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Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral is one of the most famous landmarks in Staffordshire and is famous amongst fans of medieval architecture as being the only cathedral in England from the period that is topped with three spires. It is the seat of the Lord Bishop of Lichfield, the 98th of whom is the Right Reverand Jonathan Gledhill who oversees the diocese of Lichfield which encompasses Staffordshire and some of Shropshire and the West Midlands.
Lichfield cathedral is primarily built from sandstone that all came from a local Lichfield quarry situated to the south of the sites location. The walls of the cathedral all bow slightly and lean outwards, this is a natural phenomenon due to the huge weight of stone used in the construction of the buildings ceiling. In fact over 200 tons of material recently had to be removed from the roof of Lichfield cathedral to prevent any further expansion of the walls.
The cathedral was built and dedicated to both St Mary and St Chad. It suffered greatly during the Civil War when many of the stained glass windows were smashed and the building damaged. This was a particular travesty as the windows of certain parts of Lichfield cathedral contain some excellent examples of Flemish painted glass that date from the mid 1500's. There are also a number of windows created by Betton and Evans in 1819 and some more created during the 19th century by Charles Eamer Kempe.
The remaining manuscript of the Lichfield Gospels is only display in the Chapter House of Lichfield cathedral from Easter to Christmas each year, it dates from around about 730 and is the gospels of Matthew and Mark along with the earlier parts of Luke written in Latin. There were originally a pair of volumes but one was lost during the Civil War.
Lichfield cathedral is also famous for containing the tomb of Michael Johnson, father of Samuel Johnson. It is contains one of the most complete Close' in the country and the medieval courtyard that was once used for the choir is in near perfect condition.
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