Cuthbert Bardsley

Cuthbert Killick Norman Bardsley (28 March 1907 – 9 January 1991 ) was an Anglican bishop and evangelist who served as Bishop of Croydon from 1947 to 1956 and Bishop of Coventry from 1956 to 1976. It was during his tenure at Coventry that the new cathedral was consecrated in 1962, following the destruction of its 14th-century predecessor during the Second World War.

Formative years

Cuthbert Bardsley was born at Ulverston in Lancashire on the 28 March 1907, the youngest of six children of a Church of England vicar, Norman Bardsley, and his wife Annie Killick. In 1909 his father became vicar of Lancaster where Bardsley spent his childhood. He came from a family steeped in the tradition of Anglicanism who, within three generations, produced 29 priests and three bishops. and entered Eton College in 1919. At 6' 6" in height when fully grown he was a natural sportsman and Bardsley excelled at sport and showed aptitude for art. A regular attender at Eton college chapel Bardsley left Eton in 1926 ... still a nominal adherent of the Lord but far from a committed follower... He was not, however, an enthusiast of the Oxford Group believing that the zealousness of some of the adherents could lead to a situation of Schism. There were tensions at Westcott during these years but Cunningham's teaching methods overcame potential rifts. A conviction that he should remain mindful of the activities of the Oxford Group remained and in 1935 he sought the permission of the Bishop of London, Arthur Winnington-Ingram to work full-time as one of their totems. His subsequent mission took him to Norway, Denmark and Switzerland as well as extensive work at home. During the mid-30s the Oxford Group witnessed large attendances and conversions to evangelical Anglicanism. Initially Beardsley remained zealous in his support but as the 1930s progressed he began to harbour doubts about his involvement in the Oxford Group particularly after it became the Moral Re-Armament movement in 1938. Bardsley concluded that the movement had strayed from its founding principles of Jesus as Saviour into a more general purpose on morality and shortly after ended his formal association.

Bardsley returned to London in 1940 as vicar of St. Mary Magdalene Woolwich, where he was joined by his sister Dorothy who was to become his helper and companion for the next thirty two years. As the bombing of London continued during 1940 - 41 Bardsley worked tirelessly, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, in providing practical and spiritual aid to his parishioners. Although the Woolwich church stayed open during the Blitz (indeed the crypt was a sanctuary) Bardsley organised Industrial Missions to take the Gospel to the factories and offices. These missions were a guiding principle of Bardsley's wherever he served. He did not believe in sitting in a church and waiting for people to come to him. The Fourteenth Century The Cathedral Church of St. Michael had been destroyed overnight on 14 November 1940 during the Coventry Blitz by the Luftwaffe. In the following years a new cathedral, designed by architect Basil Spence and next to the ruins of the old cathedral was built and consecrated in 1962. Bardsley oversaw its renewal as a centre of Christian teaching. As in previous postings Bardsley sought at every opportunity to take the Gospel into Coventry's factories and offices, acquiring the affectionate sobriquet of The Works Padre. As bishop he built up a network of representatives from all walks of life that included: politicians, trade union leaders, faith groups and educationalists. Regular conferences to which community leaders were invited were arranged as Bardsley continued to seek a central place for The Church in peoples' lives. Although Bardsley operated best in a city environment his diocese also included many rural parishes which were reorganised and revitalised through regular meetings with their Bishop. The city recognised his service to them and bestowed honours upon him that included president of Coventry City Football Club and in 1976 an honorary DLitt of Warwick University. As a leading Anglican evangelist, it was Bardsley's deep concern that evangelism should be at the centre of the Church's thinking and strategy. Cuthbert Bardsley died on 8 January 1991.

The high altar cross by Geoffrey Clarke created in 1962 for the consecration of the new Coventry cathedral was dedicated as a memorial to Bardsley after his death. It is made from silver and plated with gold, and is an abstract work representing a phoenix rising from the ashes. Three medieval nails which were part of the old cathedral's roof are incorporated within the structure. This cross of nails was inspired by the example of the ministry for reconciliation and forgiveness led by Bishop

Biography Donald Coggan, Cuthbert Bardsley: Bishop, Evangelist, Pastor, Collins, London, 1989.