Cov Cathedral named as one of England’s finest gems

COVENTRY Cathedral has been named one of England’s finest heritage sites.

BBC arts editor Will Gompertz included the 1960s landmark building as one his ten favourite examples of heritage architecture, describing it as “a magnificent, optimistic and bold response to the horrors of war.”

The new cathedral was built alongside the ruins of the old cathedral which was destroyed in the 1940 Blitz.

Gompertz added that “to create a modern and ambitious building dedicated to spiritual enrichment from the literal ashes of destruction was - and is - a sublime answer to brutality.

“It is a building born out of love and hope, made from the rubble of hate and despair.”

Also on his list are the Angel of the North and the Tate Modern.

Another Warwickshire building making the heritage cut among 90 others was Shakespeare’s Birthplace on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon the writer and novelist Monica Ali chose the tourist attraction as a literary heritage spot.

St Pauls in the City of London was the other cathedral chosen by Gompertz - its renowned dome was designed by architect Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1711.

Coventry Cathedral is open every day, and it is now free to enter after the Deanery waived admission charges last month.

The cathedral was consecrated in 1962, as the new St Michael’s to replace the former cathedral destroyed by the bombing of 1940.

Other arts spots on the list are the Tate Modern in London, the former Bankside power plant; the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in the Bretton Hall Estate near Wakefield; and Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North by the A1 in Gateshead.

Gompertz will discuss his selection in podcasts, availble on iTunes and Soundcloud .

A hundred places history campaignThe category of art, architecture and sculpture is the ninth out of 10 categories in the Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places campaign, funded by the church insurer Ecclesiastical.

The campaign also include science and discovery, sport and leisure, faith and belief and industry, and trade and commerce. A final category, “power, protest and progress”, is still yet to be revealed.

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “These ten choices represent the huge range of our most precious places, all of them special and significant around the world.

“They are symbols of great cultural and artistic achievement, from cathedrals and great houses to iconic sculptures, a theatre in a stunning natural setting and one of the greatest galleries of modern art in the world created in an abandoned power station.

“These places all have a strong identity, and bring people together in a spirit of wonder and enquiry.

“They fully deserve to be celebrated.”