It was back in the car and onto Coventry and we arrived there just after 9am, I got slightly confused by their ring road system, so we went round a couple of times and then found exit I wanted was shut anyway! Linda said ‘follow the bus’, which I did – shame it was going the wrong way!
We finally parked the car and it was nice and cool so the dogs were happy to go for a walk. Our first stop was for Linda and then Coventry Cathedral. We are part of a Facebook group Coffee Shop Sunday which was initially based in Coventry but since lockdown has followers worldwide. The other week there was a presentation on the ‘Cross of Nails’ in Coventry Cathedral which has an interesting history so we went to have a look.
Coventry has had three Cathedrals in the past 1000 years: the 12th century Priory Church of St Mary, the medieval Parish Church Cathedral of St Michael and the modern Coventry Cathedral, also named for St Michael. Coventry’s fortunes and story are closely associated to the story of its Cathedrals – a story of death and rebirth.
Coventry’s earliest cathedral, dedicated to St Mary, was founded as a Benedictine community by Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and his wife Godiva in 1043. Built on the site of a former religious house for nuns, its sheer size is some indication of the wealth which Coventry acquired in the middle ages. It subsequently fell into decay. Only in 1918 was the modern diocese of Coventry created, and the church of St Michael designated as its cathedral.
Coventry Cathedral was severely damaged during the Coventry Blitz, and its roof was destroyed on 14 November 1940. The idea for the cross came from Rev Arthur Philip Wales, who was then rector of St Mark's church in Coventry. He found several large hand-forged medieval carpenters nails as he walked through the ruins of the cathedral on the morning after the bombing. He used some wire to bind together three nails into the shape of a Latin cross, with one nail vertical and two head-to-tail as a cross-piece.
The Cathedral's Provost Richard Howard had the words "Father Forgive" carved into the wall behind the altar of the ruined building, and two charred beams fallen together into the shape of a cross were erected among the rubble.
The decision to rebuild the cathedral was taken the morning after its destruction, although it didn’t start till 1956.
We had a wander around the ruins, as the new cathedral did not open until 10am. Linda took some photos and started chatting to a man about the history of the ruins and why they had stopped renovating, it was due to a pair of falcons nesting in the tower. I then went into the new cathedral and had a wander around, of course taking in the great architecture, design and artwork. I had to ask someone about the location of the cross of nails, as the cross I had been looking at was the wrong one! I found the right one, took a couple of photos and then came back outside.
I had only been gone about 30 minutes and when I returned Linda is already chatting to another man, Zena was loyal as she was still sitting looking the way I had gone and waiting for me, she hadn’t moved. Linda’s excuse was that the man had been telling her all about Coventry….. It was Linda’s turn to go and have a look around as she was interested in the tapestry. I stayed with the dogs and was loyal – I didn’t speak to anyone.
We then had a wander around the city, saw the statue of Lady Godiva and several shops. We stopped for a coffee at Starbucks. We then did a few more shops but it was now getting too warm for the dogs.
At midday they read the Litany of Nails in the Cathedral and so I wanted to listen to it, we had to move at warp speed to get back in time and I just made it.
After that it was back to the car, if only we could remember where we parked it. I thought I was going in the right direction (and I was), Linda said I wasn’t and we had to go this way (which was the wrong way)! I then used Google and found the location and we made it back to the car just before the ticket ran out.
We then went back onto the ring road system and had a few laps of the city before I found the exit I wanted, and we went to have lunch on the canal. It was a lovely setting, the. Sun was shining, cappuccino on the table and the food was good.
We had booked a room at the Windmill Hotel just outside Coventry towards Birmingham, it has a spa and golf course. We checked in and unpacked the car and had a rest as the dogs were tired. There was a grassy area outside with benches so we sat there and read our books, before having a walk around the outside of the golf course.
It was then back to northern Coventry to meet up with some new friends at the Coffee Shop Sunday outside Costa. It was great to meet people we had seen online and share fellowship (and coffee) with them.
The dogs thought it was boring and went to sleep. Although warm there was a nice breeze, and it was a few degrees cooler than down south.
We stayed a couple of hours and then it was the drive home. It was fine, till we got to Essex and then the traffic hold ups began!