St. Mary's Priory & Cathedral: Introduction

f one were to have stood by Pool Meadow and faced southwards before 1539, a view looking something like this would have greeted you....

Original sketch by Brian Hobley FSA, after extensive excavations in the 1960s - splendidly re-coloured in 2005 by a local artist.

Although excavations have unearthed many features of our first cathedral, there is still much speculation about exactly what it looked like. During its turbulant history, very little seems to have been recorded about its appearance and many questions remain unanswered: Did it have spires? If so, how tall were they, and what construction? Unfortunately, many records formerly held within the priory were destroyed as a result of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and this might contribute to the lack of surviving evidence about the largest and perhaps most impressive building that has ever stood in Coventry.

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