Coventry Railway Station: The very pleasing arrival & departure point…An exercise in minimal restraint it’s in pretty good original condition due to its Grade II listed status. The station building is set at a right angle over and projecting out from the tracks to the main entrance. Staircases and walkways are partially suspended on metal rods from the ceilings freeing up the space below from columns. The material palette is minimal, Dark grey Genoa terrazzo floors, white Swedish glazed tiles on the walls and the big feature, the polished African hardwood ceilings throughout. Window frames in natural anodised aluminium with black details..Designers of today’s “look at me” all singing and dancing railway stations take note! It’s by job Architect Derrick Shorten for British Railways London Midland Region. 1961-62.
Coventry railway station
Coventry railway station
Coventry railway station
Coventry railway station
Coventry Railway Station
Coventry Railway Station
Coventry Sports & Leisure Centre “Elephant Building” a fascinating mostly windowless prismatic volume that straddles over Cox St. it’s an extension to an existing 1960s building which houses an Olympic size swimming pool. There’s no public entrance at the base of this building as it’s connected via a raised covered walkway (or trunk) to the older building. It’s raised up on huge triangulated concrete Piloti and angled service areas. The undercroft makes me think of the Phaeno Science Centre, By Zaha Hadid & the buildings on London’s Southbank. It was sadly turned down for listing! How did that happen!! So it’s now threatened with demolition for what I believe to be a new shopping centre development! So while there’s vast quantities of empty retail units across the country why the hell are they still building new shopping centres!! Designed by the City Architects department, completed around 1977.
The Elephant Building
The Elephant Building
The Elephant Building
The Elephant Building
The Elephant Building
The Elephant Building
…..The Bull Yard shopping precinct_The Three Tuns Mural on what was the Three Tuns pub, now a closed Chicken King! This cast concrete Aztec style mural by William Michell dates from 1966 along with the Bull Yard shopping precinct, it also has sections internally. Sadly this is yet another building earmarked for demolition as part of a big “regeneration” project. Why are Towns And cities across the UK still so hell bent on erasing their modernist heritage! and replacing with mediocre buildings that likely stand no chance of listing in the future! The mural is Grade II listed so it will apparently be relocated, no doubt to a corridor to a car park or some such innocuous position…
The Bull Yard shopping precinct_The Three Tuns Mural
The Bull Yard shopping precinct
The Bull Yard shopping precinct
The Bull Yard shopping precinct. William Mitchell Panels bottom right.
The Bull Yard Shopping Precinct, 1966. Some rather nice abstract tiles on a side wall, Artist / Designer unknown. Somewhat uncared for with two vent holes drilled through a parking sign slapped on and what looks like a section obscured by a tanning Salon sign.
The City Library Mosaic Facade on the Lower Precinct. The building was formerly The Locarno Ballroom. The mosaics are by Fred Millet, 1958-60 and Grade II listed and wrap around two upper storey elevations. The design is an informal abstract with every junction being different. Has the look of being designed as it went along. The building was designed by The City Architects department.
The City Library Mosaic Facade
The Coventry Mural, lower precinct. It was actually relocated from its original location in an underpass. Depicts the historical manufacturing activities of the city and architecture. It’s by Gorden Cullen, 1957.
The Coventry Mural
Coventry Cathedral by Sir Basil Spence, Engineered by Arup. consecrated 1962. Built next to and links the ruins of the old cathedral which was destroyed during the Coventry blitz in WWII. This really is an outstanding building. Externally its clad with Hollington sandstone which was used in order to be sympathetic with the old ruins. The Bronze sculpture, St Michaels victory over the Devil is by Jacob Epstein. Internally it has a fabulous “diagrid” concrete beam ceiling with timber infill panels. All supported by very elegant skinny cruciform columns. So much to see that I cant talk about it all here so I can just advise pay a visit, you won’t regret it. Congratulations to Coventry for winning city of culture 2021!
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, Baptistry Window by Patrick Reyntiens in collaboration with John Piper.
Coventry Cathedral, Baptistry Window (detail) by Patrick Reyntiens in collaboration with John Piper.
Coventry Cathedral, view looking East
Coventry Cathedral, view looking East
Coventry Cathedral, view looking West
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, ceiling detail
Coventry Cathedral, ceiling detail
Coventry Cathedral, detail view looking East.
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral
Coventry Cathedral, Chapel of Christ Gethsemane with it’s beautiful tile mosaic, Jesus Garden Angel, by Steven Sykes.
Coventry Cathedral, choir screen detail.
Coventry Cathedral, Chapel of Christ the Servant (left)
Coventry Cathedral, Chapel of Christ the Servant, interior detail.
Coventry Cathedral, Chapel of Christ the Servant, interior.
Coventry Cathedral, detail of main entrance canopy.
Coventry Cathedral, external view of the chimney like Chapel of Unity, clad in what looks like green slate.