‘My city collection got so big, I opened a museum’
An avid collector of the city’s memorabilia, he said his collection had grown so much that he had set up his own “museum” that was open to the public free of charge.
“It’s called the Coventry Collection because it’s for Coventry,” said Scott Duffin.
“It was put together by the people of Coventry, donated by the people of Coventry and supported by the people of Coventry.”
He said the city’s market is “constantly growing” with hundreds of products on display.
The project was the result of about five years worth of work, he explained.
There are signs, archives from historical city shops, results of bottle digging, medals, coins, clothing, as well as paintings and paintings.
“We tried to acquire archives on almost everything related to the history of our city,” he added.
The exhibition includes paintings and old city signs [BBC]
“Just this morning we were delivered a Blitz archive that will join our exhibition,” he explained.
“Yesterday we had an original part of the Coventry tram.”
Collection houses the archives of Coventry’s oldest shoe store, Charles Ager [BBC]
He said a historic plaque from the city’s Livingstone Baths was on display, as well as “the entire store archive of the Charles Ager shoe store, the oldest in the city, dating back to 1860.”
Paper documents showing the “who’s who” of the city’s London Road Cemetery sit next to a plaque from when the city’s War Memorial Park first opened, he said.
“We’ve got part of Fords Hospital from 1509, we’ve got a Coventry Police exhibition, it goes on and on and on,” he added.
Part of the exhibition is a plaque from the city’s War Memorial Park and Livingstone Baths. [BBC]
Before bringing the collection to market, “there was a little bit of it everywhere,” he added.
“I have a warehouse, I have a garage, I have a loft, but that’s where we get most of it now.
“We don’t have room for large pieces, so we will be holding special exhibitions in the coming weeks, constantly changing the archives and bringing new things,” he added.
He explained that a “magnificent” model of the Golden Cross, the city’s oldest bar, was donated to the collection about two years ago.
“The man was about 93 years old when he achieved this.
“So I think the thought of donating these types of items, which take up a lot of personal time, to the collection later is really special,” he added.
A model of the city’s Golden Cross bar was donated [BBC]
“Every item has a history of Coventry, its past and its people. This is truly a museum for Coventry.
“I’m an avid collector… Some might call me a hoarder, but I also get a lot of donations; I can’t say no.”
The exhibition is open to visitors every day between 12:30 and 16:30, except Thursday and Sunday. [BBC]
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