Lichfield Cathedral

Saturday 16th October 2010

Join us for an extraordinary
chance to see the Cathedral story
played out from St. Chad himself,
to a fantastic medieval scene and
onwards to Queen Elizabeth 1st,
the English Civil War, Georgians
and Victorians all in spectacular
costume.

Tickets - £12.50 (Concessions - £10.00)

The event will take place from
2pm—4pm and again at
6.45pm—10pm, with each group
leaving at 15 minute intervals.
To book your place visit the
Cathedral Book Shop at No. 9, The
Close or call 01543 306150.

(Credit Cards Welcome)

Tutbury Castle are partnering the

Cathedral for this event.

Gift your dormant jewellery to save the Herkenrode Windows of Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield Cathedral is issuing a unique invitation to the women of the West Midlands (and beyond) to help save its spectacular Lady Chapel windows.

These wonderful renaissance glass works were originally installed in the Flemish Abbey of Herkenrode and were brought to Lichfield in 1802. The glass constitutes one of the most important treasures in the whole of Europe.

On Saturday 11th September 2010 the Cathedral invites women of all ages (and their families) to come to Lichfield and donate pieces of jewellery that they no longer use or wear. It might be jewellery from a previous relationship or an item inherited or passed from a relative or friend. The day is a celebration of womanhood: the opportunity to give away a special treasure and be part of an act of worship and period of reflection on memories, love, relationships and life's experience.

The gifts of jewellery will help fund the urgent conservation and repair of the Lady Chapel windows. Truly this will be treasure exchanged for the long term security of a remarkable treasure.

On Saturday the 19th of June at 7:30pm the Darwin Ensemble Chamber Orchestra will perform a beautiful concert of music for strings by English composers. This concert promises to be very special as DECO are joined by Birmingham's award winning Boult Quartet for Elgar's Introduction and Allegro. A perfect evening's music to follow a summer day.

Holst: St Pauls Suite

Elgar: Introduction and Allegro (with the Boult String Quartet)

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis

Britten: Simple Symphony

On the 2nd of October at 7:30 the Darwin Ensemble Chamber Orchestra will perform a second concert featuring Haydn's Cello Concerto and Schubert's Unfinished Symphony.

Tickets for both events

Reserved - £15 (adults); £12 (concessions); £5 (children)

Unreserved - £12 (adults); £11 (concessions); £4 (children)

Available form:

Darwin Ensemble Chamber Orchestra

20c The Close, Lichfield, WS13 7LD

Tel: 01543 258303

E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Also availabvle from:

The Cathedral Bookshop Tel: 01543 306150

or E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

All concerts are free to attend and a retiring collection will be taken.

Each concert starts at 1:10pm and lasts for 40minutes.

31 May                        Start time 12:10pm

Free Lunchtime Concert – Paul Carr

A chance to hear the organist of St Paul’s, Birmingham, put the cathedral’s magnificent Hill organ through its paces.

21 July                        Free Lunchtime Concert – Alexander Dance

A piano recital, featuring music by Gershwin, Beethoven, Bach and Debussy

28 July                        Free Lunchtime Concert – Nigel Argust

A chance to hear the cathedral’s Honorary Assistant Organist show off the cathedral’s magnificent Hill organ.

18 August                   Free Lunchtime Concert – Paul Derrett

Another chance to hear the cathedral’s magnificent Hill organ, in music by Bach, Reger and Dupré, played by concert organist Paul Derrett.

4 August                     Free Lunchtime Concert – Ailsa Cochrane

A chance to hear this mezzo-soprano in concert, accompanied by Ben Lamb. Including songs by Shostakovich.      

11 August                   Free Lunchtime Concert - Jambrass

The young brass quartet from the Royal Northern College of Music perform a free lunchtime recital in the Cathedral.

25 August                   Free Lunchtime Concert - Clare Graves

                                    The talented flautist performs music by Poulenc and Bach.

30 August                   Free Lunchtime Concert - Philip White-Jones

The Assistant Director of Music, Southwell Minster, puts the cathedral’s magnificent Hill organ through its paces in a special Bank Holiday programme.

1 September              Free Lunchtime Concert - Peter Litman

A chance to hear the cathedral’s wonderful organ in the hands of the Organist of St Peter’s Collegiate Church, Ruthin. Music by Bach, Franck, Vierne and Reger.

8 September              Free Lunchtime Concert - Robert Webb, Helen Johnson

Finzi’s hauntingly beautiful settings of Hardy, Earth, Air and Rain, are complemented by songs and piano solos by Ravel.

15 September            Free Lunchtime Concert - Shrewsbury School

                                    A chance to hear these talented young musicians in concert.

