Fight to keep Cross in place
PLAN TO MOVE MONUMENT TO EXTEND NEARBY PUB
PROTESTERS are fighting the removal of a replica medieval monument which is set to make way for a larger seating area at a nearby pub.
The Coventry Cross – which has stood in Trinity Square since 1976 – is a replica of the famous cross that stood in Coventry throughout the Middle Ages. But there are plans to move the sculpture to a site in Cross Cheaping – closer to where the original 14th century monument would have stood towards the top of Ironmonger Row – so the Slug & Lettuce can extend its outside seating area.
The removal of the sandstone and concrete pillar – which marked the corner of Holy Trinity Church – is part of the second phase of the Cathedral Lanes refurbishment, which has seen restaurants including Bistrot Pierre and Zizzi open recently.
But the plans have angered hundreds of residents in the city, who have signed a petition against the move. Hundreds sign petition The rear plaza of Cathedral Lanes, where the Coventry Cross stands, forms part of the High Street Conservation Area. The Coventry Society – a group formed to promote the environmental, social, economic and cultural improvement of Coventry for the benefit of people living and working in the city – submitted a petition to Coventry City Council to save the Coventry Cross last week. More than 780 people in the city have signed it. Paul Maddocks, chairman of the Coventry Society, said: “We would expect the council to listen to the considerable numbers of Coventry citizens who have expressed their displeasure with the council’s scheme to spoil one of the heritage features of the city’s premier conservation. “We ask them to re-think their unacceptable plans. The council has found £150,000 to demolish and remove the cross. Surely a better plan is to use the funding to restore and enhance this monumental link with the city’s colourful history. Coventry Society would like to see the cross cleaned up, the missing parts reinstalled, gilded like the original cross, and made into a stunning tourist attraction fit for a city of culture.”
A considerable number of people have expressed displeasure. We ask them to reconsider their unacceptable plans. Paul Maddocks