?
“How did women spend their scarce and precious leisure time?
“In other words, this is a book about the business of being a woman in this distinctive English Midlands city.”
