Coventry and Cambridge
From York we drove south to Coventry where we found, after some difficulty, a comfortable hotel, partly incorporating an historic watermill.
I wanted to visit the old Cathedral now preserved as a War Memorial, as it recalls the bombing that might but for fortune, have killed my father.
In 1940 he was a new RAF fighter pilot. He famously went to 'the pictures' in the Coventry on the night before the Cinema was bombed; having hitched a ride in the petrol tanker that delivered the aircraft fuel to the base.
But the worst came on November 14 1940 when for the first time the Germans successfully used a combination of electronic target identification; high explosives; and firebombs to deliberately create a fire storm. This caused in excess of 1,500 casualties and destroyed much of the city.
The allies perfected this method and used it against German and Japanese targets including Dresden: 39 square kilometres destroyed and up to 25,000 dead; and Tokyo: 41 square km destroyed and 100,000 dead; each in a single raid. The Tokyo raid killed more than either of the atomic bombs.
Ecce Homo by Epstein in the ruins of old Coventry Cathedral
A new modern cathedral has been built along-side. It contains a huge Tapestry of Christ and a cross of nails; twinned with one in Church in Berlin alongside a similar church ruin, destroyed by the Allies.
The new Coventry Cathedral
I found the city rather depressing with its elevated ring road and fifties architecture. It was a dull day and the people in the street seemed to reflect my mood. Our hotel, thankfully out in the countryside, was a haven.
From there we made our way over to Cambridge for the day; before returning the car to London.
As everyone is aware Cambridge incorporates one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in the world.
It is also famous for punting on the River Cam and related backwaters.
Punts for hire in Cambridge
It's a very pleasant place to walk and, no doubt cycle, or punt, around.
Bikes are the way to go
Most University Colleges are not open to the public but King's College is; just to provide access to the Chapel, after purchase of an entrance ticket.
The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas
The Chapel is one of the most outstanding examples of late Gothic English architecture. It has a famous choir and is often seen on television, particularly around Christmas.
The famous view
It has very fine stained-glass windows and the world's largest fan-vault ceiling.
The fan-vaulting
There is a small museum that relates the College history and features an informative model explaining the engineering of the fan-vaulting; incorporating catenary rather than circular arches (see also the Tyne and Sydney Harbour Bridges above).
And so we returned to London before flying to Moscow for our Russian adventure... Read More...