Coventry Cathedral: art and architecture in post-war Britain

Abstract

Coventry Cathedral is the most important public building in Britain of the post-war era. Louise Campbell examines its poignant ruins, its elegant display of technology, and spectacular integration of works of art. Using original documents and drawings, she provides a case-study of a building in which a significant role was allocated to works of art, and in so doing illuminated the creative process of both artist and architect. This interesting and original re-evaluation fills a gap in literature on British architecture of the period. Dr Campbell relates the design of the cathedral - a building which symbolized both past traditions and future aspirations - to the wider debates of the day on architecture and reconstruction. Not only is Coventry Cathedral's design related to its precursors at Liverpool and Guildford, but also to the great church-building schemes of post-war Europe. The different priorities of the architectural profession, the clergy, and the city are analysed by Louise Campbell, and she discusses the developing design of the cathedral in relation to the fast pace of artistic developments in the 1950s and 1960s. Her book is a study in the history of patronage as well as of architectural design. This book is intended for architects, planners, designers, architectural historians, members of the clergy.