Coventry Archives’ collection area covers the present city, so includes suburbs which have had their own local party and ward organisations, as in Foleshill and Earlsdon. The Liberal Party was stronger in the city than were the Conservatives during the nineteenth century, but it declined during the 1920s to the extent that an informal electoral pact was made with them, formalised as the Progressive Party in 1936, which lasted until 1949.
Records held relate to the Coventry Liberal Association, 1895-1929 (PA68); Coventry Liberal Club, 1873-79 and 1968-70 (liquidation) (PA 1189, 1554); Coventry Progressive Party, 1941-47 (PA585, 937); Foleshill Liberal Club, 1912-14 (PA752); Liberal Party, Earlsdon branch, 1984-89 (PA1408); and Social Democratic Party, 1981-88 (PA1250, 1279, 1305).
There are also magazines for Foleshill and North-East Warwickshire Liberals, 1885-87 (PA 1749); and lecture-notes and correspondence of Alderman W.H. Grant, 1890-1931 (P159).
All the above collections are open for immediate inspection except those of the Earlsdon branch, permission to view which must be obtained until 31 December 2009, inclusive, from the secretary of Coventry Liberal Democrats.
November 2004