Lichfield Cathedral (Lichfield)
The Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Chad is an impressive cathedral in the old Staffordshire town of Lichfield.
The see was founded in 699, on the site of an early church built by St. Chad, who was sent to Mercia as a missionary from Lindisfarne, as was his brother St. Cedd to Essex.
Bishop Robert de Lymsey started building the Norman cathedral, and building continued into the 14th century.
During the Civil War, Lichfield suffered three days of bombardment, one of the results of which was that the central spire was brought down. The cathedral was reduced to such a state that services could only be held in the vestry. After the Restoration, Bishop Hackett saw to it that the cathedral was restored to a reasonable degree.
The splendid West Front was restored by Gilbert Scott, with the result that the saints, apostles and kings are now joined by more modern charcters such as Dr. Johnson.
The best known feature of the cathedral must be the three beautiful spires, which can be seen from afar. They are collectively known as "the Ladies of the Vale".
The central spire, demolished during the Civil War, was lovingly restored by the prolific Christopher Wren.
Lichfield is the only three spired mediaeval cathedral.
The splendid illuminated St. Chad's Gospel dates from the early 8th century, and the Lady Chapel contains a masterpiece of Flemish stained glass.
The Lichfield Angel, from the Anglo-Saxon period, is away being restored.