Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal SeeClifton, A. B.
History
Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Lichfield: A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Espicopal See
Clifton, A. B.
Lichfield Cathedral
No doubt the early part of the fifteenth century was the period when the
cathedral was most glorious within and without. Fuller, in his "Church
History," published in 1655, from which quotation has already been made,
after giving an account of the building of the cathedral, says: "But now
in the time of the aforesaid William Heyworth, the Cathedral of Litchfield
was in the verticall height thereof, being (though not augmented in the
essentials) beautified in the ornamentals thereof. Indeed, the West front
thereof is a stately Fabrick, adorned with exquisite imagerie, which I
suspect our age is so far from being able to imitate the workmanship
that it understandeth not the Historie thereof. Surely what Charles
the Fifth is said to have said of the citie of Florence, that it is a
pittie it should be seen save only on Holy-dayes; as also that it was
fit that so fair a Citie should have a Case and Cover for it to keep it
from wind and weather, so in some sort, this Fabrick may seem to deserve
a shelter to secure it. But alas! it is now in a pittiful case--indeed,
almost beaten down to the ground in our civil dissensions. Now, lest the
Church should follow the Castle--I mean quite vanish out of view--I have,
at the cost of my worthy friend here exemplified the Portraiture thereof;
and am glad to hear it to be the design of ingenious persons to preserve
ancient churches in the like nature (whereof many are done in this,
and more expected in the next part of Monasticon), seeing when their
substance is gone, their verie shadows will be acceptable to posteritie."
In the fifteenth century a library was built outside the door of the
north transept, but a little to the west; it was quite separate from the
cathedral. This was one of the gifts of Dean Heywood (1457-1493). It is
recorded that he gave £40 towards the building of it, but died before
it was completed, and this was done by his successor, Dean Yotton,
who also contributed to its erection. According to the statement in
"_Anglia Sacra_" it was finished in the year 1500. It is marked in the
plan of Browne Willis, 1727, and was taken down about 1750.
Some time in this century saw a change in the tracery of many of the
windows. It may be that the introduction of printing was responsible
for this change, and that the greater amount of light admitted by the
windows of the Perpendicular style made their insertion advisable; or
it may be that the tracery of windows being naturally fragile, in many
cases a renewal became necessary, and the new Gothic style was naturally
considered the best. Whatever the reason, the new Perpendicular tracery
was inserted in many of the windows just as it was in a large number
of cathedrals and churches all over England.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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