The renowned Staffordshire theatre director Julia Stafford Northcote is back - with a production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.

The play is being staged to raise funds to restore the Herkenrode windows at Lichfield Cathedral. The opening night of the run, April 13, will be staged in the cathedral itself, with other performances at Bishton Hall near Stafford.

Ms Stafford Northcote had threatened to retire last year. In 2009, Julia Stafford Northcote decided to leave this area and to retire from the Staffordshire theatre scene. There were many who wished she would change her mind. Her last production, with her Lookout! theatre group, was of the famous Stephen Sondheim musical, Company, at Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, which it was thought was to be her swansong.

The list of services for Holy Week and Easter is now available on our music list pages. (We will be adding more details, and the music for each service, soon.)

People wishing to visit on Good Friday should please note that the Cathedral is only open for visitors outside service times, i.e.:

• Open from 08:30 until 11:30
• Closed from 11:30 until 15:15
• Open again from 15:15 until 18:00

Visitors are of course welcome to join in the services that take place from noon until 15:00

We have a vacancy for an Education and Outreach Officer.

In addition to offering PA support to the Canon Chancellor, the post-holder will be responsible for ensuring the administration of all visits, tours and educational and outreach events.

Ideally you should have experience as a PA, in organising events and working with schools, knowledge of health and safety and risk assessments, excellent communication and IT skills, and a passion for education and the mission of the church.

Hours: 35 per week
Salary: £17,154 pa

Closing Date for applications: 15th March 2010

Please download:

• Job Description
• Application Form
• Voluntary Disclosure Form

Or for further details please contact:

• email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
• telephone: 01543 306105

As part of the continuing programme of community Education and Outreach and in association with the Lichfield Centre for Christian Studies, we are holding a series of lunchtime lectures to enable a greater understanding, and opportunity to think about important issues for consideration as a General Election approaches.

The lectures will take place on Thursday lunchtimes from 1.00pm to 2.00pm, beginning on 18 February. They are free to attend.

The first in our series was held on 18 February by The Revd Peter Holliday (Chief Executive, St Giles Hospice), who examined the thought-provoking subject of Assisted Dying. The lecture was attended by over 70 people and there were lots of thoughtful questions raised and many people left with their perspective challenged.

Only a few tours left! The Cathedral's popular candlelit tours continue in March. This incredible experience includes a fully guided tour by expert leaders showing you around this historic place, with the opportunity to experience the Cathedral as medieval people saw it – by candlelight.

Canon Pete Wilcox, Chancellor of Lichfield Cathedral, said this about the tours:

For hundreds of years, at night time and in winter months, people were only able to see our extraordinary Cathedral by candlelight. A tour of this holy place is an inspiring experience under any circumstances. The atmosphere of a candlelit tour is never to be forgotten.

Tour dates:

• Wednesday 24th February
• Wednesday 3rd March
• Wednesday 10th March
• Friday 19th March
• Wednesday 24th March

An Angel, a Book and a CRock of Gold: The Staffordshire Hoard and the Kingdom of Mercia

A lecture to be given in Lichfield Cathedral on Saturday 6 March at 10.30am, by Dr Gareth Williams, Curator of Early Medieval Coinage at the British Museum.

The Staffordshire Hoard was found near Lichfield in July 2009, and has made headlines as the largest ever find of Anglo-Saxon gold. The exact date of the hoard is uncertain, but a late 7th-century date seems likely. This corresponds with the emergence of Mercia as one of the major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and the establishment of a bishopric at Lichfield, in the heart of the Mercian kingdom. Dr Gareth Williams considers what the hoard tells us about Anglo-Saxon society at the time, and how it fits in with other Anglo-Saxon treasures from the region such as the St Chad Gospels and the Lichfield Angel.

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.”

Chapter and The Dean of Lichfield, Adrian Dorber, held a film screening of The Race to Save the Herkenrode Glass on Saturday 24th October 2009 at 11.00am in Lichfield Cathedral.

The film was made by the BBC historian Michael Wood, and his wife Rebecca Dobbs, to highlight the importance of the conservation of the glass and stonework in the Cathedral.

The event was attended by over 250 people and included members of the congregation, previous visitors to the Cathedral, historians, glass and stone work enthusiasts. The Very Revd. Adrian Dorber, started the proceedings by introducing The Earl of Lichfield, who also took part in the film, Michael Wood then introduced the short film in which he traces the history and significance of the glass as well as the intricacies of the preservation processes for both the glass and masonry over the next five years. After the film Christine King, Vice Chancellor of Staffordshire University, gave a captivating speech on the glass and why we need to ensure we save the glass for the future. The Very Revd. Adrian Dorber ended the proceedings with a presentation of a carved piece of stonework to Michael as a thank you for the film.

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.

The Herkenrode Glass in Lichfield Cathedral

From the end of July 2009 the glorious East End of Lichfield Cathedral will be boarded up in preparation for the removal of the internationally important sixteenth century Herkenrode glass to renovation workshops, and the restoration of masonry which surrounds and supports it. The medieval pinnacles and buttresses are so weathered that the failure of any one buttress could lead to a catastrophic collapse of the wall and roof and the shattering of the glass. The work will take five years and cost an estimated £800,000 to complete.

We will keep you updated of our progress during the renovation but please be aware the Lady Chapel and the Herkenrode glass will be inaccessible.