| Lichfield Cathedral | |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad | |
 The West Front of Lichfield Cathedral | |
  Lichfield Cathedral Shown within Staffordshire | |
| 52°41′08″N1°49′50″W / 52.6855°N 1.8305°W /52.6855; -1.8305 | |
| Location | Lichfield, Staffordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Tradition | High church |
| Website | lichfield-cathedral |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Cathedral |
| Previous cathedrals | Early Anglo-Saxon and a second cathedral of undetermined date |
| Style | Gothic |
| Years built | early 13th century–1330 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 113 m (371 ft) |
| Nave width | 21 m (69 ft) |
| Width across transepts | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Height | 76.8 m (252 ft) (central spire) |
| Number of towers | 3 |
| Number of spires | 3 |
| Spire height | 76.8 m (252 ft) (crossing), 60.5 m (198 ft) (western) |
| Administration | |
| Province | Canterbury |
| Diocese | Lichfield (since 669 – 6th diocese) |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop | Michael Ipgrave |
| Dean | Jan McFarlane (Dean) |
| Precentor | Andrew Stead |
| Canon Chancellor | Gregory Platten |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Ben Lamb |
| Organist | Martyn Rawles |
Lichfield Cathedral, formally theCathedral Church of Saint Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield,[1] is aChurch of Englandcathedral in the city ofLichfield, England. It is the seat of thebishop of Lichfield and the principal church of thediocese of Lichfield and holds daily services. The cathedral has been designated aGrade I listed building.[2]
The diocese of Mercia was created in 656, and a cathedral was consecrated on the present site in 700. The relics of the fifth bishop,Chad of Mercia, were housed at the cathedral until being removed in 1538 during theEnglish Reformation.[3][4] In 1075 the seat of the diocese was moved toSt John the Baptist's Church, Chester and then from there toSt Mary's Priory inCoventry. Lichfield gained co-cathedral status in 1148, and became the sole cathedral in the diocese after St Mary's Priory was dissolved in 1539 and the newdiocese of Chester created in 1541.[5][6][7] During theEnglish Civil War theCathedral Close, Lichfield was besieged three times; the church was severely damaged, losing all of its medieval glass and many monuments.[8][9][10]
The cathedral was built between early 13th century andc. 1320 in theDecorated Gothic style. The work probably began with thechoir at the east end and progressed west through thetransepts,chapter house,nave, and south-west tower. Thelady chapel, central tower, south-east tower, and three spires followed. The building was restored after the Civil War under bishopJohn Hacket and several times in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many of the details of the building date from the restorations undertaken byGeorge Gilbert Scott, owing to the soft sandstone of which it is constructed as well as war damage.[11]
The cathedral is dedicated toSt Chad andSt Mary. Its internal length is 113 m (371 ft), and the breadth of the nave is 21 m (69 ft). The central spire is 77 m (253 ft) high and the western spires are about 58 m (190 ft) with the southern spire a little taller than the northern one. The stone isMercian red sandstone and came from quarries close to Lichfield. The walls of thenave lean outwards slightly, due to the weight of stone used in the ceiling vaulting; some 200–300 tons of which was removed during renovation work in 1788 to prevent the walls leaning further.[12]
Lichfield suffered severe damage during theEnglish Civil War, in which all of the stained glass was destroyed. In spite of this the windows of theLady Chapel contain some of the finest medievalFlemish painted glass in existence. Dating from the 1530s, it came fromHerkenrode Abbey nearLiège, Belgium, in 1803. It had been purchased bySir Brooke Boothby, 6th Baronet after the abbey was dissolved byRevolutionary France in 1795. The Herkenrode glass was rededicated in 2015 after a five-year renovation.[13] There are also some fine windows by Betton and Evans (1819), and many fine late 19th-century windows, particularly those byCharles Eamer Kempe.[12]
TheLichfield Gospels, also known as the St Chad's Gospels, dated 720–740, are the gospels of Matthew and Mark, and the early part of Luke, written inLatin with somemarginalia inOld Welsh. It has similarities to theLindisfarne Gospels.[14] The manuscript is on display in the Chapter House.
TheCathedral Close is one of the most complete in the country and includes a medieval courtyard which once housed the men of thechoir. The three spires are often referred to as the "Ladies of the Vale".
Bede stated thatChad established his see at Lichfield; and the first cathedral would presumably have been on this site in 669.[15] When he died in 672, his grave site, near the church of St Mary, became a sacred shrine for many pilgrims.[16] In 2003, excavations under the east end of the nave revealed a grave cut into the sandstone bedrock which has been attributed to Chad. It was within the foundation of a tower-like building seven metres square.[17]
At theCouncil of Chelsea in 787, the Bishop of Lichfield,Hygeberht (or Higbert) was raised to the rank ofarchbishop and authority over the dioceses ofWorcester,Hereford,Leicester,Lindsey,Dommoc andElmham were transferred to Lichfield.[18] This was due to the persuasion ofOffa, King ofMercia, who wanted an archbishop to rivalCanterbury. On Offa's death in 796, however, the Pope removed the archiepiscopal rank and restored the dioceses to the authority of the archbishop of Canterbury.[19]
In 1854, a foundation, 1.5 metres wide and 1.7 metres high, was found under the choir and presbytery floor. This basilica-shaped foundation was recognised as the second cathedral.[20] The Victorians assumed this was a Norman cathedral, but its shape, dimensions and material (much concrete hard mortar) suggest otherwise. It has yet to be carbon-dated and a case has been made that the church was built by Offa for his archbishopric.[21] The date for construction of the presentGothic cathedral is unclear since all fabric accounts were destroyed in the Civil War sieges and early texts are ambiguous. The general opinion is that the cathedral was begun in the early 13th century. It was completed by the building of the Lady Chapel in the 1330s. The Choir dates from 1200, theTransepts from 1220 to 1240 and theNave was started around 1260. The octagonalChapter House, which was completed in 1249 and is one of the most beautiful parts of the cathedral with some charming stone carvings, houses an exhibition of the cathedral's greatest treasures, theLichfield Gospels, an 8th-century illuminated manuscript and theLichfield Angel stonework.[19]
In theEnglish Civil War there were three sieges of Lichfield during 1643–1646 as the cathedral close was surrounded by a moat and defensive walls, which made it a natural fortress. Clergy followedCharles I, but the townsfolk generally sided withParliament.Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, led an assault against it, but was killed by a musket shot said to be from John Dyott (known as 'dumb' because he was a deaf mute) who along with his brother Richard Dyott had taken up a position on the battlements on 2 March 1643.[22] Brooke's deputyJohn Gell, took over the siege and the garrison surrendered to Gell two days later.
