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| A
view of the Presbytery at Lichfield Cathedral |
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The
City of Lichfield in Staffordshire boasts one of the finest medieval
cathedrals in England.
We took our 360° panoramic into the Cathedral to take some very
special shots indeed... |
Lichfield lies in the county of Staffordshire and boasts a splendid medieval
cathedral. 1300 years ago, Lichfield stood at the centre of what was then
the Kingdom of Mercia.
A Brief History of the Cathedral
When Chad was made Bishop of Mercia in 669 he moved the focus of his diocese
from Repton to Lichfield. When Chad died in 672, pilgrims began to come
to his shrine and, eventually, a new church was built to house his bones.
Starting in 1085 and continuing through the twelfth century this church
was replaced by a Norman Cathedral, and this in turn by a Gothic Cathedral
that was begun in 1195.
The Cathedral was expanded by the addition of a Lady Chapel, and there were
perhaps as many as twenty altars around the Cathedral by 1500.
All this
changed at the reformation, and the Cathedral was severely damaged during
the Civil War being under siege three times. The roof was holed and the
central spire destroyed by cannon fire. Parliamentary forces also defaced
and destroyed many of the original features of the Cathedral.
In 1660 the
restoration of Charles II to the throne brought new hope for the Cathedral.
Bishop Hacket was charged with the responsibility for the restoration
of the Cathedral. James Wyatt continued the restoration work in eighteenth
century and made substantial changes to the structure to prevent collapse.
However, it was Sir George Gilbert Scott, Cathedral Architect from 1855-1878,
who was most responsible for its successful restoration to its Medieval
origins.
Today, Lichfield
Cathedral still stands at the heart of the Diocese and is a focus for the
regular worship of God.
Did you know...
Legend has it that a thousand Christians were martyred in Lichfield around
AD 300, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diolectian, and that the name
'Lichfield' actually means 'field or place of the dead'.
In the eighteenth century, James Wyatt removed some 500 tons of stone from
the vaulting to prevent the walls from collapsing!
Apparently, the Cathedral's walls still lean outwards because of the sheer
weight of stone in the roof space.
360° Panoramic shots of Lichfield Cathedral
View from above the South
Door
View from above the South Door in Lichfield Cathedral
View from the floor of
the Crossing Screen
This is pretty much in the middle of the Cathedral and offers a great view
of the incredible space within the structure.
View from the Presbytery
The Presbytery, with its high altar and the Bishop's throne, can be seen
from this excellent view of the Cathedral interior
View from the Choir
This interior shot of the Cathedral takes in the Choir, with the Presbytery
in the background
View from the Nave
The view from the Nave offers an excellent opportunity to get a feel of
just how big the interior of the Cathedral is.
View from the site of Saint
Chad's shrine
Saint Chad's Shrine is positioned just beyond the Presbytery
View of the Lady Chapel
The Lady Chapel was begun in the time of Walter de Langton, who was the
Bishop from 1296 to 1321. It was completed in 1330.
View from Saint Chad's
Head Chapel
To the south of the Choir is Saint Chad's Head Chapel. The skull and an
arm bone of Saint Chad were kept in a casket here and shown to pilgrims
below.
View from the Vestible
The Vestible is situated to the left hand side of the Choir.
External view of the Cathedral
A warm sunny day reveals the splendour of the Cathedral's medieval architecture
on the West Face.
View from the centre spire
(1)
A winding spiral staircase takes you all the way up to the central spire
of Lichfield Cathedral. It's quite a climb but the view is certainly worth
it - it takes in the view northwards towards Stafford.
View from the centre spire
(2)
This view from the spire looks eastwards towards Tamworth.
View from the centre spire
(3)
This view is looking southwards towards Birmingham. You can see the city
of Lichfield directly below the Cathedral.
View from the centre spire
(4)
This takes in the west view from the Cathedral spire towards Cannock. You
can also see the magnificent twin spires at the front of the Cathedral.
View from inside the centre
spire
Many people wouldn't believe that the centre spire is hollow. Sadly, this
shot is a bit dark but you can certainly get an impression of the space
inside the spire.
View from the rooftop
(1)
View from the roof above the Lady Chapel.
View from the rooftop
(2)
Northward view from the roof.
View from the rooftop
(3)
Southward view from the roof, overlooking the town centre of Lichfield.
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