Coventry Cathedral: New and Old

The medieval cathedral was bombed out during the Second World War leaving just a roofless shell and the bell tower, now a tourist information shop - although the bells still ring on the hour. The new cathedral - built by Sir Basil Spence - sits adjacent and at first glance is a monolith of such scale that it certainly commands attention.

As we made out way into the city centre, I kept my eyes open for signs of the cathedral and although it was the nearby spires that gave away its location, glimpses of the red stone monument were gained between the surrounding urban fabric.

A canopy to match the proportions of the building joins new and old, "encroaching" - one word used by my friend to describe it - onto the walls of the medieval ruin.

Being an architecture student fascinated by the Gothic architecture of cathedrals, I could see the hows and whys of the new cathedral's design.

While the scale of the building seems so much greater that others churches and cathedrals, it still carries through the proportions - its volume is probably no bigger than others. I realise as I write this on the train leaving Coventry, that its monolithic-ness comes from its solid façade - while the walls of other cathedrals from previous eras are punctured with windows allowing light to stream in and making the walls look so delicate, Coventry's great stained glass windows are hidden behind the corners of the building, although the light shining through the glass still illuminates the interior.

It carries through the same honesty of structure - for the most part - although its tapering columns within are purely decorative rather than the crucial pillars of, say, Chartres
Just as the exterior mass of the building demands attention, the interior rightly demands the awe expected from a building of this type. The vast spaces reflect those of its counterparts. The tapering columns draw the eye upwards to the concrete and timber canopy that, although much more contemporary in both material and style, clearly gained its influences from the traditional Gothic vaulted ceilings. 

When wandering through the bombed out ruins of the medieval cathedral, it came to my attention that the new cathedral was orientated perpendicular to the old. The latter is correctly orientated to the East, the new cathedral faces North. It wasn't until I was inside that I realised why: The South wall is almost entirely glass - allowing the cathedral to be lit naturally throughout the day. It amazed me how bright it was - the few lights within the ceiling were seemingly insignificant.

The Jane Austen Festival: Cosplay At It's Very Best

This morning I took part in what turned out to be a successful World Record attempt: the number of people in Regency dress in the same place at the same time. The number to beat was 490, set by the American Jane Austen festival. There were 550 people at the Assembly Rooms today.

My participation in the event was very last minute. I left work on Friday and had barely walked 5 steps up the road before I saw a group of ladies in Regency costume. About half way home, I saw another group of people, not yet dressed up but clearly carrying costumes. I didn't think I'd have time to put together a costume but when I saw people getting ready, I had to try and get something together.

Having raided Primark before it closed, I spent the evening not just sorting out my dress, as was the original plan, but also making a bonnet and, this morning, a reticule. Considering I had very little to hand and very little time to make my costume, I was so pleased with the way it turned out. Even my hair worked (well enough) first time - although considering I was wearing my bonnet all day, it didn't really matter.

The event started at the Assembly Rooms where everyone gathered for the World Record attempt. While everyone was registering, there were many photos taken and music was being played. The costumes were stunning and ranged from handmade to shop bought from plain everyday dresses to detailed evening gowns. Essentially, every walk of Regency life who would have attended the public assemblies was represented. There was even a regiment of the militia.

I decided this was the perfect place to leave my Jane Austen themed card but that is for another blog.

With 550+ people in the room, it was needless to say, very warm which only added to the atmosphere of what it would have been like 200 years ago.

Once the record had been attempted and broken, everyone filed outside to start the promenade. Thinking back, it wasn't too different from Student Cross at Walsingham, except on a much much bigger scale and all in costume. While slow to get going, once we got going it was just incredible. The streets were lined with people waiting to watch us all walk past - I don't even want to think about how many photos there are of me! We left the Assembly Rooms and promenaded to the Royal Crescent via the Circus, down to the Royal Avenue and back up to the Assembly Rooms. After a bit of faff accompanied by photos with the Militia (both the English and the Colonial), we continued down Milsom Street which was full of Saturday Shoppers, and around the Bath Spas before finishing in Parade Gardens. All throughout the promenade, people were taking photos and asking what it was all for. I don't need to imagine how amazing it must have looked but I'm so glad that I got to see it from the inside.


