Coventry Crosses

Michala Gyetvai who is a Warwicksire artist and involved (I believe) with some of the Cross artwork - Cllr David Welsh, George Wagstaffe (who helped design / plan the 70s replica and this new one - sculpture of Naiad etc) and Cllr Jim O'Boyle.

Thanks for the info. It's useful for non-resident Coventrians to keep up.

Sorry all for the very late notice but if anyone is in town (and has a camera!) the 'New' Cross Opening ceremony is at 1.15pm today

Thanks to Steve Quinn - It actually looks a lot better than I thought it was going to - although its minus the base steps.

Thanks Steve and Neil. I think it looks better than the previous version because the bottom always looked a little heavy. I'm glad that they went for red and yellow too. The sketch was a bit too pastel and whimpy.

There's a replica of the Henry VI statue behind the glass as well apparently Helen. The original is in The Herbert I'm told. Pic (c) Adam Wood on FB -

That's a fantastic video as usual BrotherJoybert! I like it. I like where it is. It's no longer dominated by St Michael's and holy Trinity.

I agree wholeheartedly with Neil. I think the steps were an important part of the design by Rolf Hellberg, who I met prior to its bequest by the Coventry Boy Foundation. It seems to have generated interest. It will perhaps be floodlit or lit from inside, so it could look good at night too. On the whole quite pleasing and good to see it restored!

Love the Hurdy-Gurdy, BrotherJoybert!

As from someone from afar may I say I like it too. Right in the ideal place too.

Another temp FB photo post but it does look good at night as indeed lit internally!

From the book Old England a Pictorial Museum c1860.

Rolf Hollberg, the architect for the Cross, told me this view is artistic licence and would never have stood up, though the features are much the same!

I don't know Prof, that image looks a lot like Henry Beighton's sketch. Beighton actually saw the cross as he was a regular visitor, if his work is anything to go by. He seems to have been an excellent draughtsman, engineer and surveyor. Whether there were secrets to the cross' design we can only guess. So my guess is that the cross wasn't hollow. It could have been built like the walls. Fancy outer facing blocks but gradually filled with lime mortar and lower quality stone packing. When the lime mortar fully sets it turns into stone (though that would take a few centuries to harden completely). If the base was completed slowly then it would be strong enough to build the next layer and so on. It may have been hollow further up.