‘The Martyr's Mosaic’ by Hugh Richard Hosking and René Antonietti, 1955
The mosaic is found in the foyer of Broadgate House, beneath the Godiva clock, and is often missed as many people pass it by, not knowing of the mosaic’s existence. The Coventry Martyrs were 12 men and women who were burned at the stake for their beliefs between 1512 and 1555. The earlier group were Lollards, members of a pre-protestant religious movement who railed against the Catholic Church, and advocated use of an English translation of the Bible from Latin, that would be available to all. They were burned at the stake in Little Park Street and a monument to them was erected in 1910, now on the pedestrian route through Junction 5 of the Ring Road.
The Martyr’s Mosaic was commissioned by City Planner Sir Donald Gibson, designed by the Head of Coventry College of Art, Hugh Hosking, and created by artist Rene Antonietti, after Gibson, whilst on a cycling tour, was captivated by mosaics created by Antonietti in Geneva.
Gibson described in his memoirs how he and Antonietti ‘went touring and got stones from Derbyshire and Ireland, and different bricks from Warwickshire, which all were used in the mosaic’, as well as red and grey Aberdeen granite, Connemara green marble from the Irish secretary’s inkwell, enamel from Venice, onyx from Brazil and spare brick left over from the construction of Broadgate house. Gibson also requested that the mosaic have a 3-dimensional element.