Eternal Wall
of Answered
Prayer
The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer is a national landmark that will Make Hope Visible at the heart of the nation.
A national landmark of hope
Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will be the largest Christian monument in the UK. Snug was selected to design the project from 133 entries from 25 countries in an RIBA international design competition. The concept is a simple spark of inspiration that was inspired, quite fittingly, during a time of prayer; a Möbius Strip, a non-orientable surface which seemingly has no beginning or end.
The project seeks to 'Make Hope Visible', encouraging and inspiring people through the storms of life. It has three goals: 'to preserve the Christian heritage of the nation; encourage prayer; and proclaim Jesus for the country'. We are privileged to be part of this amazing project.
“It’s an incredibly ambitious, stunning project... in terms of a real statement, a landmark for the Midlands, I think it’s an incredibly progressive, ambitious piece of architecture.”
Andy Street CBE, Mayor of the West Midlands
The view of the monument from the M6 motorway.
The view of the monument on arrival.
Passing under the elevated wall visitors enter the interior courtyard see the twisting arch and landscape beyond.
Looking back at the monument from the landscape
The monument's white surface will be dramatic whether lit by moonlight or artificial light.
The monuments cyclical form rises heavenward, twists and returns to the ground, following the cycle of prayer.
Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will sit at the heart of the nation on land in Coleshill near Birmingham. The site is close to both the M6 and M42 motorways as well as the new HS2 train-line and flight paths in and out of Birmingham international airport which pass close by. As a result, the monument will be seen by more than 500,000 journeys each week.
This monumental piece of public art is to consist of one million bricks, with each brick representing an answered prayer. The project includes a visitor centre and public open space, including a car park and landscaped gardens, where visitors will be welcome to relax and reflect on the relevance and power of prayer.
Just how big is Eternal Wall?
The monument will rise 51.5m and span some 80m across. This is the equivalent height of 12 London double decker buses or two and a half times the height of the Angel of the North. If the monument was placed in Trafalgar Square, it would fill the square and touch the top of Nelson's hat.
The massive architectural sculpture will celebrate and preserve the UK’s rich Christian heritage and be a holding home for testimonies of answered prayers, not only submitted by people from around the country, but also discovered by historians, highlighting answered prayer going back as far as 600 AD.
CEO Richard Gamble, who first had the idea for the Eternal Wall in 2004, states "I felt God speak to me and give me the idea. It's an audacious project, but I believe God is helping us achieve it. This building has been my dream for many years,” he says. “It’s phenomenal to see it all finally fleshed out by Snug in such a beautiful and elegant design.
“We want to celebrate and remember all the prayers that God has answered for individuals throughout our nation’s history. Our hope is that this will be a piece of art that provokes discussion, and that when people visit the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer and interact with the one million testimonies, they will see a small glimpse of God’s character. We expect that this will have a significant impact on our nation.
“Since the RIBA competition ended, I’ve been able to work more closely with Snug on a more detailed brief, and the team has taken the design to the next level. I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Looking back towards the heart of the monument
Planning permission was granted for the landmark by North Warwickshire Borough Council in the summer of 2020. Renato Benedetti, Director of Benedetti Architects was the Chair of the RIBA judging panel, and comments: “It was clear to me from the beginning that this was the stand-out proposal. Its soaring sculptural form, meaningful elegant variety of spaces and clever use of the site, had the inspiring wow-factor to engage and enthral visitors. It’s a privilege to be involved throughout and a joy to see the design mature and progress to the planning application. Well done everyone!” In November 2025 a ground breaking ceremony was held at the site. With construction due to be completed in 2028.
Paul Bulkeley, founding director of Snug Architects and the one who conceived the design for the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer says: “It is fitting that the competition winning concept was a personal answer to prayer! We are all very excited to see this impressive project another step closer to reality. It’s a structure of national significance and we are honoured to have played a part in the vision and the team that brings such a large-scale monument to the heart of the UK.”
Carl Brookes, Director of Engineering Simulation at Ramboll, who supported Snug at the Concept Design Stage says: “It is not often that opportunities to work on such ground-breaking architecture occur, and so we are absolutely delighted to be working with Snug and the Eternal Wall team on delivering this national monument. To develop the engineering required to make the truly radical and gravity-defying form of the Möbius strip a reality will be both challenging and thrilling. Undoubtedly this will be an inspirational, thought-provoking and iconic structure for generations to see and visit.”
When we had finished designing Eternal Wall we were amazed to discover that the form mapped exactly to the Golden Ratio. This astonishing ratio can be found in all of creation from the proportions of your body to the spirals of every galaxy.
The astonishing thing is we did not design it to do this. What is more, the overall height and width when viewed at exactly 90 degrees to the motorway, the primary point from which the monument will be viewed, not only mapped the golden ratio but its dimensions were those that begin with the scale of a human at its centre.
We were particularly pleased that this mapping was not quite perfect, it was a few percent out in places. It was a humble reminder that our best efforts are not perfect...only God is perfect.
The Golden Ratio overlay