Coventry Blitz the 1950s, designed by the architect Basil Spence. Spence (later knighted for this work) insisted that instead of re-building the old cathedral it should be kept in ruins as a garden of remembrance and that the new cathedral should be built alongside, the two buildings together effectively forming one church. The use of Hollington sandstone for the new Coventry Cathedral provides an element of unity between the buildings. The foundation stone of the new cathedral was laid by the Queen on 23 March 1956. It was consecrated on 25 May 1962, and Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem", composed for the occasion,
The Phantom of the Opera (1962 film) of the film were "too intense." These scenes were edited out, and more acceptable scenes replaced them or extended the running time. In common with Hammer's usual practice, when shown in British cinemas in 1962, the film was paired with "Captain Clegg", another of the studio's films. The music in this movie features Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, arguably the most famous piece of organ music ever composed, and one that has become commonly associated with horror films. "The Monthly Film Bulletin" wrote: "The absurd, much-filmed story crumbles—at any rate here—once the "ingénue" is reconciled to