The Nave
Light and Airy - and full of surprise.
The main area of the New Cathedral is light and airy, and at first glance seemingly fairly plain - its hidden treasures only revealed the further into the building you travel.
As well as housing the stunning Baptistery window, the Nave features five pairs of 25 metre high windows which reflect man's journey through life. The idea for the angled pairs of windows came to Basil Spence in a dream whilst he was being treated for an abscess in a dentist's chair. The windows were designed by three gifted young designers from the Royal College of Art – Keith New, Geoffrey Clarke and their tutor Lawrence Lee – and work began on the glass in 1953.
The Nave is also home to Ralph Beyer's Tablets of the Word - eight stone panels carved in situ with important phrases from Christ's teachings. The lettering used is known as the 'Coventry Font' and is unique to the Cathedral.
There is level access to the New Cathedral via St. Michael's Avenue, parts of which are cobbled.
There is access into the New Cathedral via double doors which are locked open, except during inclement weather conditions when they are manned by a member of staff. There is wheelchair access to the New Cathedral from the Ruins via a wide path from the Tower entrance which leads onto St. Michael's Avenue.
Assistance dogs are welcome.
The New Cathedral
Sir Basil Spence’s 1962 masterpiece embodies both the stark and the beautiful, to powerful effect.
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The Ruins
The Ruins are the remains of a medieval parish church. Hit directly by several incendiary bombs, the Cathedral burned with the city on the 14th November 1940.
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Chapel of Unity
The principle of a Chapel of Unity binding the Church of England and the Free Churches together for Christian service in Coventry was born out of the sufferings of war and the ecumenical enthusiasm of the church leaders.
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Chapel of Christ in Gethsemane
This quiet, small chapel serves as a reminder of suffering and a place of prayer and contemplation, away from the focal point of the Cathedral.
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Chapel of Christ the Servant
Also known as the Chapel of Industry, because the surrounding buildings used all to be industrial
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Cathedral Organ
We have a whole page dedicated to our amazing organ including its history and how and when to hear it played.
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Tower Climb and Shop
Soaring over 100 metres high, this Gothic masterpiece survived the bombing and is now the third-tallest in England.
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Baptistery Window
The masterpiece created by John Piper is made of 198 brightly coloured glass panels and measures 26 metres high.
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Tapestry of Christ in Glory
Designed by Graham Sutherland, this impressive tapestry was woven by hand on a 500 year old loom and was at one point the largest continuously woven tapestry in the world.
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West Screen
The impressive large glass ‘west’ screen was designed and hand engraved by John Hutton over the course of 10 years, and features 66 figures depicting saints and angels.
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