Phases I and II of the East End Project, comprising the restoration of the North and South Choir Clerestories’ stonework, and the restoration of Lady Chapel stonework which supports the Herkenrode Windows, were completed on time and within budget. This work was vital in order to save the East End of the Cathedral from collapse and the standard of workmanship is outstanding.  This work included the repair and strengthening of the North and South Choir Aisles, and replacement of external stonework in the Lady Chapel.  The Herkenrode glass itself was removed to safe storage and clear glass installed in its place: this glass will remain as a protective layer when the Herkenrode glass is reinstated in 2015 following conservation.

Work to the external stonework included the creation of new carvings to replace gargoyles too damaged to be resored.  These carvings are actually grotesques rather than gargoyles as they no longer channel water.  The expert masons who created them did so with great skill and artistry, as the photographs on this page clearly show!

All photographs (c) Chris Lockwood. Lichfield Camera Club. David Keith Jones. James Harper.

The Herkenrode Glass is now being painstakingly conserved at Barley Studios in York.  This is a long and detailed process and will include:

• The removal of disfiguring strap lead repairs dating from 1945
• The removal of earlier mending leads inserted through important features such as the faces of figures
• The removal of ‘spiders web’ lead repairs
• The cleaning of the internal and external surfaces of the glass, removing dust, cobwebs, soot and other built up grime
• The removal, by surgical scalpel and microscope, of the old lead calme weatherproofing cement from the painted surface of the glass
• The restoration of lost painted detail by cold-painting onto the unpainted reverse surface of the glass.

As you can see from the images on this page, the conservation process has made a startling difference to those panels already completed.  Particularly striking is the difference made to the image of the face of Christ (below) now that earlier lead mending strips have been removed.  Careful cleaning has also allowed the wonderful colours of the painted glass to be revealed once more.

Once the work on all the glass is completed, it will be re-installed in the Lady Chapel Windows, in new tungsten brass frames and behind the isothermal glazing which will serve the weather-proofing purpose the Herkenrode Glass itself once performed, thus protecting the Herkenrode Glass from all moisture, and thus any future decay.

Thanks to the generosity of our congregation, the visiting public, individual private donors and various grant-making trusts and foundations in the West Midlands and around the country, we have raised over £3.3m of the total £3.7m cost. Without the rest of the money, however, the future of work on the Herkenrode Glass will be in serious jeopardy.

We still have the target to raise around £400,000 to complete the project and guarantee the future of one of the world’s greatest artistic treasures and one of the Cathedral’s greatest spiritual icons. Please help us to win the Race to Save the East End of Lichfield Cathedral. 

How to help:

Via the Cathedral’s JustGiving page.  Please visit our JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/eastendappeal.  JustGiving is a simple and secure way to donate online.

By Post.  Please send cheques, payable to Lichfield Cathedral, to the Fundraising Officer, The Chapter Office, 19a The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD.  Please do not send cash through the post.  Please write 'East End Appeal' on the reverse of your cheque.

Standing Orders.  Please contact the Fundraising Officer on 01543 306106 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to request the relevant forms.

If you would like to discuss making a substantial donation, please contact Patricia Collins, Director of Fundraising, on 01543 306245 (direct line), e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For a minimum donation of £100.00 you can support the habitat of our new grotesques and 'Adopt a Gargoyle'.  You will receive an 'adoption certificate' and this would make a fun and unusual present for a birthday or Christmas.  Please contact the Fundraising Team via This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone 01543 306106 for more information.

Don't forget that Gift Aid adds 25% to your donation at no extra cost to you!

We are delighted to have raised nearly 90% of the money we need towards the InSpires East End Appeal.  Whilst there is still work to do to raise the remaining balance, Chapter would like to thank all the trusts, foundation and individuals who have contributed so far.

Major donors include: AllChurches Trust, Edward Cadbury Trust, William Cadbury Trust, The Clarke Family Trust, Foster Gough Lodge, Freemason's Grand Charity,  the Friends of Lichfield Cathedral, Gapper Trust, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester Charitable Settlement, Grimmitt Trust, The Headley Trust, Leigh Lodge Centenary Fund, Owen Family Trust, Prince's Charities Foundation, Staffordshire Environmental Fund, Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust, Stafford Masonic Charitable Association, the Wolfson Foundation and the Workman Charitable Trust.

We are also grateful to the many groups and individuals who have given so generously of their time, efforts and money to help the East End Appeal.  There are far too many people and events to list here but they include:

• The Psalmathon - 24 hours, five performing groups and a lot of stamina...  That's what it took when all the Lichfield Cathedral music community came together to sing all 150 psalms in one day. The event took place on February 4th and 5th 2011 and raised over £9,000.  All of the choirs associated with the Cathedral participated, singing their way through the psalter in as many musical guises as possible – from the beauty and simplicity of plainchant, through Anglican chant, to responsorial psalmody and hymn paraphrases from the seventeenth to the twenty-first century!
• A marvellous collaboration with the Lichfield Garrick Theatre to celebrate HM The Queen's Diamond Jubilee at a 'prom' concert attended by over 1000 people.
• Hundreds of Girl Guides spent the night in the Cathedral in our 'Big Sleepover' events.
• A dedicated team of volunteers held a series of tea parties, including a St Andrew's Day themed party and a Jubilee Tea Party, complete with 'posh frocks and hats!'.  And in further food-related fundraising news, over £10,000 was raised by members of the worshipping community and their guests at dinner parties as part of an initiative we called 'Eating With A Purpose'.
• Local schoolchildren participated in a creative writing competion and also came up with imaginative names for our new gargoyles.
• Margaret Davies, a volunteer guide and member of the congregation, has so far raised over £5,000 from the sale of her book, 'Danny's Exciting Adventures in Lichfield Cathedral'.
• A group of volunteers and staff undertook a sponsored static cycle ride tracing the footsteps of our Patron Saint, St Chad, from Lindisfarne to Lichfield via Walsingham.