Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Chad, is a Grade I Church of England cathedral on The Close, Lichfield, seat of the Bishop of Lichfield. It is the only medieval English cathedral with three spires.
- Location
- Lichfield, Staffordshire
- Country
- England
- County
- Staffordshire
- City / town
- Lichfield
- Address
- The Close, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7LD
- Postcode
- WS13 7LD
- Built
- Present Gothic cathedral c.1195–1330; earlier Anglo-Saxon cathedrals on the site
- Architect
- Medieval master masons including Thomas the Elder, Thomas Waleys and William Franceys; 19th-century restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott
- Denomination
- Church of England
- Dedication
- Mary and Chad
- Diocese
- Lichfield
- Parish
- Lichfield Cathedral
- Grade
- I
- Style
- Gothic (Early English and Decorated)
- Materials
- Red sandstone
- Grid reference
- SK 115 097
- Opening hours
- We are free to enter, however donations are encouraged. Open Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 6.15pm and Sunday 12.30pm to 5pm.
- Access
- Non-accessible toilets in church. Level access to the main areas. Accessible toilets nearby. Accessible toilets in church
Overview
Historic England lists the cathedral (1298431). A Mercian see was created in 656; a cathedral was consecrated on this site about 700 to house the relics of St Chad. The present Gothic church was built from the late twelfth century to about 1330: Early English choir, transepts and chapter house, then a Decorated nave and the Lady Chapel begun under Bishop Langton around 1315, possibly by William Franceys. The fabric is red sandstone. The three spires (the central about 77 metres) give the familiar three ladies of the vale skyline.
The Close was besieged three times in the Civil War; the church lost its medieval glass and many monuments. Nineteenth-century restoration was led by Sir George Gilbert Scott, with earlier work by James Wyatt and Joseph Potter. The cathedral remains free to enter. It is the mother church of the Diocese of Lichfield.