It’s been 75 years since Basil Spence’s winning design was first revealed to rebuild Coventry Cathedral after it was bombed during the Second World War.
Towards a New Cathedral exhibition tells the story of the 1951 competition
Now, a new exhibition, Towards a New Cathedral tells the story of the famous and controversial 1951 competition that helped open a modernist chapter for church architecture.
Alongside the winning entry, the exhibition includes a range of unsuccessful alternative designs, many of which have never been displayed in public.
The exhibition, curated by Harry Foley, a PhD candidate at UCL Bartlett School of Architecture, is on display in Coventry Cathedral until September.
The exhibition’s focal points include Spence’s winning design, alongside selected architectural drawings, illustrations and sketches depicting both exteriors and interiors from a range of the unsuccessful entries.
Notable runners-up on display include designs by Colin St John Wilson, who would later co-design the British Library, and Donald Hanks McMorran, renowned for his South Block extension to the Old Bailey Central Criminal Court of England and Wales.
Another overlooked entry is an early design from Alison and Peter Smithson, two of Britain’s most celebrated architects whose subsequent work helped shape the Brutalist architectural style that gained prominence in the post-war period. These designs range from traditional gothic cathedral concepts to modernist reinterpretations, while others reveal a kind of middle ground, blending elements of both styles.
While researching his PhD on 20th century architectural competitions, Harry was drawn to the cathedral design competition as it was amongst the most high-profile of its era.
It garnered considerable national attention owing to the symbolic significance attached to rebuilding the cathedral in the aftermath of the war.
He said:
“The design competition became a battleground of ideas, between traditional and more modern styles, with many attempting to mix the two.
‘Ultimately this became a triumph for modernism, opening the door for other modern designs that would come to define much of Britain’s church architecture of the late 1950s and 1960s.
‘This exhibition provides insight into a unique time when architecture and the world more broadly was undergoing rapid change and modernisation, something you can see in the different designs from the era.’
These designs, sourced from a variety of archives, are presented alongside other contemporary media such as news articles and photographs to provide context for the period.
Dianne Morris, Archivist from Coventry Cathedral said:
“The Cathedral is proud to support this exhibition which reveals a forgotten area of the architectural competition; those architects whose designs were not chosen as the winning entry.
‘This display reveals bold and inventive interpretations of the Architectural Competition requirements.
‘The bishop at the time, Neville Gorton envisioned a ‘People’s cathedral’ and these designs reflect that.
‘A modern design to complement a new and vibrant city centre. We are blessed to be the custodians of such a magnificent building.”
Building a new cathedral in the aftermath of war.
On the night of 14 November 1940, a squadron of Luftwaffe bombers destroyed the historic 14th-century St Michael’s Cathedral, along with 4,300 homes in Coventry, killing 568 people in what became known as the Coventry Blitz.
It would take nearly a decade before resources were available to start rebuilding the cathedral, and another 12 years before it was completed.
In August 1951, following an extensive design competition, the Church of England revealed that the plans by Scottish architect Basil Spence had been chosen. Spence had created a new, modernist structure while preserving the ruins of the former cathedral.
Throughout the year-long contest, the Church of England attracted 219 design submissions from architects worldwide, with entries spanning from conventional designs to contemporary styles which were becoming increasingly fashionable.
Following a short public exhibition at the King Henry VIII School hall in Coventry for assessment, the majority of these proposals have remained out of public view since 1951.
Many of the designs were said to have faced a hostile reception at the time. The numerous modernist entries marked a significant shift away from conventional cathedral architecture, prompting criticism and even mockery from specialists and members of the public.
Despite this backlash, the Church of England believed it was crucial to embrace the contemporary designs as a means of accepting modernism and connecting with younger people.
It would become Britain’s first major modernist-designed church, and among the earliest significant modernist developments in the country and holds Grade I listed building status.
After Spence’s design was chosen, several other modernist churches emerged, including St Paul’s at Bow Common by Robert Maguire and Keith Murray, the Church of Our Lady of Fatima in Harlow by Gerard Goalen, and St John the Baptist in Lincoln by Sam Scorer.
The exhibition can be found inside Coventry Cathedral and runs until September 21, with free admission
