Coventry Cathedral to get £3.5m City of Culture revamp

Coventry Cathedral is set for a £3.5m revamp in time for its City of Culture role in 2021.

Plans for the first extension at the venue since it opened in 1962 next to the ruins of the old site devastated by WW2 bombs have been given the go-ahead.

Under the scheme, the cathedral pavilion will include a larger cafe, education space and new lift.

More than 300,000 people visit the Grade I-listed cathedral each year, a spokesperson for the venue said, and an increased number is expected during Coventry’s tenure as 2021 UK City of Culture.

The new pavilion, inspired by architect Sir Basil Spence’s original proposals for the unbuilt Christian Service Centre, is phase one of a four-phase project planned for completion by 2021, with the scheme set to cost £3.5m in total.

A fundraising drive is under way, with £772,000 already secured from the government’s Local Growth Fund along with £1.45m from other sources.