The warm weather as well as the monthly general meeting welcomed historian David Fry from the Coventry Society for a talk on Coventry's post-war rebuilding and the roles of the architects Donald Gibson and Arthur Ling.

David explained how pre-war increases in population had pushed the city centre's Medieval street plans to breaking point. Even the trams required an especially narrow gauge (3ft 6in). Two plans were proposed in 1938 described as "one with too little imagination, one with too much". Thankfully it was the Gibson's more imaginative vision that won and following the destruction of the city centre in the Coventry Blitz the centre was rebuilt in line with that plan.

And for the era, what a plan! It created one of Europe's first traffic free shopping precincts, shops on multiple levels, public artworks and the use of limited materials to create a consistent style.

When Gibson moved on to other works the reconstruction was continued by his successor Arthur Ling. Ling injected ideas such as roof-top car parks, more use of concrete facades and less levels.

All of this was richly illustrated by David with slides showing the development. There are so many features that as a resident I've walked past but not really noticed. Tiny things like the subtle change in the design of the railings. It's difficult to imagine that tourists came to Coventry to visit this vision of the future, the excitement it generated. Perhaps it is a testament to Gibson's and Lings' legacy that their vision became the normal.