An international campaign has been launched to secure the future of Coventry Cathedral’s historic ruins – a site which has become an internationally recognised symbol of both the devastation of war and the hope of reconciliation.
The ruins of the medieval Cathedral of St Michael have stood at the heart of Coventry since the building was destroyed during the Blitz of 14 November 1940. Now, more than 85 years later, they face a different threat.
Inspections have identified water damage, deteriorating masonry and structural movement in the tower. The problem is partly the consequence of the building’s destruction: without its original roof, rainwater can penetrate the pink sandstone from which the cathedral was constructed. The World Monuments Fund has placed the ruins on its At Risk register.
A new Building Hope initiative has therefore been launched to raise funds to preserve the ruins and spire for future generations. The campaign also aims to improve the visitor experience, potentially including a multilingual app, a virtual reconstruction of the pre-1940 cathedral and a new visitors’ centre.
More than 200,000 people visit the site each year.
For Coventry Society founder member and Cathedral Guide Paul Maddocks, however, preserving the ruins is about much more than protecting an important historic building.
Paul remembers growing up in Coventry only a few years after the war, when the evidence of the Blitz was still visible throughout the city.
“There was still dotted around the city examples of bombed out buildings and shrapnel marks on many of the buildings. But over time the bomb craters and destroyed buildings have gone and, if it was not for the Cathedral ruins, you would not have known Coventry was bombed so badly at all.”
The ruins are therefore a permanent reminder of what war does to ordinary people and the places in which they live.
Yet they also represent something very different. In the aftermath of the bombing, Provost Richard Howard had the words “Father Forgive” inscribed behind the altar of the ruined cathedral. The message, offered while the Second World War was still being fought, became the foundation of Coventry’s continuing international message of peace and reconciliation.
Paul believes that this makes the survival of the ruins particularly important.
“We need to be reminded every day that war is not glamorous. It affects everyone – children, women, old people, animals, places we live, play, pray in and historic buildings.”
He describes the battered walls, tower and spire as needing to remain “a beacon of hope for the future”.
The Acting Dean of Coventry Cathedral, the Reverend Canon Kate Massey, similarly emphasises the international significance of the ruins. “The ruins are iconic; they are known globally,” she said, adding that the aim is not simply to carry out a short-term repair but to “future-proof the ruins for the coming generations”.
There are also discussions about whether the site could eventually receive UNESCO recognition, while the World Monuments Fund is already involved in discussions about its future.
Paul suggests that architectural historian and broadcaster Jonathan Foyle, who climbed Coventry Cathedral’s spire for the television series Climbing Great Buildings in 2010, could also have a role to play. Foyle was involved with World Monuments Fund Britain, which works to protect threatened historic sites.
The challenge now is to find the resources needed to ensure that Coventry’s most powerful physical reminder of both the horrors of war and the possibility of reconciliation survives for generations to come.