Nails polished for £61,000

A WORLD-FAMOUS symbol of peace and reconciliation has been restored to its former glory after a £61,000 (€90,000) renovation project.

The Coventry Cross of Nails, which hangs behind the high altar at Coventry city’s cathedral, has been re-gilded with about 2kg of 24-carat gold to restore its original lustre.

The wraps were taken off the 11-foot-tall work of art at a service celebrating Michaelmas on Saturday afternoon.

It has taken two months to clean years of accumulated dirt on the cross, which was inspired by the aftermath of the devastating Luftwaffe raid on Coventry in 1940.