In 1970 , the Lanchester College of Technology and the College of Art , along with the Rugby College of Engineering Technology in the neighbouring town of Rugby , amalgamated to form Lanchester Polytechnic . The institution was designated as such in February 1971 by then Education Secretary Margaret Thatcher . The name Lanchester gave the institution a certain degree of obscurity ( it was often confused with both Lancaster and Manchester ) , notably when none of the contestants on the BBC Radio 4 general knowledge show '' Brain of Britain '' could give its correct location . The polytechnic cancelled its graduation ceremony in 1974 following the Birmingham pub bombings in fear that public gatherings could be targeted ; the ceremony was eventually held in 2009 , 35 years later . Lanchester Polytechnic was later renamed " Coventry Polytechnic " in 1987 , and when the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 afforded Coventry Polytechnic university status that year , the name was changed to Coventry University
Birmingham pub bombings
Birmingham pub bombings
Coventry University