Windows

Summary. Almost all of the stained glass in the cathedral was installed in the Victorian Gothic Revival Era. The Herkenrode glass, 1532-9, is exceptional and the triangular windows in the clerestory are unique. A 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’. 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

AI enhanced 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.

AI enhanced window showing 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.

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[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

High altar

Summary. The high altar area in Victorian Gothic Revival style by George Gilbert Scott, 1850s, used Midland’s craftsmen and materials. There is alabaster from Tutbury, red marble from Chatsworth and semi-precious stones from Derbyshire mines. The sedilia are repaired remnants of the original 15th-century high altar screen.

After many meetings and consultation with multiple architects, canons and advisors each making drawings on the possible new layout for the choir, presbytery and high altar, it was agreed in September 1857 to accept the complete recommendations of George Gilbert Scott. His design included a choir and presbytery stretching 6 bays from the crossing and ending at a 13th-century style reredos. This reredos was placed where the medieval altar once stood. There would be 3 bays of stalls for clergy and the choir with the pulpit on the north side (later abandoned) and the bishop’s chair (cathedra) on the south side. Canopies above the stalls were initially considered, but never followed up. Exits to the side aisles were located by the 4th bay (counting from the crossing). The eastern, sanctuary bay would have canopied sedilia on the south side and arcading on the north side.

Layout of choir and presbytery

 

Presbytery to the High Altar

Very little interruption to services occurred in the reordering of the choir and presbytery[1] and by the time of the opening in 1861, the floor of the presbytery was still incomplete and the foundations to the reredos was simply marked out.

         

Reredos[2]

The reredos was designed by Scott and cost £2000 with all materials deliberately taken from locations in the diocese. Statues were made of alabaster from Fauld near Tutbury and brown looking columns behind the altar table made of rare red marble (Duke’s Red) from the Chatsworth estate and agreed by the Duchess of Devonshire. The centre was a bas-relief of the Ascension, with, a figure of "The Lamb" underneath. On each side two compartments contained the emblems of the four evangelists. Around the middle arch, stones were embedded from Derbyshire mines and included red jasper, blue john and malachite green (Derbyshire was in the diocese until 1884).

 AI rendition of the reredos 1900, still to have the statues of C. E. Kempe added.    

                             Lent

Reredos showing embedded stones in the archway. 

                                              High altar cross.                           The figure of Chad is at the top.

High altar cross

The cross was designed by Charles Ashbee in 1906. At the top is a small figure of Chad and around him are angels.

 

Sedilia 

This is the remnant of the original 15th-century high altar screen later added in 1788 to the choir screen and then recovered by Scott in pieces. Scott had it remade with plaster and Bath stone and the repair was extraordinary. The much-repaired south sedilia was completed in 1869-70. The north sedilia was not completed until 1914.

 

Sedilia north side (left) and south side (right).

Woodwork

All the wood carving was done in the studio of William Evans at Ellastone in East Staffordshire. He is said to have been the model for Seth in George Elliot’s "Adam Bede," and was a cousin of the authoress. There is much natural foliage in the carving, with figures of apostles, kings, and bishops, and panels representing scenes from Old Testament history. The Bishop's Throne is by the same carpenter. It was presented by the clergy of Derbyshire when that county transferred from the diocese to the new diocese of Southwell in 1884.

Pavement

The tiled pavement between the stalls was made by Minton of Stoke, under the direction of Colin Minton-Campbell. It was a layout based on the pattern of old tiles found in the cathedral and left over from the Civil War. The pavement in the presbytery was made of incised stone with marble borders. There are four large medallions, which show scenes in the history of the diocese with Chad surrounded by kings and bishops who had some connection with the see. The scheme was arranged by Scott, but the medallions designed by the Revd. J. Pitman, headmaster of Rugeley Grammar School.

Three roundels in the presbytery floor. From the left, Chad being consecrated bishop of Northumbria at York, Chad being given a horse by Archbishop Theodore and asked to go to Lichfield and Chad being buried in his grave in the nave area.

The pavement within the rails was given by Minton and designed by Clayton and Bell. The seven subjects from the Old Testament were inspired by tiles from Chertsey Abbey, Surrey, and now in the V & A museum.

Pavement within the sanctuary.   

 

         Choir pavement

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[1] J. G. Lonsdale, Recollections of work done in and upon Lichfield Cathedral from 1856—1894 (Lichfield 1895), 19.

[2] A. B. Clifton, The Cathedral church of Lichfield. (London: 1900), 89.