25 August until 27 September 2012 - free admission

Lichfield Cathedral captured as never before…

During a twelve month period, a talented group of volunteer photographers, took on the mammoth task of capturing the essence of Lichfield Cathedral – the people, the worship, the events and the medieval building itself. The results will be revealed in a forthcoming ArtReach exhibition in Lichfield Cathedral, with photo sale profits going towards the East End Appeal.

Lichfield Camera Club began the ambitious the project in April last year and the services and events included preparations for a live BBC Christmas Morning broadcast, the 5am Easter Vigil, a visit by Her Majesty The Queen, a live recording of BBC Radio Four’s Any Questions? and St. Chad’s Day. The club also took the time to capture cathedral clergy, volunteers, staff and visitors, and as they spent more and more time with the community, really getting under the skin of cathedral life.

The project has culminated in a permanent record of cathedral history with 3,646 images being produced.

David Wain, Lichfield Camera Club said of the project:

The club was honoured and delighted to accept this task from the Dean of Lichfield. It proved to be a challenging subject that put us all on a sharp learning curve. It was, however, a joy and privilege to have access to the iconic place and we hope that the images provided can be put to good use by the cathedral office.

The Exhibition
A small selection of the breath-taking images will be on display as a cathedral ArtReach exhibition from Saturday 25 August until Thursday 27 September and will give visitors from all over the country a unique insight into the vast and varied activity of the busy medieval cathedral. The exhibition is open during cathedral opening hours in the South Transept and entry is free – donations are encouraged.

The Chapter would like to offer it’s thanks to Lichfield Camera Club for their hard work and dedication to the project, with thousands of hours given by this group of talented volunteers.

The Very Revd Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield said of the initiative:

The cathedral’s life is complicated, fascinating and incredibly varied. We’re as keen to offer a young child its first delighted glimpse of the Christmas Crib as we are greeting Her Majesty with all ceremony and loyalty when she welcomed home an Army Regiment from active service in Afghanistan.

The cathedral is a place of prayer and pilgrimage, musical performance and community event. It’s a place of sanctuary when life is tough and you need to pray and light a candle. It’s a place of discovery and celebration when you want to think new thoughts, cast light on old convictions, and sing out your thanksgiving for existence itself. In thousands of beautiful images, Lichfield Camera Cub has sifted through to the heart of what the cathedral is about. It’s a great achievement and I am delighted at what has been done.

Photograph sales in aid of the East End Appeal
All photographs displayed in the cathedral will be for sale and profits from the sales of the images will go towards the East End Appeal. Please note images will not be available for collection to purchasers until the end of the exhibition on September 28.

If you would like to find out more about Lichfield Camera Club please call the Chairman (Grace Mason) on 01543 473517 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Lichfield Camera Club is a thriving club (presently with about 75 members) with a comprehensive programme of meetings including guest speakers, internal quarterly competitions, external inter-club competitions, and exhibitions. Newcomers are welcomed to the club and will be given every assistance to improve their photographic work.

To join the club visit www.lichfieldcameraclub.org to download a membership form. Just complete the form and bring it along to a meeting.  Meetings take place at 19:30 on Wednesdays.

For more information about Lichfield Cathedral’s East End Appeal www.lichfield-cathedral.org/East-End-Appeal or donate on-line www.justgiving.com/eastendappeal