 | Coventry Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 81 |  |
Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (81) the decision to build the New Cathedral was made only the day after the old one was destroyed in the blitz. However, Dick Howard the Provost of St. Michael's at that time, did not have retribution in mind. His vision was that the new church would be a sign of faith in humanity and for peace in our future.
A competition open to any architect from the British Commonwealth was held to find the most suitable design for the replacement cathedral.
Sir Basil Spence
was the clear winner and his design has been the subject of much controversy over the years due to its unorthodox style. His cathedral was a radical new approach and a complete break away from traditional style cathedrals. In choosing Mr. Spence, the panel had found a man of great vision who was now able to fulfil his dream. As early as 1944 when serving as a Captain on the Normandy beaches, his answer to a friend who enquired as to his ambitions, was that he wished "To build a cathedral".
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"The Old Cathedral" was formerly the parish church of St. Michael. The present structure dates from the 1300's to 1400's but originally a smaller Norman chapel stood on the site around 1138 during the reign of King Stephen.
This all changed on the night of the 14th November ....
At around 7:10pm the air-raid siren sounded just as it had done on many occasions that year. Little did the people of Coventry suspect that this was about to become the most prolonged and devastating attack on any city in the history of warfare to date.
In the Morning all that was left was the outer walls
Coventry Cathedral.
To walk from the ruins of the old Cathedral into the splendour of the new is to walk from Good Friday to Easter, from the ravages of human self-destruction to the glorious hope of resurrection. Your heart is lifted, your spirit is renewed and you feel there is hope for the world Thanks to gods mercy, reconciliation is possible.
The words of John Irvine
The dean of Coventry Cathedral Directions: Open to visitors 09.00-18.00 summer time 09.00-17.30 in winter
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Built in the early 20th century to a Tudor designs, building started in 1913 but due to the First World War wasn’t completed until 1917
Above the central main doorway is a carved and painted coat of arms, but the three large statues Leofric, Godiva and Justice overshadow this. Another interesting feature is the Clock, which was designed by Edward Garrett and H.W Simister
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This beautiful church one of the largest medieval parish churches in England was lucky to escape the wartime bombing, although it did lose most of its stained glass windows, It was originally built between 1200-1400 from red sandstone, the spire is defiantly not original it was built in 1667 after the older one collapsed during a storm in 1665, killing a young boy in the process, the spire is237ft high, It has recently undergone major repairs which where completed in 2001. The Church is also well known for the beautiful Doom or Last Judgement Painting which dates from c1420 , the present building stands on the site of a chapel built by monks from st marks in the 12th century Address: Holy Trinity Church 5a Priory row , CoventryPhone: 024 76 220418Directions: Right next to the ruins of the old CathedralWebsite: Web site www.holytrinitycoventry.org.uk
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Coventry Transport Museum
A great place to see some of the historical cars which started their lives in Coventry, they also have a large collection of motor bikes and bicycles,
I personaly loved the 50s and 60s cars , a few samples shown here
FREE ADMISSION
Open all year round (except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day).
Museum Open: 10am - 5pm - (last admission to the Museum is 4.30pm Address: Coventry Transport MuseumDirections: Coventry Transport Museum Millennium Place Hales Street Coventry CV1 1PN T 024 7623 4270 F 024 7623 4284 E museum@transport-museum.com
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You want something different, Try taking a flight in a helicopter from Coventry Airport either book a flighing lesson as a treat or for a special freind, birthday etc
The veiws are spectacular i flew over warwick castle on my lesson, also its great fun Address: The Helicentre,Coventry AirportPhone: 024 76 511615Directions: Baginton CoventryWebsite: info@flyheli.co.uk
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Paying tribute to the inventor of the jet engine Sir Frank Whittle who was born in Coventry this Magnificent arch is formed from two aerofoil sections covered with perforated stainless steel sheeting, its internally lit so looks spectacular at night Address: City centreDirections: Millenium square
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The view of the Guildhall from the outside is deceptive. At first sight, it could be dismissed as just another medieval building. The stature of the place is not immediately obvious and it would be easy to walk past the semi-concealed courtyard and not give a second glance.
However, as you enter the well preserved courtyard, you begin to sense a certain air of importance about this place.
A plaque mounted on the outside wall, gives you a breif history, It was built between 1340-1364 and fully restored in 1824 and parts of a 12 century castle are suposed to by in the south wall
It was originaly a guild hall for the merchants of st Marys and Holy Trinity 1340-1364
Mayor J Ward was elected here in 1346 and the Marorial line dates to the present day unbroken
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As you approach Coventry Cathedral, you are overlooked by the rather imposing bronze statues of St. Michael and the Devil on the southern end of the east wall. (Ecclesiastically speaking, the west end of the south wall.) It was sculpted by Sir Jacob Epstein who sadly died in 1959 and therefore didn't live to see his masterpiece mounted on the cathedral wall a year later.
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The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum is named after Sir Alfred Herbert, a local industrialist who founded Alfred Herbert Limited, at one time the world's largest machine toolmaking company.
In 1938, Sir Alfred donated £100,000 to the City of Coventry to pay for the construction of an Art Gallery and Museum. Building work started in 1939 on a site on the other side of Bayley Lane from the present building.
At the start of World War II only the basement had been completed and work was stopped.
By the end of World War II the city centre lay in ruins, and work on the gallery was put on hold, although the basement was converted to a temporary art gallery in 1949.
In 1952 new plans were drawn up and on 20th May 1954 Sir Alfred was able to lay the foundation stone of the new building. He also donated a further £100,000 to the scheme.
In 1956 the plans were revised to include a room for science and natural history collections. This was because of a bequest from Alderman JI Bates which gave an additional £34,500 to the scheme. This room was called The Bates Room in his honour.
Sadly Sir Alfred did not live to see the Art Gallery and Museum opened as he died on 5th June 1957 aged 90.
On 9th March 1960 Lady Herbert, his third wife, declared the Art Gallery and Museum open. Address: The HerbertPhone: Tel: 024 7683 2386Directions: Opening Hours Monday - Saturday 10am – 5.30pm Sunday 12pm – 5pm . Admission Admission to The Herbert is free. Getting Here The Herbert is in the heart of Coventry City centre, near Coventry Cathedral and Coventry University.Website: Email: info@theherbert.org Other Contact: Fax: 024 7683 2410
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Destinations near Coventry- Canley, 3.70 km / 2.30 miles
- Baginton, 7.16 km / 4.45 miles
- Kenilworth, 7.74 km / 4.81 miles
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on November 24, 2005
