Coventry
Watching a
documentary on construction of the new Coventry cathedral on TV recently made
me realise that of all the great Midland cities I have the closest and
strongest links with Coventry.
Initially it
was the city I visited most because of family visits to my aunt Amy and uncle
Jim. It was in Coventry that I saw TV for the first time in 1948. It was at one
of Amy’s friends. I thought it was marvellous although I thought the programme,
the Festival of Remembrance extremely
boring ( I was only 6 ). They had one child, daughter Winifred, who I wasn’t at
all close to as she was 8 years older. However Winifred played a big indirect
influence in my life. At the start of WW11 Winifred was evacuated to live with
my parents in the North Warwickshire countryside. Looking back my mother was
smitten with her as charming 5 year old. I’m sure my mother insisted that she
should have a child of her own as Winifred went to live with her mother in a
nearby village. My father was one for putting things off but I think my mother
was insistent and so I was born in the middle of the war.
My cousin has
always said my mother wanted a girl like Winifred although I have to say she
never even hinted at any disappointment when I was growing up. Winifred was
always a family favourite. I remember she came to stay with us while learning
to ride her new Piatti motor scooter just prior to taking up her midwifery
position in London. I remember my father in despair as she was a very poor rider.
I think it was just as well she soon got a small car.
We did spend a
family holiday staying at Amy’s house while they were away. My main memory of
that visit was that we gorged on cinema visits something normally difficult.
“Reach for the Sky” about Douglas Bader and “Privates Progress” but my fathers
favourite was “Genevieve”. He always commented on the trumpet playing of Kay Kendall, one of the leading ladies. Much
later I found out that this was actually played by a double but I never
disabused him.
Throughout this
time of the late 40’s and 50’s Coventry centre was being rebuilt after the
severe bomb damage of the 1940 attack. I was vastly impressed by what seemed to
me to be a pinnacle of modernity. It was the forerunner of the separation of
traffic and pedestrians. The centre led down from a square making clever use of
the gradual slope to have two level access over part.. What was perhaps a less
classy aspect was that the modern town hall boasted the Godiva clock. On the
hour Lady Godiva would ride in front while Peeping Tom looked upon her from
above. This miracle of the clockmaker’s art fascinated me.
A little way
away. but with modern centre axis aligned with the tower of the old cathedral,
was the cathedral complex. The old cathedral’s nave was completely destroyed
with only the walls remaining with the majestic tower at one end still intact.
The new cathedral was at right angles to the old connected by a gigantic porch.
The new nave had a serrated edge with one side filled with stained glass. At
the end nearest the old church was a curved wall with an abstract sun burst
motif in stained glass. This floor to ceiling design is quite magnificent- in
fact the whole is a triumph. No attempt at a tower is made as the old one is
magnificent, just a lattice work tower at one end. The porch wall is entirely
of glass which gives the new cathedral a light and airy feel.
I remember at
my first rag week I determined to absent myself from the main activities and
Annette and I went to Coventry for the day. I was anxious to show her how
modern town planning had transformed the centre and accommodated the car.
With Castrol I
had to visit the GEC Telephones factory right by the modern ringroad. I was surprised to learn this was a listed
building as the first steel framed in the UK, Later in my career with Castrol I
quite often had the task of entertaining foreign visitors from Castrol units
around the world. My routine on such occasions was to go to the Jaguar engine
plant at Radford Road in the morning and visit the cathedrals in the afternoon.
The Jaguar engine plant had an ongoing supply and maintenance contract for
cutting fluids and the like. I knew the Castrol staff quite well and this
relatively new deal was sure to be of interest.
Then at the
cathedrals I knew the detailed story quite well. I was able to describe how on
the morning after the raid a cross of giant nails was picked from the rubble
and erected in the burnt out nave. This became the symbol of the rebirth of the
church which dedicated itself to forgiveness and reconciliation. The cross of
nails is now an emblem. The full story is shown in a film in the crypt of the
new cathedral.
More recently I
bought my car in Coventry from a Volvo dealer on the outskirts. Volvo dealers
are few and the most convenient one closed. Waiting while the car is serviced
we spent the time in Coventry centre. The Herbert museum which combines art and
local history is just by the old cathedral.
Sadly the new
centre hasn’t worn particularly well and is about to be redeveloped. I suspect
one big problem is that it was designed around lots of small individual shops.
There is no space to put big modern shop units. To site a large Ikea store it
is located just beyond the mall end. I will be sorry to see it go but shopping
habits have changed immensely in the past 70 years.
