Chairman's Newsletter - August 2025

August 2025
 

THE INTERNATIONAL BOARD of the Community of the Cross of Nails (CCN) met in Coventry at the start of June.
     At the Sunday morning service that followed the board meeting Dean John Witcombe blessed a cross of nails to be presented to The Territory of the People, British Columbia, Canada.    In the photograph above the cross of nails is held by the Rev. Michael Shapcott of the Sorrento Centre, British Columbia who is Chair of CCN Canada.
      Bishop Oliver Schuegraf, the Chair of CCN Germany, led the worship and the preacher was the Rev Dr Walter Brownridge, a member of CCN USA.
      The Community of the Cross of Nails is a global network of Christian churches and organizations inspired by the story of Coventry Cathedral and committed to peace, justice, and reconciliation.   If you would like to know more about the CCN there is a helpful website – https://www.crossofnails-na.org
     You can also contact Alice Farnhill who is the CCN Co-ordinator based in Coventry at [email protected]
 

 

 

 
     COVENTRY CATHEDRAL ARCHIVES holds 80 historic films some of which are over 70 years old.   Many of the films can only be viewed with the use of specialist equipment, and without that specialist facility no one is quite sure what piece of history each film records.
     Films deteriorate with the passing of time, so in order to preserve the historical record before the film celluloid disintegrates and the record disappears the FRIENDS of COVENTRY CATHEDRAL has begun a programme to digitise these old films.   The first 5 of the oldest films are currently in a conversion laboratory being recorded onto DVD.   They will be available for you to view in 6 months’ time.
     The cost of conversion for each 45-minute film is approximately £300.   It costs roughly £20 to digitise 3 minutes of film.   Some of the 80 films are duplicates, so not all films need to be copied.
     Urgent action is needed before the film celluloid breaks down.   To date members of the Friends have given £700 towards the next batch of film conversions.  
     Would you please add to this sum to help preserve the film record of the Cathedral’s history?   Your gift to support this heritage project can be sent payable to the

• FRIENDS of COVENTRY CATHEDRAL at 63 Daventry Road, Coventry CV3 5DH or sent direct to our bank
• HSBC, sort code 40-18-17, a/c number 80360244  (IBAN: GB61HBUK40181780360244)

     At the Cathedral Film Show in June we watched the last film that was digitised by the Friends.   It is the silent footage taken between 1954 and 1962 of the construction of the Cathedral.
     The film was originally taken by a Coventry architect, Barnard Reyner, and for a few years in the 1960s he would show it on request to local groups and add his own commentary as it played.   Before the Consecration he called his film “Re-building Coventry Cathedral” as you see from the accompanying poster. 
     In addition to the building work it was fascinating to see Provost Howard cutting the first sod and to have glimpses of the Funeral of Bishop Gorton, the Enthronement of Bishop Cuthbert Bardsley in the Ruins and the Installation of Provost Williams also in the Ruins.
     Without the intervention of the Friends this important record of Cathedral history might have been lost.
     For that reason I now ask for your help.

 

 

 

     My wife was a member of the Cathedral’s Junior Church before the Consecration, and she has often told me that the eyes of Christ on the Cathedral Tapestry always follow her around the building and she can immediately tell whether he has a message of approval or disapproval.   Until this week she thought that she is the only one who thinks like this, and that it is all in her head.
     But this week the Dean mentioned to me in conversation that Graham Sutherland was partly inspired by the ancient depictions of Christ in early icons, and he invited me to look again at the face of Christ.  
     I did some reading and discovered that in Eastern Orthodox art Christ was often portrayed with different facial expressions on either side of his face, one side showing him as the bearer of mercy and grace and the other side showing Christ as the judge of unrepentant sinners.
     If you now look again at the Sutherland face of Christ in the photo at the head of this article you can clearly distinguish two different expressions.  
     The oldest known surviving icon of Christ Pantocrator (Christ in Majesty) was painted in the 6^th century and preserved for centuries in Saint Catherine's Monastery, in the remote desert of the Sinai.   Illustrated here, the face carries an expression showing that Christ was both human and divine.   On the left side there is a serene and perfect face indicating his divine nature. On the right side, there is a worn and wearied face indicating his human nature.
     So, it is not only in my wife’s head!   Without ever realising it since childhood she has sensed a duality - something that the artist always intended to convey – that Christ was both human and divine.
     Thinking further about the Tapestry, last month, quite by chance, I came across official photos of the Sutherland Tapestry taken by Andy Marshall in 2015 after its last major conservation work.    (Available online. Search for “ Warp and Weft - Photographing the Sutherland Tapestry”).
     Andy was commissioned by the conservators to photograph the Tapestry once their work was completed, and he clearly found it an absorbing experience.
     He writes: “ Photographing the textile was unadulterated bliss - a process by which, at the end of it, I felt as though the tapestry had been woven into my mind through the lens of the camera. The camera was not only recording, but also informing and imbibing its operator - and ultimately, through the photographs it created, venerating the sheer poetry of creation.”
     The reason I mention this is because his photographs include close-ups of the Tapestry around the eyes of Christ.   I learned that the highlights in Christ’s eyes that twinkle when they catch the light are not woven in wool but they are made of pure white silk.  
     Perhaps that is an added reason why Christ's face comes to life for my wife.

  

IN BRIEF

Kiel penpal.   Following his recent visit to Kiel where he spoke at the Nikolaikirche, Friends member Richard Parker has received an enquiry for a penpal from Ms Gundi Schulz.   If you or someone you know are interested, please contact her direct by email at  [email protected]
 

 
National Police Memorial Day.   The Memorial Day service will be held for the first time in Coventry Cathedral at 2pm on Sunday 28 September 2025.   The Memorial Day was first held in London in 2004 and was set up in the wake of the brutal death of PC Jon Odell in Margate in December 2000.    Since then, it has rotated around the four nations of the UK.   When in England, it was usually held in London.
 

The Royal Maundy.    Many of us can recall the visit of Queen Elizabeth at the 1995 Royal Maundy Service in Coventry Cathedral.   After the AGM of the Friends on 4th October 2025, Paul Leddington Wright has agreed to talk to members about  the history of the Royal Maundy and his subsequent experience as the Secretary of the Royal Almonry based in Buckingham Palace.    
I think he may share a few "behind the scenes" stories, so do not miss out!
 

 

IF YOU ARE quick you will be able to see a Lego model of Coventry Cathedral at The Herbert Museum, Coventry.  
     The model has been brought out of the museum store to be displayed with other Lego models this Summer.   It was last on display in 2016.
 

 

 

 

A MOBILE VAN has brought coffee and premium ice cream to the Cathedral Ruins this summer – refreshments that have been welcomed by volunteers and visitors alike.  
The van was arranged by the Cathedral Chapter to help fill the gap left by the absence of a Cathedral café.   Do try it out on your next visit.  
The ice cream is great!