The social contribution of an urban cathedral: the vision of Coventry Cathedral in the 1960s

Abstract

ABSTRACTCoventry Cathedral was bombed in 1940; the new cathedral, consecrated in 1962, was in many ways an exceptional cathedral, reflecting the outstanding architecture of the building, its gifted leadership, and its commitment to reconciliation. This paper focuses on the analysis of the problems of urban society, and the role of cathedrals in them, developed in Coventry Cathedral in the 1960s. The argument developed by Provost Williams was that urbanisation had changed the nature of parishes. In an agrarian society the village is a natural unit, and those attending the parish church belong to a real community. However, urban parishes are not natural communities in that sense; in urban society people regard themselves as belonging to a city rather than a parish. He argued that a central church was needed, such as a cathedral, that could relate to the city as a whole, engaging with all aspects of urban society. This is what Provost Williams attempted in Coventry, calling it the ‘Coventry experiment’. He hoped to reconnect church life with a natural community, and to bring reconciliation to a fragmented urban society. It was a bold experiment, and one that invigorated the cathedral community, though it probably made less difference to urban society in Coventry than he hoped.