Coventry Cathedral is a twentieth-century British icon, now a potent symbol of war, suffering and reconciliation. But it might have looked very different, as Basil Spence’s winning design was one of 219 proposals submitted by architects competing to rebuild the bombed cathedral after the second world war.
The Trust is pleased to be supporting Towards a New Cathedral, a new exhibition of drawings from the 1951 architectural competition. Focussing on the original competition drawings and the public debate surrounding them, the exhibition reveals the richness and variety of the unsuccessful designs and casts a new perspective on postwar British architecture.
The new Coventry Cathedral became a showcase for contemporary art and music, including Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, commissioned for its consecration in 1962. As Hans Keller telegraphed to his friend Britten immediately after the premiere, ‘THE REQUIEM EMERGED AS ONE OF THE SUPREME MASTERPIECES OF ALL TIMES’.
The exhibition runs at Coventry Cathedral until 21 September 2026. Opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm and Sunday 12-3pm.