Commemorative plaque 39293

This black commemorative plaque records: Lady Herbert's Garden & Garden of International Friendship Lady Herbert's Garden was laid out in the 1930s by Alfred Herbert as a memorial to his second wife. The garden of International Friendship was opened in 2000 as part of the City Council's Millennium Scheme (Phoenix Initiative). During the medieval period the area lay on either side of the town wall (here constructed between the 1430s and 1460s). Within the wall were located the rear gardens of houses on Cook St and St Agnes Lane. A great ditch lay immediately on the outside of the wall and beyond grew the fruit trees of the Prior's Orchard. Swanswell Gate (Priory Gate) served as the Prior's own gate into the monastic precinct. As Coventry grew in the 19th century, the area was built over for the first time. In turn, much of this was cleared in the 20th century and the best preserved section of the town wall made publicly visible for the first time. A Millennium Commission Lottery Project Recorded plaque organisation: Coventry City Council, Coventry Phoenix Initiative.

Lady Herbert's Garden commemorates Alfred Herbert's second wife and reflects his personal tribute to her; the adjacent Garden of International Friendship, established in 2000 as part of a millennium project, symbolizes global unity and marks an area historically significant for its medieval town wall and monastic connections.