Public sculpture reflects the history of a county and few other areas have Warwickshire's variety and vitality. Coventry was one of the five largest and finest cities of medieval England and the celebrated exploit of Lady Godiva, one of the principal founders, has always been irresistible to artists. Coventry's devastation in the Second World War encouraged much public sculpture related to regeneration. Nearly all the sculpture in Stratford-upon-Avon commemorates William Shakespeare with Ronald Gower's masterpiece displaying French panache in its mixture of portraiture and allegory.