More thoughts on the Cathedral

Still thinking about the Cathedral and reading some of the idiotic comments on the Press pages. Some people just have a trigger knee-jerk reflex, I guess. Or just don't listen to what's been said. Of course I had to wade in with my two cents worth too:

The idea of a prayer garden really appeals to me. Retain the foundations, pillar bases, and pavement, rebuild the spire in wood or steeel and replace some of the bells in it. Plant in and around the ruins. New growth symbolic of new life. Retain the huge tree to the south of the ruin as a memory tree, so that people can leave flowers and messages of comfort there. Have a bell at ground level that people could ring (along the lines of the Peace Bell in the Botanic Gardens). Have a small open air altar where the high altar was, just a simple block of stone from the old Cathedral, perhaps with the original foundation plaque. Somehow reconstruct the rose window at the west end and the apse windows at the east end. Erect a new cloister around a pool or fountain, to give warmth and shelter to visitors. So many beautiful and meaningful things can be done, the ruin can be our memorial and continue to play a part in the spiritual life of the city. This will ensure that at least a small part of the heart of the city stays green. Don't worry about the tourists; they will come to be inspired and see how we have remade our lives. Look at Coventry Cathedral; the ruins include and transcend the past. Don't go back - take the past, cherish it, but build it into something new.

 So I spent part of the day redesigning the site as a prayer garden, using the footprint of the Cathedral. The existing footprint is very strong and formal and would make a beautiful foundation for a garden.

It would be great if the Church set up a website so that we could see the deconstruction process. I'd like to know what is salvageable, for example, is the font still in one piece? It would make a wonderful fountain in the Living Waters Courtyard that I'm planning for the prayer garden.