In April of the same year (1643)Prince Rupert led an Royalist expeditionary force fromOxford to recapture Lichfield.The siege started on 8 April. During the second assault Rupert's engineers detonated what is thought to be the first explosive mine to be used in England to breach the defences. Unable to defend the Close, Colonel Russell, the parliamentary commander of the garrison, surrendered on terms to Rupert on 21 April.[23]
In1646 theParliamentarians were once again victorious, but the Cathedral suffered extensive damage: the central spire was demolished, the roofs ruined and all the stained glass smashed.Bishop Hacket began the restoration of the cathedral in the 1660s, aided by substantial funds donated by the restored monarch, but it was not until the 19th century that the damage caused by the Civil War was fully repaired. Until the 19th century, on top of an ornamented gable, between the two spires, stood a figure ofCharles II, byWilliam Wilson. The statue now stands just outside the south doors.[19]
Although the 18th century was a golden age for the city of Lichfield, it was a period of alteration for the cathedral. The 15th-century library, on the north side of the nave, was pulled down in 1798 and the books moved to their present location above the Chapter House. Most of the statues on the west front were removed and the stonework covered with Roman cement. At the end of the centuryJames Wyatt organised some major structural work, removing the High Altar to make one long worship area of Choir, Presbytery and Lady Chapel and adding a massive stone screen with glass to the roof at the entrance to the Choir.[12]Francis Eginton painted the east window and was commissioned by the chapter to do other work in the cathedral.
The ornate west front wasextensively renovated in theVictorian era byGeorge Gilbert Scott.[19] It includes a remarkable number of ornate carved figures of kings, queens and saints, working with original materials where possible and creating fine new imitations and additions when the originals were not available. Between 1877 and 1884 the empty niches on the west front were given new statues, most carved by Robert Bridgeman of Lichfield: the statue ofQueen Victoria on the north side of the central window was carved by her daughter,Princess Louise.[12]
Wyatt'schoir-screen had utilised medieval stone-work which Scott in turn used to createsedilia with clergy's seats in the sanctuary. The new metal screen byFrancis Skidmore andJohn Birnie Philip to designs by Scott himself is a triumph of metalwork art, as are the fineMintons tiles in the choir, inspired by the medieval ones found in the Choir foundations and some still seen in the Library.[19]
In February 2003, an 8th-century sculpted panel of the Archangel Gabriel was discovered under the nave of the cathedral in and near the grave of Chad. The 600 mm-tall panel is carved fromAncaster stone from Lincolnshire. It was part of a stone chest, which is thought to have contained the relics ofSt Chad. The panel was broken into three parts but was still otherwise intact and had traces of red, black, yellow and white pigment from the period. The pigments on the Lichfield Angel correspond closely to those of theLichfield Gospels which have been dated between 720 and 740. The Angel was first unveiled to the public in 2006, when visitor numbers to the cathedral trebled. After being taken to Birmingham for eighteen months for examination, it is now exhibited in the cathedral.[24]
On 15 January 2021, while closed to services during theCOVID-19 pandemic, Lichfield Cathedral became the first place of worship in England to accommodate thevaccination programme in the United Kingdom.[25][26]
On the 7 and 8 November 2022 a new shrine to St Chad was consecrated and a relic of the saint was translated from the Roman CatholicSt Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham, at two separate services.[27]
Lichfield's role as a major national cathedral makes it a recurring location for royal engagements, and key royal visits include:
As of 7 December 2020:[32]
The additional role of Vice Dean has been vacant since Anthony Moore's resignation in 2017.
Notable organists of Lichfield Cathedral include the 17th-century composerMichael East, and the musical educator and choral conductorWilliam Henry Harris who conducted at the coronations of bothGeorge VI andElizabeth II.
The Choir has six lay vicars choral on staff and in 2021 reduced the full time equivalents from 9 to 6. In the front rows Lichfield has 18 boy choristers and up to 18 girl choristers.[35] There are also sixth-form choral scholarships available.[36]
A clock was installed in 1891 byJ. B. Joyce & Co of Whitchurch.[37] It struck the hour on the tenor bell and theCambridge quarters on the 1, 2, 3 and 6 bells. The horizontal frame was of cast iron 6 feet (1.8 m) long, 1 foot 9 inches (0.53 m) wide and 1 foot (0.30 m) in depth. The main wheels of the quarter and striking trains were 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter. The mechanism was regulated byLord Grimethorpe’sgravity escapement. The pendulum obviated the effects of thermal expansion by being constructed of zinc and iron The pendulum beat was 1¼ seconds with a bob weight of 2 cwt. The time was shown on a dial in the belfry, and another in an ornamental case in the south aisle of the nave.
A few weeks after its installation, Lord Grimethorpe was inspecting it when the cathedral was struck by lightening.[38]
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