Lichfield Cathedral to get £100,000 for repairs
Lichfield Cathedral has been named as one of six in England to receive a grant towards the cost of urgent masonry repairs.
Lichfield Cathedral has been named as one of six in England to receive a grant towards the cost of urgent masonry repairs.
The Staffordshire landmark will receive £100,000 from the Cathedral Fabric Repair Fund, a joint cash stream run by the Wolfson Foundation and Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.
The money will go towards stonework repairs of the Cathedral Lady Chapel as well as the conservation of the 16th century windows, the Herkenrode Glass.
The Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield, said: "The cathedral is extremely grateful for the support from the Wolfson Foundation and CFCE and very pleased that Lichfield Cathedral has been recognised, despite the continued financial challenges all cathedrals are currently facing.
"The grant could not have come at a better time as we have just said farewell to the Herkenrode Glass from the Lady Chapel, as it begins a five-year journey to full restoration. It is now that the hard work really begins as we urgently need to raise the balance of £980,000 from other friends and partners to complete the East End restoration.
"We hope therefore, with the help of the Wolfson Foundation to continue to preserve the beauty and history of this architectural treasure and enable visitors and the local community to worship here for generations to come."
The 16th century Herkenrode windows are one of the cathedral's greatest treasures and are hailed as a brilliant example of Renaissance stained glass.
Deterioration over the last 200 years has made it difficult to view the scenes within the windows.
It was decided restoration could no longer be delayed after experts identified an urgent need to conserve both the glass and the Lady Chapel stonework.
The cathedral was one of six recipients in the UK out of 18 applicants. Other successful cathedral applications came from Lincoln, Durham, Ely, Rochester and York. In total, the repair fund has offered grants of more that £500,000 to the six cathedrals.
By Harry Gottschalk
