On the corner of Bishop Street and Hales Street in Coventry stands one of the city’s most historically layered buildings. The Old Grammar School is a Grade I listed structure whose origins stretch back to the twelfth century, when it began not as a school at all but as a hospital run by Benedictine monks.
From Hospital to School
The Hospital of St John was founded sometime between 1154 and 1179 by Prior Lawrence of the Benedictine Monastery. Its purpose was typical of such institutions across medieval England: to house a small staff, maintain a chapel, offer shelter to poor travellers passing through, and provide longer-term care for local people who were sick or elderly. That function continued until around 1544, when the foundation was closed and sold to a merchant named John Hales. King Henry VIII attached a condition to the sale – Hales was required to establish a free school in Coventry. He did so, and within a few years relocated the school from the former Carmelite monastery into the old hospital buildings. The school took the king’s name and became King Henry VIII School. In 1565, Queen Elizabeth I passed the building while entering Coventry through Bishop Street Gate. It was noted to her that her father had been responsible for the school’s foundation, and she stopped to visit, leaving a donation for its upkeep.
Changes Over the Centuries
The building was altered considerably in 1794, when the road outside was widened. The half-timbered section of the structure was demolished at that time, and the street was renamed Hales Street. The west end of the church and its bell tower were also taken down that same year. King Henry VIII School eventually outgrew the site and relocated to Warwick Road in 1885, after which the building stood empty for more than two decades.
Restoration and Public Opening
In 2012, plans were announced to bring the Old Grammar School back into use as an extension of the Coventry Transport Museum. Planning permission followed in March 2013, covering restoration work, the demolition of an adjoining building, and the construction of a new extension to allow disabled access. The project formed part of a wider £8.5 million redevelopment of the Transport Museum. Work began on 31 March 2014, and the Old Grammar School opened to the public on 4 July 2015, operating as an exhibition, education, and events space.