Summary There is a wide range of stained glass in the
cathedral made by a diverse group of artists, but almost all was installed in
the Victorian Gothic Revival Era. The Herkenrode glass, 1532-9, is exceptional
and the triangular windows in the clerestory are unique. The wheel window on
the south transept is innovative.
Christ said he was ‘the light of
the world’ and bringing light into the Gothic church was intrinsic and even better
if it passed through coloured glass. Content of windows in the early cathedral
showed pilgrims what it might be like in heaven and to penitents what they
might do to redeem themselves. Stories illustrated the Bible to those who were
illiterate. After Reformation, the iconography of the windows was considered
idolatrous and for three centuries plain glass was the normal. The Gothic
Revival of the 19th century brought back coloured glass in profusion and almost
all the windows date from this time. With one exception, the Lady Chapel has
hand-painted glass from Herkenrode Abbey, Belgium, dated 1532-9. Thus, most of
the glass in the cathedral dates from the 19th century with the earliest, 1819,
on the east side of the south transept.[1]
Much glass was donated, and their iconography often reflects the sponsor. Artists
include Kempe, Betton & Evans, Hardman, Wailes, Clayton & Bell,
Burlison & Grylls, Bryans, Stammers, Powell, and Ward & Hughes.[2]
Location and dates of some glass.
For
the Lady Chapel’s Herkenrode glass see the separate post, ‘Herkenrode painted
glass’. Also, the post, ‘Medieval glass’. There are seven windows, dated
1532-39, from the Cistercian Abbey of Herkenrode, near the city of Hasselt in
Belgium, and brought to the cathedral in 1803. Two further windows at the west
end of the chapel are thought to have been made in Antwerp, and were added
later.
The figures in the windows in the chapter house (late
19th-century) in clockwise direction are:
St Chad and King Wulfhere. Chad is made bishop. Chad
baptises Wulfhere’s sons (a fable).
St Oswald and St Aidan. Aidan preaching and Oswald
interpreting. Aidan teaching Chad.
Archbishop Theodore and Saint Owini. Chad teaching. Chad
being called home by angels.
King Oswiu and Bishop Diuma. Bishop Jaruman promising to
build a church. King Æthelwald.
Archbishop Hygeberht. Bishop Cantelupe. Bishop Ealdwulf who renounced the archbishopric, c, 799[3].
Bishop Clinton. Dean Mancetter. Bishop Stavenby.
Chapterhouse
with Chad and Wulfhere
North transept window showing ‘The Tree of
Jesse’ by Clayton and Bell, 1893. It is from Matthew chapter 1 and places Jesus
in the House of David.
The
St Chad’s Head Chapel has a series of windows by Kempe, 1890s, showing angels
playing ancient musical instruments a reference to when Chad died the heavens
were singing according to Bede. All of the angels have peacock feathers in
their wings and wear richly coloured tunics. There are leaf motifs that have a
resemblance to medieval decoration.
The Great
West Window. The window consists of six lights, which are filled with figures
of the Archangel Gabriel, St. Joseph, the Virgin and Child, and the Three Magi;
under which respectively are scenes representing the Annunciation, the Angel
appearing to St. Joseph, the Birth, with angels adoring; the Journey of the
Magi, the Magi before Herod, and the Flight into Egypt. The top of this window
is obscured when seen from the inside of the cathedral.
Herkenrode
fragments in South Choir aisle
Three Mary's
window at the East End. This bottom panel of the middle Herkenrode window was
added by Burlison and Grylls and shows the three Marys painted with the same
style as the rest of the Herkenrode. It replaced plain glass behind the Lady
Chapel altar removed after the Civil War desecration.
Wheel window on the outside of the south transept. It is thought the original innovative window inspired the wheel window at St George’s chapel, Windsor, which then inspired the wheel window at Westminster Abbey.
Triangular
windows in the clerestory (top), interior and exterior view. They are the result of King Henry III seeing
similar, but smaller, windows at Westminster Abbey and wanting them repeated at
Lichfield.
The ‘Hacket window’ in the south choir aisle by Kempe, 1901, shows the rebuild of the cathedral after the Civil War devastation.
Hacket seated at the bench planning the restoration of the
cathedral. Note the figure at the front of the bench holding the working
drawings. The figure to the right of Hacket, dressed in fine clothes, is
thought to be the Duke of York who gave money to restore the windows. Some have
suggested it is Christopher Wren who is thought to have helped Hacket. Note the
loss of the central spire, the lack of sculptures on the west front and the
tall scaffolding. At the top is Hacket’s line from his coat of arms and now the
cathedral motto of ‘Serve God and be cheerful’.
Armorial glass panel c 1645 possibly for when Charles I visited Lichfield. It could have come from the old bishop's palace where he stayed, The panel has recently been repaired and is now being considered for display in the cathedral.
Some
consider the best window is, ‘The spread of the Christan Church’ or ‘The Tree
of the Church’, 1895, in the south transept. This was the first work of Kempe’s
new draughtsman, John Lisle, and it has been described as ‘one of the finest
achievements not simply of the Kempe Studio but of nineteenth-century stained-glass
as a whole.’[4]
‘The spread
of the Christian Church’ or ‘The tree of the Church’ in the south transept. It
is capped by numerous angels and contains images of missionaries who took
Christianity across Europe.
[1]
P. Scaife, The stained glass of Lichfield Cathedral, Lichfield Cathedral
publication. (2009), 1-13.
[2]
H. Prentis, Stained glass of Lichfield Cathedral. Unpub. article in
Cathedral Library. (2002)
[3]
A. B. Clifton, The Cathedral church of
Lichfield. (London: 1900).
[4]
P. Comerford, Four windows and Kempe’s masterpiece in Lichfield Cathedral,
(2019) www.patrickcomerford.com/2019/09/four-windows-and-kempes-masterpiece-in.html
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