The day started bright and sunny as we left Great Wakering for our coach outing to Coventry Cathedral, but the weather soon changed as we made our way up the M1. At our stop for a short coffee break, the sky turned black and the rain came down. By the time we reached the cathedral it had stopped so we all made it into the cathedral safe and dry.

After a short lunch break in Benedict’s Restaurant, we went to the visitors’ centre to meet our guides and, as our group numbered 30, we divided into two groups.

Our guide gave us the brief history of the old cathedral and the new as we headed towards our starting point of our tour.

The place we call ‘Coventry Cathedral’ is now two buildings. The ruins of the’ Old Cathedral’, which are the remains of a medieval parish church were consecrated to be the Cathedral of the new diocese of Coventry in 1918.

In less than 20 years this building would be destroyed by enemy air attack in the Second World War.

Rather than sweeping away the ruins or rebuilding a replica of the former church, the then leaders of the cathedral community decided to build a new cathedral and preserve the remains of the old one as a moving reminder of the folly and waste of war.

Today the ruins of the old cathedral are preserved as a memorial and sacred space for the city.

In 1947 it was decided a competition would be held to determine the new design of the cathedral. There were 219 designs submitted and the one chosen was that of Basil Spence (now Sir Basil Spence). His design caused a storm of protest but was approved and the licence to build was issued in 1954. The building started in 1955 and the Queen laid the foundation stone in 1966.

The cathedrals are beautiful buildings, both old and new, and we are delighted to have been able to visit and given such a wonderful and informative tour. Thank you to all at Coventry Cathedral for a wonderful day out.