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A MODEL VERSION OF WHAT THE LOWER PRECINCT
WOULD LOOK LIKE ON COMPLETION.
THE THREE PICTURES ON THE LEFT SHOW DIFFERENT MODELS ON HOW THE NEW CITY CENTRE WOULD LOOK AFTER IT'S REVELOPEMENT.AS YOU
CAN SEE SOME FEATURES CHANGED FROM THE MODELS BUILT
AN ARTISTS IMPRESSION
A COLOUR POSTCARD FROM LATE 1960'S
CENTRE OF THE PRECINCT LOOKING DOWN SMITHFORD WAY
NOTE TOWER OF THE LOCARNO BALLROOM WHICH IS NO LONGER THERE ALSO THE POLICE INFORMATION BOX WHICH HAS ALSO GONE
A MODEL OF THE ROUND CAFE
A NICE VIEW LOOKING TOWARDS BROADGATE.
UNDER THE BRIDGE THERE WAS A FOUNTAIN AND SCULPTURES ON THE SIDE OF THE PILLAR'S HOLDING THE BRIDGE UP.
THE NEXT THREE PICTURES HAVE ALL BEEN TAKEN FROM THE OLD CATHEDRAL SPIRE.
TOP PHOTO IS PRE NOV 1940
MIDDLE PHOTO IS SHORTLY AFTER THE BLITZ WITH ALL THE RUBBLE REMOVED
THE BOTTOM PICTURE IS FROM THE MID 1980'S NOTE THE OLD GEC BUILDING CAN BE SEEN IN ALL THREE PHOTO'S BACKGROUND ON THE LEFT.THE SKYDOME AND ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX IS NOW ON THE SITE
These ceramic murals were designed in 1958 by the acclaimed architect, artist and writer, Gordon Cullen, CBE (1914-94), for the people of Coventry as an important feature of the post war reconstruction of the City Centre. The mural was commissioned by the City Planning and Redevelopment Committee, on the recommendation of Arthur Ling, Chief Architect to the Corporation.
Cullen became a cult figure in architectural circles in the post war period when his ideas for the improvement of towns and the control of traffic were frequently published. He is credited as originator of the term "Townscape" which became the title of his book on the subject published in 1961, and renowned for the opening sentence, introducing one of his articles, which stated: "There is only one way to enjoy what a town has to offer the eye, and that is the pedestrian's way".
The murals were originally sited at the entrance to the Lower Precinct on the ramp leading down to the lower level and on adjacent walls. It originally included maps of the mediaeval city and the new Coventry, drawn in the style of maps of the periods. The main mural had images of early Coventry, from Pre-historic to the Late Mediaeval and of Georgian to Modern, with references to the City's then industries. The mediaeval maps were unfortunately destroyed through careless workmanship in the 1970's.
The redevelopment of the Lower Precinct by Arrowcroft Group Plc, funded by the Scottish Life Assurance Company and completed in 2002, necessitated the widening of the narrow ramp entrance to the Lower Precinct in order to improve the principal access and requiring the relocation of the mural to its current location Lidice Walk.
In their original position the tiles were securely bonded onto a 450mm thick concrete retaining wall, from which they could not have been removed without causing damage to the mural. Arrowcroft, with the support of their building contractor, Costain-Skanska, agreed a method statement with English Heritage under which the wall was cut from the rear into slices each weighing between 2.5 and 3.5 tons, which were lifted by crane to the mural's new location, where the wall sections we re-assembled to recreate the mural. The tiles were then treated by specialist ceramic restorers, Jackfield Conservation Studio, to remove accumulated deposits and to repair the mural to a condition in which it can be appreciated as an important element in the City's modern history, illustrating the spirit in which the post-war reconstruction of the City and in particular the Lower Precinct development, was undertaken.
