‘The Levelling Stone’ by Trevor Tennant, 1946
The Levelling Stone features a carved phoenix, rising from the ashes, a symbol of the city and its redevelopment following the Blitz during the Second World War. It features a Westmoreland green slate central slab with a Hopton Wood stone surround and a Bronze central plate.
The stone was proposed by Donald Gibson at a meeting of the Planning and Redevelopment Committee on 5 March 1946 and was created in a matter of weeks. Gibson’s memoirs held at the Herbert Archive describe how once he received approval for the monument, he drove through the night with sculptor Trevor Tennant to a quarry to select the perfect block of Westmoreland slate, and 24 hours later the design had been settled upon.
The stone was laid just over three months later on Victory in Europe Day (VE Day), 8 June 1946, in the presence of local dignitaries. This marked the symbolic start of the redevelopment of Coventry’s city centre. The stone was where the theodolite would be placed, a precision instrument used to measure horizontal and vertical angles, from which all the levels of the new precinct would be taken. Hence, the precinct was literally built up around the stone. Beneath the Levelling Stone is a time capsule containing the plans for the redevelopment of the city, and records of the city’s experiences during the war.
The plaque at the base 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 surrounding stones read: 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.