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City & Village Tours: 0845 812 5000 info@cityandvillagetours.com
Coventry lies at the crossroads of England,
buttressed by the two great mediaeval castles of
Warwick and Kenilworth and surrounded by the
rich farming landscapes of Warwickshire. This is
Shakespeare's country. We spend the morning in
Coventry including a visit to the Cathedral, where
we see the John Piper windows and in the afternoon
there’s a scenic drive past the castles and onto
Stratford-upon-Avon where we stop for tea.
Come with an open mind about Coventry. Any place
that can count St George the dragon slayer, fair Lady
Godiva and jet pioneer Frank Whittle as locals must
have quite a story to tell. Coventry’s is like no other.
Please meet our Guide at Coventry Cathedral at
10-30am to buy morning refreshments followed by
a Cathedral tour. To stand in the blitzed ruins of the
fourteenth century Cathedral is to stand in one of the
most evocative places in England. The new
cathedral designed by Basil Spence and consecrated
in 1962, is a triumphant statement of resurrection
and life
.
Visitors are struck on entering by the
enormous Graham Sutherland tapestry and by
the splendid modern glass that stretches from floor to
ceiling. This is the John Piper Baptistry window. Basil
Spence was determined to fill the new cathedral with
stained glass having witnessed the bleakness of
Chartres Cathedral in wartime, when all it's stained
glass had been removed. Piper’s window is an
enormous 'chess-board' filled with a symphony of
glowing colour. There are yet more striking modern
works by artists such as Jacob Epstein and Elizabeth
Frink and at the foot of the Piper window is the font,
made by Basil Spence himself from a huge rock
brought from the Holy Land, not far from Bethlehem.
No photograph can do these things justice and the
suddenness and glory of walking from the ruins of the
old cathedral into the glory and colour of the new
cannot be adequately described. You must come and
experience it for yourself.
We stay in Coventry for lunch. You can bring a packed
lunch and have time to see the famous Lady Godiva
statue and visit the timber-framed shops adjacent to the
Cathedral Quarter. There are plenty of pubs and cafés
close to the Cathedral.
Coventry & Shakespeare Country