In 1285 the nave was rebuilt and then the Lady Chapel, completed in 1330, was built to contain the shrine of St Chad. Today it contains the 16th century Herckenrode glass.
During the English Civil War in the 1640's the destruction was intense as the Cathedral was at the centre of some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
At the end of three bitter sieges the church had been devastated by war damage, troop garrisons, and vandalism. After the Restoration of Charles II, Bishop Hacket and his prebendaries began a long process of restoring the Cathedral to its former glory.
Although the 18th century was a Golden Age for the city of Lichfield, it was a period of decay for the Cathedral. The 15th century library, on the north side of the nave, was pulled down and the books moved to their present location above the Chapter House.
Most of the statues on the West Front were removed and the stonework covered with Roman cement. At the end of the century James Wyatt organised some major structural work, removing the High Alter to make one worship area of Choir and Lady Chapel and adding a massive stone screen at the entrance to the Choir.
In the early years of the 19th century the Cathedral acquired two of its most famous treasures. In 1803 Sir Brooke Boothby bought the magnificent Flemish stained glass from Herckenrode Abbey which was placed in the windows of the Lady Chapel. Then in 1820 at the request of Ellen Jane Robinson, Francis Chantry sculpted his monument to her dead daughters known as 'The Sleeping Children'.
It was only 60 years after Wyatt's work that Sir Gilbert Scott was commissioned to undertake his own programme of restoration. This was carried out with great sensitivity, working with original materials where possible and creating fine new imitations and additions when the originals were not available. Wyatt's choir-screen had utilised medieval stone-work which Scott in turn used to create the clergy's seats in the sanctuary. The new metal screen by Francis Skidmore and John Birnie Philip to designs by Scott himself is a triumph of High Victorian art, as are the fine Minton tiles in the choir, inspired by the medieval ones found in the Choir foundations and still seen in the Library.
Fresh restoration work continued throughout the 20th century. In 1957 extensive work was carried out on the roofing and spires, a process which began again in 1987 with a ten year programme of repair and cleaning. Facilities for visitors in the Close have been improved by a Visitors' Study Centre, a tea room and a bookshop. Today concerts and major artistic events are often held in the Cathedral, especially in July when the annual International Lichfield Festival is held. Visitors for twelve hundred years have been coming to the Cathedral and visitors will continue to be attracted.
You can visit the Lichfield Cathedral website.