29 September            Free Lunchtime Concert - Joel Newsome

A trumpet recital, including music by Handel and Neruda, given by this talented student at the Royal College of Music, London.

6 October                   Free Lunchtime Concert - Encore Choir

Lichfield Cathedral School’s award-winning choir, in a selection of songs from the shows, bring the curtain down on this year’s lunchtime recitals.

For further information please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call

01543 306100

We're delighted to announce that the Cathedral's What's On guide is now available. It lists all events taking place in the Cathedral from April to October 2010.

• Download the What's On guide »

You may be interested in these highlights:

• 8 May, 7.30pm: Lichfield Cathedral Special Choir Brahms Requiem
• 29 May, 7.30pm: Stephen Hough – International Concert Pianist
• 8 July–18 July: Lichfield Festival
• 17 July, noon: The Lichfield Dash
• 16 October: Pilgrimage through time
• Public Tours: see our What's On pages.
  (Pre-booking is recommended as tours are subject to cancellation if minimum numbers are not achieved.)

Lichfield Cathedral's Concert Series season begins on 27 April with a concert by Cathy Lamb, the Cathedral's own Assistant Organist at 7.30pm. Tickets for all concerts are £10 and available from the Cathedral book and gift shop.

Cathy with be performing her personal favourites, to include works by Bach, Handel and Liszt.

The series continues on 11 May at 7.30pm with Martin Baker, Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral. Martin will be performing The Improviser's Art, with works by Beethoven and Liszt.

Martin Baker studied at the Royal Northern College of Music Junior School, Chetham's School of Music and Downing College, Cambridge, then held positions at London's Westminster and St Paul's Cathedrals before being appointed to Westminster Abbey at the age of 24. As an organist, Martin is much in demand all over the world. Performing regularly in the UK, he has recently given concerts in France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, the USA, and Russia. He played with Jean Guillou in the première and subsequent performances of La Révolte des Orgues, a piece for nine organs and nine organists by Guillou. The winner of the St Alban's Improvisation Competition in 1997, improvisation features regularly in his recital programmes.

On 8 June at 7.30pm Philip Scriven, Organist and Master of Choristers at Lichfield Cathedral, will be performing ...and all that jazz...', including works by Bernstein, Gershwin and Planyavasky.

All tickets (£10) include CCTV and a glass of wine during the interval. Available from the Cathedral book and gift shop.

Come along to Lichfield Cathedral and let one of our experienced guides take you on a journey of discovery around this medieval Cathedral.

The public tours make a welcome to return to the Cathedral from April. Just turn up on the day at the Welcome Desk at the main entrance of the Cathedral. These tours are free of charge, although we welcome donations towards the upkeep of the building.

Tours last around 45 minutes and will usually take place at these times:

• Mondays to Fridays: 2.00pm
• Saturday: 12.30pm (starting 1 May 2010)
• Sundays: 1.30pm

We may have to suspend tours for some days, so to ensure a tour is running please check with the Welcomer at the main entrance or contact the Visitor Centre in advance. If you would like to arrange a specialised group tour, contact the Visitor Centre.

Lichfield Cathedral welcomes our Visiting Choirs during the 2010 school holidays

25 April - The Border Singers

23 June - King Edward VI High School, Lichfield

19 to 25 July - (TBC)

30 July to 1 August - Faversham Parish Church Choir

2 to 8 August - The Keble Choir

13 to 15 August - Wallingford Parish Church Choir

21 and 22 August - The Wheatsheaf Consort

28 and 29 August - St Teilo's Singers

23 and 24 October - Peterborough Chamber Choir

Click here for the most recent music list

All of the above information is correct at time of release however we always suggest you check before making a special trip.

The Dean of Lichfield Cathedral has welcomed a recommendation from the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts that cathedrals should receive direct funding from Government.

The recommendation, contained in the Committee's newly-published report on Promoting Participation with the Historic Environment, states: “English cathedrals represent some of our most important architectural heritage yet many of them charge the public for entry. These buildings are expensive to look after and the Department and English Heritage should work together to find ways to fund their conservation so that they can be less reliant on charging for entry, which could deter people from visiting.”

Work on the Herkenrode windows begins in earnest on Monday 20 July. In the first week, a fire-proof screen will be erected at the west end of the Lady Chapel, sealing off everything east of the ends of the quire aisles, from floor to ceiling. After Sunday 19 July it will not be possible to enter (or even see into) the Lady Chapel for a period of up to eighteen months. It will not be possible to use the Lady Chapel for worship during that time, and visitors will be unable to view (for example) the Selwyn Memorial.