A message from the Chairman of
The Friends of Coventry Cathedral
August 2024
Heavens Above!
COVENTRY CATHEDRAL CEILING features in the Cathedral Ceilings Campaign that has been mounted this year by the Association of English Cathedrals.
As part of the campaign online pictures of Basil Spence’s wooden slatted ceiling appear together with pictures of ceilings from cathedrals across the country. The campaign encourages worshippers and visitors to cathedrals to lift up their eyes on entering the buildings to discover features that they might otherwise overlook.
It has proved to be an extremely popular campaign, and by July 2024 more than 500,000 people had viewed the online site. The range of ceilings illustrated is tremendous – some painted, some carved in stone, some showing off expert carpentry skills.
As the design details of the new Coventry Cathedral developed, Basil Spence (the architect) worked out the positioning of the nave pillars with his structural engineer, Ove Arup, and he knew roughly the shape of the nave ceiling.
The ceiling made of sitka spruce that you see today did not then spring immediately to mind. It may be reminiscent of the vaulting in many famous medieval cathedrals, but Spence disclosed in his book "Phoenix At Coventry" that the inspiration came "when I saw in the Geographical Magazine a highly magnified photograph of a fly's eye. This was marvellous, with the most amazing facets and a compelling organic crystalline quality about it....After discussion with Ove it was decided to adopt this. (Later the Daily Express called it "The Fly's Eye Cathedral".)"
If you wish to go online to see the ceilings for yourself the online link is https://www.englishcathedrals.co.uk/latest-news/cathedral-ceilings-campaign-milestone-reached/
TO GIVE MYSELF some relief from the non-stop sports programmes on TV, I watched an old episode of ITV's detective “Vera” on catch-up TV.
The action all took place on Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and included film of the Castle, the Causeway and St Mary’s Church. It is a brilliant episode, though I must say that the book is even better if you have time.
Remembering that Canon Sarah Hills left Coventry Cathedral to take charge at St Mary’s, I mentioned the programme when writing to Richard, her husband. He replied with this photo of Sarah Hills with Brenda Blethyn (Vera) taken at St Mary’s Church during a break in the filming.
The programme was filmed in early winter 2022 for showing at Christmas. The church benefited not only from a facility fee, but also gained a large Christmas tree and lots of candles.
Family Fun August
THE CATHEDRAL EVENTS team has organised a series of Family Fun happenings at the Cathedral on Thursday mornings throughout August. 1st August – Let’s Grow: Flowers!
Craft. 8th August – Teddy Bears Picnic!
BYO Picnic and your favourite teddy to Priory Lawns beneath St Michael & the Devil. Free drinks and games for all the family. 15th August – Let’s Watch and Make!
Ferngully: The Last Rainforest 22nd August – Let’s Grow : Poems!
Poetry and Craft 29th August – Let’s Grow : Rainbows!!
Craft
More details of all these activities are available on the Family Events page of the Coventry Cathedral website.
The Annual General Meeting will be held on 12th October 2024.
The Friends Council is looking for new members to join the Council and bring fresh ideas to share. I am sure that you have some ideas! The Friends Council meets 4 times a year.
Why not give it a try?
DAVID POULTER and PAUL LEDDINGTON WRIGHT, two former Directors of Music, return to the Cathedral on Sunday 1st September 2024 to take charge of the Coventry Singers at the choral services for the day.
Choral Eucharist is at 10.30am and Choral Evensong at 4pm.
August Organ Recitals Each Monday between 12.30pm and 1pm there is a free organ recital on Coventry Cathedral Organ. The full programme of recitals is available on the Cathedral website. https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/worship-music/the-organ/organ-recitals
PICTURES OF COVENTRY Cathedral are to be found everywhere!
It has been many years since I last used a Telephone Directory, but the other day I spotted an old Telephone Directory in a second hand book shop (who would want an old Directory?!) What drew it to my attention was that it was a 1982 Coventry directory featuring the Cathedral on its front cover. (SEE PHOTO RIGHT)
This was not the first Telephone Directory to feature a drawing of Coventry Cathedral. It was in 1968 following a design makeover that British Telecom first introduced illustrations in its directories, and Coventry Cathedral was there as the very first cover illustration. In that year the Priory Street view of the Cathedral drawn by a freelance artist, Michael Jackson, featured on the Coventry volume. (PHOTO BELOW) That year the other innovation resulting from the makeover was the introduction of Yellow Pages.
Writing about the Cathedral pictures used in old telephone directories reminded me of the time when banks used local landmark scenes as an option to "personalise" their clients' personal account cheque books. My bank never offered me that option but this old Nat West Bank cheque is another example of the institutional use of a Coventry Cathedral image.
Come and join us!
If you are enjoying this newsletter and are not yet a member of the Friends of Coventry Cathedral I invite you to join us today. The Friends support the ministry and buildings of Coventry Cathedral so that it can be there for future generations. Joining is easy. Simply use the online
membership application form.
https://www.friendsofcoventrycathedral.org.uk
WHEN I WROTElast month about the contribution of the late John Rathbone to the Cathedral’s ministry I had insufficient room to include pictures from his time in the Cathedral Choir.
To put that right here are two pictures taken in 1964 when John sang with the Cathedral Choir at Ottobeuren Abbey, Bavaria in the first German performance of Britten’s “War Requiem”. John is arrowed on the left during rehearsals and on the right whilst processing to the Abbey through the streets. The grand procession included monks, priests and other church dignitaries (including our own Cathedral clergy) as well as state representatives. The performance was broadcast live across Germany.
The photographs were taken by Richard Sadler FRPS. You can find more information and many more pictures of the Cathedral Choir's visit in the book “Following The Cross of Nails” by Mike Smith available from Amazon (price £7.50).
Bringing Light
THE BROKEN ANGEL project included those brilliant wings of light created by Anne Petters and projected on to the west screen.
The Project comprised three artworks in total that were curated by Mike Tooby, Professor of Curatorial Practice at Bath School of Art, Bath Spa University. Mike worked with local groups and members of the Cathedral congregation to relate the artworks to the local community.
If you would like to hear the whole story and learn more about the thinking behind the Broken Angel Project you are welcome to come to Long Itchington Community Centre, Stockton Road CV47 9QP on Wednesday 9th October 2024 at 7.30pm.
At the invitation of the Long Itchington History Group, Professor Tooby will be talking about the origins and development of the Coventry Cathedral Broken Angel Project.
The Friends of Coventry Cathedral was founded in 1934. It is an independent Charity No. 1061176 registered in England and Wales, with an annually elected Council.
