Coventry Cathedral

My recollection of visiting Coventry Cathedral (not so long after it opened in 1962) is hazy. I certainly never explored the adjacent ruins of the old cathedral: to be taken there first - as we were, by our excellent guide this morning - made me realise (as we stood shivering in the icy wind) what a significant undertaking it was to build anew.

Though Basil Spence's conception is crammed full of fine artefacts, Coventry Cathedral today stands, not so much as an art repository as a symbol of reconciliation. Till July there is an excellent matching exhibition at the Herbert Art Gallery across the way: "Caught in the crossfire: artistic responses to conflict, peace and reconciliation."