The Tower Vaulted Ceiling
Between 1854 and 1856 the church was extensively restored and reordered under the direction of George Gilbert Scott and in consequence of the problems encountered with the steeple it was generally accepted that "...the bells could not be rung without endangering the tower and spire".
Scott had a great fascination with lantern towers and his solution to the problem was to remove the floors immediately above the crossing (i.e. those of the former ringing chamber and clock room), to open up the lantern, to construct a new vaulted ceiling high up in the tower and to make alternative provision for the bells.
In May 1855 The Builder reported that the bells were “about to be removed to a temporary bell
tower, to be erected in the new burial ground adjoining the churchyard, which will allow of the whole peal being rung when recast”. The tower was duly erected in 1855-6, and in The Ecclesiologist in June 1856 it was stated that “Mr. Scott has built a very graceful and picturesque belfry of wood”, the structure being described in this article as “quite like an importation from a Norwegian Fiord”.
It was also in the 1850s that Skidmore met Sir George Gilbert Scott, a prominent architect, designer and proponent of Gothic Revival. Although Skidmore produced works for a variety of people, it was his long lasting, working relationship with Scott which resulted in several notable commissions. Skidmore worked with Scott on the Lichfield, Hereford and Salisbury Cathedral screens, the Albert Memorial in London and the restoration of Holy Trinity church.
Near the end of his life, Skidmore’s eyesight began to deteriorate and he was disabled after being hit by a carriage in London. His final years were spent in poverty in Eagle Street, Coventry. Skidmore died on 13 November 1896 and was buried in London Road Cemetery, Coventry. He was survived by his widow, Emma, and their four children: Francis Sidney, Bernard, Evangeline and Kenneth. In 2000, a memorial plaque was installed at the site of Skidmore’s Alma Street factory in Hillfields, Coventry.