Coventry Cathedral and World Monuments Fund (WMF) have completed a project to catalogue and safeguard around 12,000 fragments of medieval stained glass rescued from the Cathedral of St Michael before it was bombed in 1940.
Fragments of Hope Revealed Digitally for the World at Coventry Cathedral this Remembrancetide
As Coventry prepares to mark the 86th anniversary of the Blitz on 14 November, the glass is being opened to the public digitally for the first time, and the collection has been brought together in one place for the first time in more than a decade.
Too fragile for physical display, a curated selection of the fragments will be viewable throughout November on Coventry Cathedral’s free Bloomberg Connects app, for a limited time.
Visitors can explore them from anywhere in the world, or on site by scanning a QR code. The Cathedral hopes to develop this into a permanent digital archive as part of its Building Hope project.
During the Second World War, the glass was packed into thirty wooden crates and taken to the rectory at Hampton Lucy, near Stratford-upon-Avon, where it stayed in the cellars until 1957. The collection is largely 15th-century and internationally significant, comparable in style and quality to contemporary glass in Canterbury Cathedral, York Minster and Westminster Abbey. It is attributed to John Thornton of Coventry, one of England’s most important medieval glaziers, and offers valuable insight into medieval craftsmanship, religious imagery and the connections between Britain’s cathedrals.
The fragments depict scenes from the Passion of Christ, saints and the twelve Apostles. Among the most distinctive are donor figures of lay men and women kneeling in prayer, and heraldic shields bearing intricate monograms and rebuses. Although no longer in their original positions, they offer a glimpse of the people who helped shape the medieval cathedral.
The medieval Cathedral of St Michael was largely destroyed in the Blitz on 14 November 1940. Its ruins were preserved as a memorial and have become a powerful symbol of remembrance and reconciliation. The decision to rebuild was taken the morning after the bombing, not as an act of defiance but as a sign of faith, trust and hope for the future. Today, the Cathedral’s reconciliation work is internationally recognised, helping communities in some of the world’s most challenging areas of conflict to rebuild trust, peace and understanding. The surviving glass carries that story forward: a fragile remnant of the cathedral that was lost, and a reminder that what is broken can be cared for, understood and shared.
The WMF-led project built on work completed in November 2012, when the fragments were removed from storage for documentation and conservation, and medieval glass expert Heather Gilderdale Scott produced a detailed catalogue and iconographic analysis. In this latest phase, the glass was moved into new bespoke cabinets, and every tray was given a unique number and location and photographed, creating a comprehensive digital inventory. The project also assessed storage conditions, identified immediate collections care needs, and opened up opportunities for future academic research and public engagement.
Laura Atkinson, Conservator, said:
“Coventry Cathedral’s collection of medieval stained glass, which includes exquisitely executed examples of 15th-century painting, is of international importance, yet it has received little scholarly study. This project is a crucial step towards making the collection accessible to the public and securing the academic attention it merits.”
Emma Sweeney, Projects Manager, World Monuments Fund Britain, said:
“Coventry Cathedral’s medieval stained glass is a remarkable survivor. The Cathedral’s enduring role as a symbol of peace and reconciliation reflects WMF’s belief in the role of heritage to support post-conflict recovery. Together, the ruins and the surviving glass tell a powerful story of resilience, with much still to be uncovered.”
Andrew Hines, Head of Heritage and Interpretation at Coventry Cathedral, said:
“This work has, for the first time, allowed the Cathedral to think about these remarkable fragments through the lenses of conservation, research and public engagement. Once part of the windows of the medieval Cathedral of St Michael, these 12,000 fragments have been woven into the story of Coventry for centuries. As we enter the season of Remembrance, a time when we reflect on what is fragile and find fragments of hope, it feels particularly fitting to share them again. We hope this will grow into a permanent digital archive as part of our Building Hope project. These fragments have so many stories to tell, and this marks a new chapter in our relationship with them, as a Cathedral and as a city.”
The project closes a partnership that began with the Cathedral’s inclusion on the 2012 World Monuments Watch. WMF also supported conservation of the Cathedral ruins between June 2012 and March 2015, with repairs to stonework and mortar, stabilisation of the north and east walls, and replacement of concrete wall capping with lead.
Coventry Cathedral is open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 16:00 and Sundays 12:30 to 16:00, as well as for services.
- Coventry Cathedral here.
- Building Hope here.
- Bloomberg Connects Digital Guide here.
