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.

 

Six difficulties understanding the cathedral and linked posts

1.     After the Civil War bombardment of 1646, the cathedral was wrecked. The Parliamentary army had looted and defaced the interior. Only the frame with some roofing was left. Cromwell passed an Order for the cathedral to be demolished though it was never enacted. Consequently, not much of the original cathedral remains. See the post, ‘Civil War damage and restoration.’ Furthermore, it has been said, ‘documents are rare and tradition is vague.’[1] The external library, a brick building north of the nave, containing the records and muniments of the cathedral was destroyed.^[2] Most likely the lost records included fabric accounts for when and how the current cathedral was constructed so any dating is problematic. The only existing records concern licenses to obtain timber and stone. See the posts, ‘Dating the cathedral’ and ‘Old Library.’    AI gen. Old library imagined after 1646 bombardment,

2.     Building the cathedral lasted around 110–140 years. At least 3 kings,[3] 12 bishops, several master-masons, many skilled masons and numerous stone workers were involved and each one would have had some influence on the way the cathedral was built. Ways of construction therefore varied with time. See the posts, ‘South transept’ and ‘North transept’ for a great mixture of styles and multiple phases of construction. There never was an initial grand plan, see the post, ‘Building a cathedral’. As with all Gothic cathedrals the process was incremental or piecemeal construction, with the building being strung out over a long period in which there were fluctuating resources[4]. This did not inhibit invention, for there were times when master masons seemed to enjoy subverting the designs of their predecessors, sacrificing consistency for variety. Master masons, presumably with support of their patrons, were prepared to take bold and imaginative decisions and sometimes it led to dramatic failures. The addition of a heavy roof on the nave and its subsequent replacement in 1788 was one example. Why has the cathedral a crook in alignment of 2^o? Why the north presbytery aisle has a deviating wall and why at the west end is a double-chevron decoration unlike anywhere else? Why are there two small passages in the west front? Why are the two transepts different in width? Why are the north and south nave aisles so different? There are more examples that could be cited. See the posts, ‘Eight Myths’, ‘East-west alignment,’ and ‘Nave’.

  Kink in the north presbytery wall.

                                                   

                          

                                                                   Odd double chevron ornamentation in the north choir aisle archway

3.     There were three major occasions of great alteration to the cathedral. Post-Civil War rebuilding, James Wyatt’s idiosyncratic restoration, see the post, ‘James Wyatt's restoration, 1787-92’, and George Gilbert Scott’s Victorian Gothic revival, see the post, ‘Victorian revival’. In between there were smaller re-orderings and repairs of parts of the cathedral. So much re-building has occurred that essentially the standing cathedral is now Victorian Revival Gothic, see the post, ‘Gothic cathedral.’

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4.      Those who have boldly interpreted the architectural styles have sometimes over-concluded using flimsy evidence. For example, the discovery of a socketed stone near the grave of Chad does not indicate a four-posted canopy over the grave. See the post, ‘Understanding Chad’s grave site’.  A foundation wall across the inside of the west nave wall from column to column does not constitute an early front to the cathedral. See the post, ‘King Richard II liked Lichfield.’  A shaft capital in the northeast corner of the south transept showing an Early English abacus below a Perpendicular abacus either suggests a change in style from wall to roof or perhaps a change of roof from timber to stone or simply repair in a later time. See the post, ‘South transept.’ Early moulding profiles and mason’s marks in the lower west front are not convincing for an earlier Romanesque west front. See the post, ‘West front including the ‘singing windows’’.

Double abacus in south transept

Interpreters of the architectural style have placed emphasis on comparisons with other cathedrals. Indeed, the second cathedral has erroneously been seen to be Norman, because of the extensive cathedral building undertaken early in the Norman era, see the post, ‘Second cathedral is Early Medieval.’ The second cathedral appears to resemble Brixworth church. Other authors have drawn inspiration from the east ends of Peterborough, Norwich, Gloucester and Jumiéges. The east end chapel has been likened to Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, see the post, ‘Lady Chapel and Sainte-Chapelle’ The west front has a resemblance to Wells and Salisbury cathedrals, see the posts, 'Lichfield, Wells and Salisbury cathedrals are post-Norman.' and ‘West front including the 'singing windows'. Willis linked the timing of construction with that at York Minster.[5] There are many more examples, all interesting but do not account for the independent thinking of those who built the cathedral.

5.     Knowing the history of a building is not the same as knowing how the building was used. The cathedral is a sacred site and worship, a top pilgrimage location, and the foibles of bishops and deans and vagaries of church fashion have all influenced its shape. Visitors ask questions like how old is it, who are those statues on the front, where does the organist sit, but rarely ask why did Chad come to Lichfield, what started pilgrimage how did the medievalists use the church? See the series of posts on the Pre-Reformation church: Mass, Baptism, Penitence, Burial and Death. Also, the posts on, ‘Pilgrimage defines the cathedral’ and ‘Washing feet.’ Bishop Wilfrid of Ripon was instrumental in building the first cathedral and shrine tower and he is rarely mentioned. See the posts, ‘Wilfrid, creator of the first cathedral.’

6.     The cathedral has yet to employ innovative technological advances which can open an entirely new understanding of the cathedral. A carbon-dating of the heavily mortared foundation to the second cathedral would have many implications. A deep-penetrating radar scan of the transepts and nave would possibly reveal more of the early churches as well as how the current cathedral was built. The age of roof timbers is little known and dendrochronological analysis would show much more. Archaeology on the south side of the cathedral should reveal much more of the early settlement the bishops came to administer. Similarly, the mounds in the garden of the cathedral school would with excavation reveal more of the first bishop’s palace. See the post, ‘Bishop Langton’s Palace.’ A database of the mason’s marks is incomplete and would show affinities with other Mercian cathedrals. The Chad’s gospels are still waiting for a full analysis like that given to the Lindisfarne Gospels, see the post, ‘St Chad’s Gospels.’ The frescoes can now be carbon dated using their lead white ingredient. See the post, ‘Two frescoes in the south aisle.’ A mineral examination of some of the stonework will point to its origin and perhaps date of quarrying. This would illuminate the reason for three storeys in the central tower and could explain the difference between the two front towers. See the post, ‘Crossing tower.’

It is disappointing there is no plan to know more of the history of the building. Other cathedrals have projects to uncover their history.

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[1] J. Hewitt, Handbook of Lichfield Cathedral, (Lichfield: 1882), 2.

[2] W. Dugdale, A short view of the late troubles in England. (Oxford: 1681), 559. The Chapter Act books do not begin until the early 14th century and contain little information concerning the fabric.

[3] Henry III, Edward I through Bishop Langton is treasurer and Richard II.

[4] R. Stalley, ‘Innovation in English Gothic Architecture: Risks, Impediments, and Opportunities.’ In British Art Studies Issue 6, Invention and Imagination in British Art and Architecture, 600–1500. Eds. J. Berenbeim and S. Heslop. (London: 2017)

[5] R. Willis, ‘On foundations of early buildings recently discovered in Lichfield Cathedral’. The Archaeological Journal, (1861), 18, 1–24.