Levelling Stone

Summary

A levelling stone designed by Trevor Tennant and unveiled on 8 June 1946.

Reasons for Designation

The Levelling Stone, the Upper Precinct, Coventry is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Historic interest:

* as a symbol of Coventry’s regeneration following the considerable damage to the city centre following bombardment during the Second World War;
* it forms an important part of the Upper Precinct, an early example of a post-war shopping centre designed by Donald Gibson;
* the stone marks the theodolite point for the rebuilding of Coventry city centre, and although the level of the stone has been raised it survives in its intended location;
* as a clear assertion of the spirit of the vibrant and re-born city of Coventry after the damage which it suffered in the Second World War.

Architectural interest:

* as a well-executed design featuring a carved phoenix figure by the noted sculptor Trevor Tennant.

History

The city of Coventry became a centre for engineering at the start of the C20, particularly cycle and motor car manufacture. Many of the most notable English car makers had their base in the city. This rapid influx to the centre of a medieval city with a pattern of narrow streets caused problems and the city engineer, Ernest Ford built a southern bypass and laid out Corporation Street and Trinity Street near the centre in the 1930s. Plans for rebuilding the area around the cathedral to form a civic centre were revealed in an exhibition, ‘Coventry of Tomorrow’ of 1939-1940, but the major air raid of 14 November 1940 destroyed large areas of the commercial centre of the city and led to a more comprehensive assessment and plan for the city’s future requirements. The city architect, Donald Gibson, who was appointed in 1939, outlined a new, zoned plan in 1941 which included a large shopping centre to the west, built around a central axis which was aligned on the tower of the old cathedral.

The size of what was planned initially caused some concern to the city’s Chamber of Commerce and to the Ministry of Town and Country Planning, which authorised loans for compulsory purchase of land and for development. The city plan was refined during the 1940s and a version, which was close to what was eventually built, was shown at the exhibition, ‘Coventry of the Future’ in 1945. This drew large crowds and general admiration which, in turn, prompted the Ministry to authorise grants to purchase and develop 274 acres in June 1947. The final plan was approved in 1949.

The levelling stone was first proposed by Donald Gibson at a meeting of the Planning and Redevelopment Committee on 5 March 1946. Gibson envisaged that the stone would mark the inauguration of the rebuilding of the city, and believed that it would draw the public’s attention and enthusiasm to the new city plans. As well as a focus for the public’s attention, the stone was laid to aid the construction of the new city centre. Its position at the heart of the war-damaged centre was intended to be the theodolite point for the construction of the planned new buildings; measurements for these new sites were taken from the stone’s central bronze plate.

The stone was designed by Trevor Tennant and was laid by Cllr J C Gordon, Mayor of Coventry, in an unveiling ceremony on 8 June 1946. The unveiling ceremony was poignantly held on this date to mark the first anniversary of VE day and symbolised the city’s new era of peace. Under the stone, a small casket was buried, containing records relating to Coventry’s experiences during the Second World War as well as details of the redevelopment plans. The small, brick-lined pit in which the casket was buried was in-filled as part of the unveiling ceremony, with the Mayor using a gavel to ensure the stone was level.

Despite the original plan to set the stone slightly higher than the pavement, the stone was actually set slightly below it. However in 1956 the level of the stone was raised to lie flush with the pavement. This inevitably added to the wear of the stone and it was restored and re-cut in 1975 to improve the carvings and inscriptions.

The cobbled surface is a later addition filling a depression that originally surrounded the levelling stone and figured decorative detailing echoing the material theme of the scheme.

Details

A levelling stone designed by Trevor Tennant and unveiled on 8 June 1946.

MATERIALS: Westmorland green slate central panel with Hopton Wood stone surround and bronze central plate.

DESCRIPTION: the stone is irregular in its outline, but symmetrical about a central line. It measures 2.67m by 2.7m. The central, slate panel features a carved, stylised phoenix figure which is rising out of flames below. The central bronze plate has a target of radiating circles and there are three smaller bronze plates, set into the slab, with central indents which act as positioning points for the legs of a theodolite. A stone tablet at the eastern edge of the stone features an inscription which reads: THIS STONE/ COMMEMORATING THE OFFICIAL INAUGURATION/ OF THE REBUILDING OF COVENTRY AFTER THE/ ENEMY ATTACKS OF 1940-1942/ WAS LAID BY/ COUNCILLOR JOHN CHARLES GORDON/ MAYOR OF COVENTRY/ 8 JUNE 1946. MAYOR/ COUNCILLOR J. C. GORDON/ DEPUTY MAYOR COUNCILLOR G. BRIGGS.

The inscription continues around the perimeter of the stone: THIS LEVELLING STONE IN THE CENTRE OF THE WAR DAMAGED AREA WAS CONSTRUCTED AS A GUIDE TO THE REDEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS 1945-1946. This is then followed by the names of the members of The City Redevelopment Committee. The inscription concludes: THE LEVELLING STONE WAS PRESENTED/ BY THE RT HON LORD KENILWORTH/ MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL 1923-1926. THE CITY REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE/ CHAIRMAN COUNCILLOR A. ROBERT GRINDLAY/ VICE CHAIRMAN ALDERMAN GEORGE E. HODGKINSON.

Sources

Books and journals
Noszlopy, G T, Sculpture of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull, (2003), pp.194-196

Websites
Public Monuments and Sculpture Association, The Levelling Stone, accessed 20 September 2017 from http://www.pmsa.org.uk/pmsa-database/5397/
Coventry Historic Environment Record, accessed 22 September 2017 from http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=MCT16898&resourceID=1029

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