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.
