Coventry Cathedral voted UK's third most defining landmark

[dutchman]

Coventry Cathedral has been voted as the UK’s third leading landmark in a project which aimed to identify 21 iconic sites that defined 21st century Britain.



The joint project between the Independent newspaper and British Airways’ inflight magazine, High Life, saw the cathedral finish third in the list.

It was selected ahead of St Paul’s in London, as well as tourist icons such as the London Eye and Edinburgh Castle.

The cathedral finished behind The Eden Project in Cornwall, which was voted the leading UK landmark, and Sir Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North sculpture.

The modern Coventry Cathedral opened in 1962 after the adjoining old cathedral was heavily bombed in 1940 during the Second World War.

A decade after the bombing, a competition was launched to rebuild it. The winner, Sir Basil Spence, insisted the ruins should be left as an iconic garden of remembrance for the people of Coventry and the nation.

His design is complemented by impressive artwork, including a vast tapestry by Graham Sutherland and a sculpture by Sir Jacob Epstein decorating the exterior.

One of the judges, architect Will Alsop, said: “I was born and raised in Northampton.

“I remember my parents saying that when Coventry was bombed in the war, you could see it from Northampton.

“I think what Basil Spence has achieved is a marvellous example of integration between art and architecture.”

The news of Coventry Cathedral’s success was welcomed by John Witcombe, Dean of Coventry.

He said: “In the UK we don’t always appreciate the importance of contemporary buildings as our built ‘heritage’ and so to be recognised as a landmark for the 21st century is wonderful and recognises the role that we play in Coventry and the wider UK, as well as our role as a place of reconciliation.”