Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
about 1 month ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
about 1 month ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
about 1 month ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
about 1 month ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Coventry Remains of the Whitefriars Friary

Remains of the Whitefriars Friary

The historic site where Queen Elizabeth I once gave a searing speech.

Coventry, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The gatehouse.   E Gammie/CC BY-SA 2.0
The gatehouse.   E Gammie/CC BY-SA 2.0
A remaining timber roof.   Herbert Art Gallery and Museum/CC BY-SA 3.0
The building from the south.   E Gammie/CC BY-SA 2.0
The main surviving building.   E Gammie/CC BY-SA 2.0
Another view of the surviving building.   E Gammie/CC BY-SA 2.0
Gatehouse from Much Park Street   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Under the arch at the gatehouse   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Into plaque on possible Friday building   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Possible additional part of the friary, next to the gatehouse   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Remains of c!oisters, Coventry University Engineering and Computing building to rear.   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Remains of cloisters with Coventry University Library to rear   E Gammie
  Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Information board.   Dr Alan P Newman / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

 Update as of November 2023. The site is currently closed indefinitely. 

The few buildings that make up Coventry’s "Whitefriars" area are all that remain of a Carmelite Friary founded in 1342. When Elizabeth I stayed there in 1565, it is believed that she addressed the public from a first-floor window and admonished the people for neglecting religion.

Whitefriars took a long road to ruin. Henry VIII closed it almost 200 years after opening during the English Reformation when the nascent Church of England supplanted Catholicism in the country. A member of Parliament named John Hales came into possession of the property, demolishing much of it and converting the rest into a residence called Hales Place. Hales was forced to live abroad during the reign of the Catholic Queen Mary I, but he returned when Elizabeth took the throne and restored Anglicanism.

Later, during the 19th century, the building was used as a workhouse where conditions are said to have been very harsh. It was then damaged by bombing during World War II, before becoming a Salvation Army homeless shelter in 1948. Extensive restoration followed in 1965, and a museum was founded in 1970. The buildings have been unoccupied since the museum’s 1990 closure.

Until Whitefriars’ next life is decided, visitors can explore the grounds and enjoy what’s left of the buildings. There’s not much left to see off most of the Cloisters or the Friary church, but you can still get a good look at a large hall and the old gatehouse (which is about 200 yards away). If you’re quiet, you might be able to hear the echoes of Elizabeth’s prickly sermon.

Related Tags

Monasteries Catholic Ruins Religion Sacred Spaces

Know Before You Go

Though Whitefriars is currently owned by Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, only the grounds are open to the public. Not the buildings themselves.

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

jooniur, matthewtaub

  • jooniur
  • matthewtaub

Published

August 20, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hales_Place
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitefriars,_Coventry
  • https://www.historiccoventry.co.uk/tour/content.php?pg=whitefriars-much-pk-st#whitefriarsgate
Remains of the Whitefriars Friary
36 Much Park Street
Coventry, England
United Kingdom
52.404964, -1.505026
Get Directions

Nearby Places

St. Mary's Guildhall

Coventry, England

miles away

Cheylesmore Manor Gatehouse

Coventry, England

miles away

Coventry Cathedral Ruins

Coventry, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Coventry

Coventry

England

Places 12

Nearby Places

St. Mary's Guildhall

Coventry, England

miles away

Cheylesmore Manor Gatehouse

Coventry, England

miles away

Coventry Cathedral Ruins

Coventry, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Coventry

Coventry

England

Places 12

Related Places

  • Ruins of Annunciation (Blagoveštenje) Monastery in Gornjak Gorge.

    Breznica, Serbia

    Monastery Blagoveštenje Gornjačko

    This outcropping was once home to a medieval monastery destroyed during the Ottoman conquest.

  • The ruins of Craswall Priory.

    Craswall, England

    Craswall Priory

    Britain’s highest medieval monastery is a remote ruin nestled at the head of a valley 1,240 feet above the sea.

  • The verdant convent is enchantingly haunting.

    Colares, Portugal

    Convent of the Capuchos

    The verdant mossy ruins of a Franciscan monastery lie in the remote Sintra hills awaiting exploration.

  • The abbey today.

    Barrow-in-Furness, England

    Furness Abbey

    What was once England's second-richest abbey is now a haunting ruin.

  • The new church, built in 1840.

    Glynn, Northern Ireland

    St. John's Church

    Local legend says there's treasure hidden within its crowded graveyard.

  • Monk Bretton Priory.

    Barnsley, England

    Monk Bretton Priory

    These medieval monastery ruins are surprisingly overlooked by most tourists.

  • Rabban Hormizd Monastery.

    Alqosh, Iraq

    Rabban Hormizd Monastery

    An ancient sanctuary that has long been a holy site for the Chaldean Christian Church.

  • Kláštorisko.

    Letanovce, Slovakia

    Kláštorisko

    The ruins of a 13th-century monastery that long served as a place of refuge from wars and raids.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.