Making my way into the gardens, many people were already there. While the park was still open to the public, those in modern dress were the minority and looking down, you could have easily be watching a scene from a film. It was as if we were in town for the season and were spending the afternoon in the park. Some people had picnics with them, in baskets. There were more photos taken, both personal and official. There was more music and dancing. I could have stayed there all day but my stomach would have gone on strike for sure. Leaving the gardens, however, didn't mean I left the Regency party. As the afternoon wore on, people did start to leave the park but still wandered around the city centre: having lunch and shopping. I went for a walk around the city, up to the Royal Crescent and back to the Assembly rooms, just to see how dispersed we were. While we didn't reach that far, every so often I'd catch a glimpse of a bayonet or a long skirt.

Walking around Bath all afternoon in my dress made me stop and think. The fit of my skirt made it very difficult to walk at my usual pace. I expect this was because of the particular shape of mine but I assume that all dresses were quite restrictive - and not just in the corset department. In order to walk more comfortably, I had to take smaller steps, meaning I had to walk much slower than I'm used to. I was in no hurry to get anywhere so it was no problem in that respect but it made me realise just how much I rush around and the difference in lifestyle. Nearly everyone there, especially the younger participants, had their phones out (not a criticism, I was included in that number) but that, along with my fast pace of walking made me start to think about the need to slow down every once in a while.



The whole day was amazing but I think there were a few particular highlights:

1. Running down the hill on my way to the Assembly Rooms and realising why Jane Austen's heroines held up their skirts and held down their bonnets when they did the same. It was a lot of fun.
2. Seeing so many other people dressed up and everyone being so approachable. I met two ladies at the crossing on my way to the Assembly Room also in costume and we chatted while waiting to cross the road. It was that feeling of having common ground and being part of something special. 
3. Meeting people from almost everywhere. I met 3 other girls, one from Bath, one from Birmingham and the other from the States. Together we were 4 of the 5 Bennett sisters (although I think we had too many Lydias and not enough of the others).
4. "No one is allowed to leave the Tea-room. Or else you will have me to answer to" - the Town Crier just before the record attempt started.
5. Meeting Mr Wickham . . well, having a photo taken with him and some others anyway. I guess it's not really as amazing as the others but it was still pretty cool and I am exercising my bragging rights. 

North and South

Having now settled into my new flat, it's about time I started my blog for this year. Rather than write about work, I'm going to write about my experience down south, whether that be something I see or somewhere I go.

Living and working so close to the city centre means I have gotten to know my way around very well, very quickly. Bath is obviously much smaller than Manchester and at first glance are completely different cities. With Bristol so close and Bath being the only UNESCO city in the UK, calling Bath a "city" almost seems to be pushing it: it takes me half an hour to walk from one end to the other. On top of that, it simply doesn't fit into what people imagine a city to be. Manchester, sometimes called the capital of the North, is a buzzing metropolis with high office towers, grand civic buildings and a transport system that ties not just the city but the surrounding area together. In comparison, Bath is more like a large town.

At first glance they seem completely different but there are more similarities than you might think. And I mean more than just the Roman origins and the fact they are both cities.

I knew Bath was famous and city with a lot of tourism but I didn't quite realise how much. Manchester is definitely an international city, but so is Bath. There are people from all over the world here; visiting and working.

When I was in Manchester, I would tend to avoid the city centre at the weekend, especially when Christmas was drawing closer. Unfortunately, my job doesn't allow me this so if I want to go shopping, I have to battle not just the weekend shoppers like myself, but the weekend tourists. It is safe to say that Bath is just as busy as Manchester when it comes to the city centre. (I'm half hoping it'll quieten down now the schools are going back!)

On a similar note: shopping. Bath, like most cities, can be split up into different parts and the main three I can think of in the city centre are the Tourism, Shopping and Business areas. While due to its heritage status, much of the architecture in Bath looks the same, in and around the shops, you could so easily be in any city in the country. While the general feel and look of the city is preserved, this is one part of the city that is just as modern as the next.

When I found out I would be living in Bath, I knew it would be a completely different experience to that from living in Manchester but although I have most definitely down sized, I'm still living in a city and it's a pretty awesome one for it's own reasons. Bath, for me at the moment, has all the benefits of the big city without all the crap that comes with them. You just wouldn't expect it at first glance.