Coventry Catheral

I’ve had a good few days with my SiL and BiL. Today is the day to go home, and I decided to return via Coventry and it’s cathedral. It’s one of the few English cathedrals I’ve never visited - in fact I’ve never been to Coventry.

My expectations of the City were low. My understanding is that the carpet bombing of November 14th 1940 largely destroyed the centre, and much of the architecture that followed the end of the war hasn’t stood the test of time. My expectations were thoroughly confounded.

Leaving the car park after I arrived the first building I approached was the fabulous Council House, with the tall spires of two large mediaeval churches beyond. Then I stumbled upon the Guildhall - my third mediaeval guildhall this week, and a fantastic stone building which somehow survived the bombing, I had a coffee and tea cake in the fabulous crypt.

I then entered the ruin of the old cathedral, which is impressive. I walked up the 180 steps of the tower’s spiral staircase (the tall tower and spire miraculously survived) for views over the city. I was greeted by a male peregrine falcon when I got to the top.

From the ruin I then entered the “new” cathedral, which is simply fabulous in so many ways. Dedicated to peace and reconciliation, which is evidenced throughout. I kept coming across the same group of people moving from place to place within the building, praying and reflecting. They seemed to belong to a group called “ Christians for Palestine”, this place obviously meant a lot to them.

I was going to head home, but first of all had a look inside the neighbouring Holy Trinity Church, impressive in its own right. And then I stumbled across the Priory Gardens. This is the site of the Priory Cathedral - the only cathedral which Henry VIII ordered to be demolished during his dissolution of the monasteries. Coventry only regained a cathedral in 1918 when the imposing parish church of St Michaels achieved cathedral status. So the city has had the misfortune to lose two cathedrals.

I took loads of pics, I’ve added three as extras here.