Amazing pics show building of Cathedral
THESE are the amazing photos of Coventry Cathedral never before seen by the public.
The images are just some of 10,000 photographs that will be made available to the public by autumn 2020.
The 21-month project is exploring the John Laing Photographic Collection, a unique record of Britain’s construction history.
Historic England and the John Laing Charitable Trust will be working together to release the images, including those of Coventry Cathedral.
The pictures show the construction of Sir Basil Spence’s Coventry Cathedral in the 1950s and 60s.
They chronicle everything from the foundation stone laying ceremony to an RAF Belvedere helicopter hoisting in the bronze spire.
In the early 1960s, work was starting inside the cathedral, with one of the images showing an inscription being carved into the stone panel.
The Blitz of 1940 saw Coventry city centre devastated by enemy bombing and today, only the shell of the old 14th century cathedral still stands.
The new cathedral was built on the site of the ruins and the two stand side by side providing a stark but beautiful reminder of the city’s tragic history and inspiring resilience.
It was finally opened in 1962 after a project to find the architect to rebuild it was launched - with it being awarded to Sir Basil Spence. His design was chosen from more than 200 submissions.
The foundation stone was laid by Queen Elizabeth II on March 23, 1956.
The design of the building is strikingly different to the historic buildings in its surrounds, particularly the ruins of the original cathedral standing beside it.
Sir Basil insisted that instead of rebuilding the old cathedral it should be kept in ruins as a garden of remembrance and that the new cathedral should be built alongside.
Thus, the two buildings together effectively form one church.
The new cathedral - which celebrated its 100th birthday last year - is modernist in design and is notable for its stunning stained glass.
It attracts more than 300,000 visitors from across the world each year and is Grade-I listed.