Hundreds of Coventry elephants celebrated in new book

Hundreds of images of elephants adorning a city's buildings, bollards and coat of arms have been documented and featured in a new book.

More than 300 pictures and carvings, some dating back almost 700 years, can be seen around Coventry's city centre, parks and churches.

The book helps to tell the history of the city, said Scott Duffin, one of those behind the project.

"It's also the story of the people of Coventry," he added.

The elephant had been an emblem of the city for centuries, local historian and co-author Adam Wood explained.

He said: "It's a symbol of restraint and resilience which I think initially is why it came to be associated with the city."

Mr Duffin, who helps run popular local Facebook group Visit Historic Coventry, said the project, which also included a calendar and colouring book, had been about two years in the making.

"We just started documenting them - now I think we have finally managed to cover most," he said.

Mr Wood added the work was a useful way to introduce people to history, saying "even if they're reluctant to learn about the buildings, they will through our book".

Mr Wood said he had been "massively surprised at how many [elephants] there were".

"I knew Coventry was associated with elephants, I'd seen some of the obvious ones but once I became aware, I spotted even more."

One of the earliest representations was from about 1355 and featured on Bond's Hospital on Hill Street, said Mr Duffin.

"It probably would have been on the coat of arms a little before that," he explained.

The book also features the city's celebrated "elephant building," a 1970s-built sports centre.

Many city organisations were involved in putting together the book, the authors said.

"It's not just me and the elephants, it's become more of a book for all of Coventry, bringing in as many people as possible to make it a community project," according to Mr Duffin.

The Elephants of Coventry book is set to be published next week.

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