Work to repair long-standing spire to be seen by public

A series of demonstrations will be taking place to show the work taking place to repair a damaged spire at Lichfield Cathedral.

The main spire looks more like a pagoda as it is covered in scaffolding for the start of a major refurbishment project.

The cathedral is currently undertaking significant restoration works to the badly damaged central spire thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

From Monday, September 11 until Saturday, September 16, Lichfield Cathedral will be hosting free stonework demonstrations outside the Cathedral for anyone to attend.

With the scaffolding now in place, a team of expert craftspeople are working to repair and restore stonework on Lichfield Cathedral’s iconic central spire.

The demonstrations are a unique opportunity to see the skill and tools of modern stonemasons, learn what has changed over the centuries, and what has remained of the ancient craftmanship.

Between 10am and 3pm, visitors will be able to see up close the work being done to restore the central spire of Lichfield Cathedral, while stonemasons demonstrate their work at ground level.

The demonstration will show how the stonework is repaired and replaced at the cathedral

An area will be set aside for the week for public to view the stonemasons at work, examine details of the Cathedral that are usually too high up to see, see the tools that are used to shape the stones, and to ask questions about the valuable work they do.

Kayley Harrison, Clerk of Works at Lichfield Cathedral said: “The work on the central spire not only secures this local landmark for centuries to come but also allows us to highlight the skilled work of the craftspeople that have put their life and soul into the Cathedral across the centuries.

"We are pleased to offer these demonstrations for free to the public to give visitors an insight into the work happening behind the scaffolding currently covering the central spire.”

The restoration of the central spire at Lichfield Cathedral is made possible thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the generous contributions from donors, individuals, and organisations and to the players of the National Lottery.

In addition to the grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, significant funds have also been pledged by the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Wolfson Foundation, HS2 Community and Environment Fund, and the Headley Trust, along with many other grants and donations generously contributed by hundreds of donors.