Coventry Cathedral Church of St Michael

The sight of Coventry Cathedral stops you dead. You're looking at two buildings at once - the bombed-out ruins of the medieval cathedral, blackened stone reaching toward nothing, and then the gleaming sandstone modernist structure built right beside it. Both are the cathedral; both are why you've come.

What happened here matters. German bombs flattened the medieval building in 1940, and rather than rebuild exactly what was lost, Coventry chose something radical - a new cathedral designed by Basil Spence, completed in 1962. Walking between the old and new, you feel the weight of that decision. The ruins are deliberately left as they are, a statement about destruction and memory. Inside the new building, there's a massive tapestry by Graham Sutherland - easily the most impressive thing in here - and the light coming through the stained glass is genuinely moving.

History buffs will camp here for hours. Families with younger kids might find it a bit heavy-going; teenagers usually get it more. Allow a solid hour, longer if you're reading everything. Free to wander the grounds, though donations are welcome and entry to certain areas may carry a fee - check their website for current details.

If you're basing yourself at Hollyfast Caravan Park or Broadwell Woods for a Warwickshire break, Coventry is a straightforward drive. The cathedral works well paired with Coventry's medieval streets or the transport museums nearby. Don't skip the ruins - they're the whole story.