Coventry Crosses

This is Benjamin Poole's description of the cross in his History of Coventry 1852. There is also a picture but I can't copy it. Cross Cheaping derives its name from the original cross, which was set up there in the year 1423, and was taken down in 1510. In the year 1541 another Cross was commenced, and was completed in 1544, it having been founded by Sir William Hollies, Knight, once Lord Mayor of London, and son to Thomas Hollies, of Stoke, near to this City. This gothic pile was sexagonal; each side seven feet at the base, finely diminishing, pyramidically, in three stories, fifty seven feet high, with eighteen niches. The canopy was beautifully adorned with statues, some of which had been brought from the White Friars. The pillars, pinnacles, and arches, were enriched with a variety of figures, and with flags, on which were displayed the arms of England, or the Rose of Lancaster; representations were also added of the founder, trades, and companies; and the whole was so finely finished, that it was inferior to none in England for exquisite workmanship and beauty. On the summit of the uppermost story was the figure of Justice; in the upper story, St. Peter, St. James, and St. Christopher; second story, Edward III., St. Michael, Henry III., St. George, and Richard II.; in the lower story, Henry VI., King John, Edward I., Henry II., Richard I., and Henry V. In 1669 the Cross was thoroughly repaired, and so highly decorated with painting, gilding, &c., that it became the admiration of the times. Such was the splendid appearance of this Cross at that time, that it was said "its lustre was almost too bright to look upon." From this period it was totally neglected and by the gradual operation of the weather, mouldered away and decayed, until the year 1771, when the remains of this once splendid pile were wholly removed. One of the figures from the niches, supposed to be the statue of Henry VI., in good preservation, is now standing near the foot of the staircase leading into Saint Mary's Hall.

Beautiful Neil, and lovely surroundings too

OK I'm going to post on here only as fear too much criticism on FB! A few observations regarding the 'new' Cross. Firstly I do think it looks nice and was a much better job than I expected - especially lit up at night. However things I'm not so keen on: 1) CCC have still not confirmed who paid the supposed £150k fee to move and rebuild to allow Turtle Bay in. 2) The bottom section was rumoured to have been damaged from the 1970s Cross and the rebuild seems to suggest this however its been done using what looks like formed concrete to me rather than Stone - I get that would be cheaper but... 3) The windows are not stained glass - they are clear panels with coloured tints on them but the impression still look good. 4) The window frames are plastic strip sealed in but they are screwed down with exposed philips screw heads visible on the outside! 5) Inside, though Henrys replica status looks good it looks industrial with exposed conduit for the cabling and visible sockets! As I said I like it but it's not all rosy.

1) It should be the business that pays the bulk, if not all. Though I do think that the location was wrong for it originally and it's new place is better. It wasn't essential that it was moved. 2) I'm fairly sure that they couldn't get the base apart and took the pneumatic drill to it. However I'm not sure that the original wasn't concrete. I seem to remember a few pictures on CD that gave me that impression. Now I can't find them. 3) I think that it wasn't a bad idea not to use stained glass because at some point they can be changed. 4) I assume that they need to be able to access the inside and maybe someone forgot to put the covers on the screw heads? 5 I thought the inside looked scruffy and rushed. It could be rectified. Ah, located them here. Scroll to bottom.

Being as the Facebook post has moved, here's one I took a couple of night ago....

With thanks again to Paul Maddocks for information, I managed finally to learn the truth about the damage done during the move from Cuckoo Lane.... There was damage done, but only to the concrete "inner core" of the base, and the steps, which had to be smashed up in order to remove them. All the stone outer pieces (the important parts that we actually see) were successfully removed and stored along with the rest of the Cross, hence the fact that what we see now, outside Primark, looks remarkably like the 1976 cross - because it is the same! About the "concrete-ness" of the Cross' structure - I've now updated my article on the main site now, and have also clarified that the Cross' main structure is "made from reconstructed Hollington stone, and the 42 individual statues and figures sculpted by Phillip Bentham of Chelsea from natural pink Hollington stone". I suppose the operative word here is "reconstructed". While the sculptures are of "natural" stone, it sounds like the shell is some kind of cast Hollington stone concrete mix, so it looks nice, and will be very hard wearing, but isn't "actual" stone. But anyway, despite all this, plus the great points that Neil raised, I also like this new Cross, and its location. By the way, just for information, the photo you see on the left was taken by me standing in the exact spot (as near as I can work out) to where the original 1544 Cross stood.

I would have liked to have given you an extra thumbs up Rob but take it as done.

No its not the latest incarnation of the Cross that has just gone up but I was surprised to see the frame of this one was actually the 1970's version of the Cross as it was going up by St Michael's Avenue.