This undated ‘then’ postcard shows the junction of Castle Green, Castle Hill and Castle Road opposite the Queen & Castle pub, known locally as ‘The Godcake’. The ‘now’ images was photographed in early Autumn of 2018. 

First, a few words about the term ‘godcake’. I confess, I first came across the term amongst the writings of esteemed local historian Graham Gould, and was intrigued enough to dig into the origin of the term. It transpires that a ‘god cake’ was once a well known local delicacy in the Coventry area. God cakes were triangular puff pastries filled with mincemeat, given by godparents to their godchildren at New Year. Their name comes from their triangular shape, invoking the Holy Trinity. From the three-sided cake, the name seems to have been applied locally to the three-sided traffic island seen in these images.

To the rear of the godcake is the cylindrical Lunn’s tower, shown as likely dating from the 13th century, according to the English Heritage plan of the castle.

To the right of Lunn’s Tower, is the 16th century gatehouse, built to replace an earlier structure by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester as he transformed the castle into a palace in which he would attempt to woo Queen Elizabeth. The gables are thought to have been added after the slighting of the castle by the parliamentarian Colonel Hawksworth, who made the former gatehouse into his home after the English Civil War. In the rear of the ‘then’ photo the towering 12th century Caesar’s Tower, or Keep, looms over them all.