Staffordshire 4 - Lichfield a cathedral with three spires, some flemish stained glass, Christmas trees, mince pies and that darned fog

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D Day minus 136 - Still not got Suzy back. A phone call to us on Friday told us that the leak had been found and had been sealed. Now it was only a matter of time for the joint to set and for us to be given the nod to pick her up. We waited Monday - nothing. Today nothing so gave up and went out for the day. You cannot sit at home all day doing nothing waiting for the postman to arrive with ordered presents and for the caravan people to ring up. It is meterological winter. It has felt it. No longer do we have the mild days with a slightly light coloured duck egg blue sky. We have cold. Frost overnight down to a low of - 5. Waking up to grey skies with the grass looking as if overnight someone has popped out and dipped each blade into icing sugar. Thick frost coats the car windscreens and covers every inch of pavement and road. We are living in a grey world. The wind is coming from the wrong direction and bringing in the highs and the cold. However , the good news was that it would not last . It did not last but was replaced by fog. Not your old fashioned pea- souper fed by smoke from the thousands of house chimneys which were coal fired. The smokeless fuel acts put a stop to those. Nor from the coal fired trains that ran on our railway network. This one was a wet nasty grey one where the air felt heavy.

The phone rings - Suzy is ready. The seal has been re-sealed and it has been tested . No water is coming in. We ask where the leak was. The odd reply was that they did not find one. We will have to investigate further tomorrow and ask why there is a different response to the problem between a Friday and a Monday. I doubt we will get any answer. That seems the nature of the beast with motorhoming. We have priced a new oven to give Suzy a much needed facelift. It is like Fred Karnos circus in the van as Glenn removes the oven door and stores it away every time we drive. Failure to take it off results in it swinging open. The grill is held up with an elastic band and falls down as we drive. The new ovens are more substantial, more modern, with better hinges and door openings. Perhaps Father Christmas will treat Suzy to a new one. Only £600 plus 2 hours fitting. I guess she might get one eventually.

So what to do today? Where shall we take you? How about a trip down the A38 to the town of Lichfield? It is foggy as we drive , you can see out of the windows but there is not much to see on such a grey old day. You need your coat, your scarf and your gloves and you sure will need a warm cuppa when you get there. The traffic as always is bad. Nose to tail through Derby. Sally Sat Nag irritates as she tells us to head for Darbaaaaaaay. She sounds like she has a head cold. We continue until we reach Lichfield. We are parking on the multistory for two hours. £2 and just enough time to go to W H Smiths for a filofax insert , have some breakfast and do the cathedral. Come along then , Hurry up - we don't have all day.

It is not much of a walk from the multistory to the shops. Filofax insert bought - all we need now is that cuppa . Come on in - plenty of choices. In fact three cafes almost next to each other. It is warm inside and we have the place to ourselves. Two coffees, a hot mince pie - well you have to don't you? It is Christmas after all. Guess what - a bacon butty too. Outside it is fairly quiet . Tuesday is not too busy in town. The town is full of Georgian houses. In fact when you look around it looks like a scene from a Dickens story. Let's head for the cathedral. It is pretty imposing sitting on a bit a land with a moat. Well there would be a moat if you could see it. The fog swirls round and a few ducks swim. The cathedral is there but shrouded in fog. It looks surreal. Grey, imposing the only three spired Gothic cathedral in England.

Yes we will get inside but first let me tell you a bit about the town and the cathedral. Lichfield was the birthplace of one Samuel Johnson writer of the first Dictionary. The first mention of the city was when Chad who later became St Chad arrived to establish his bishopric in 669 AD . Many churches in Mercia have been named after St Chad. The city still has a medieval feel around the cathedral and the streets still conform to a ladder design. The Romans came and went . It was the policies of Henry VIII that had the most dramatic effect on the city when the shrine of St Chad like many other shriens was destroyed and the pilgrim trade dropped off. Throw in a bit of plague in 1593, a few burnings at the stake for heresy and Lichfield has a colourful history .

Walk with me past the site of the burnings. Now close to the Corn Exchange another lovely building it is bustling with a market . Lichfield did not escape the English Civil War. The city like many others was divided with the church understandingly following the King and the townsfolk Parliament. There was much desecration to the church following the battles. Lichfield though survived it all and developed as a coaching stop off on the busy road beween London and Chester. I am sure as you walk with me you will agree that it is indeed a lovely place and would be even nicer if that sun would break through.

Ok I know - you are cold. Let's get going. From the outside the cathedral looks gray. Along the outside walls we can see niches which originally must have held some kind of statue or grave stone. Looking up I find myself comparing it with the great cathedrals of France. It certainly is impressive. Let' s stand and take a few photos of the three spires and of the frontage. The doors are probably not as ornate as some but they are substantial and well made. The statues all round the front face are of saints and of kings. As we look up we are in awe of the craftmanship of the stonemasons. How did they do such exquisite workmanship? No I don't know the answer either. The answer actually turned out to be that they are copies made by Gilbert Scott to replace what was lost . The cathedral is 370 feet long and the breadth of the nave 68 feet. As we enter we are greeted by a welcomer. It is free to enter but they do ask for a donation. We have a small leaflet pointing out the salient features of the cathedral and are given a bit of a potted history by one of the vergers. As we stand we are asked to remain silent for a moment as it is 11 am and prayers will be said. Prayers for Syria, for the homeless , for New Zealand after its earthquake and we are asked to say the Lords Prayer in whatever language we like to use. In my head I can hear Ein Tad , yr Hwn wyt yn y nefoedd ..................Our father translated into welsh. As the last amen rings out we are told that the central spire is 252 feet high and the western spires a mere 190 feet. Built in sandstone quarried from near to the city itself. The walls lean and much work needed to be done to prevent the cathedral from falling down.

Shall we walk up the nave ? What are our thoughts? What a lovely space. Quite open but lively and bustling. Places for quiet contemplation. Hidden corners . As we walk we see brass plaques along the walls celebrating local dignatories , the titled and wealthy of the area, the dead from the two world wars. There are carvings along the walls representing the worshippers from the medieval period. To our left St Stephens Chapel. Let's walk a little deeper into the heart of the church to the Chapter House which houses the St Chads Gospel one of the most ancient books of the British Isles. Dating back to the 8th century it is one of Lichfields treasures with its latin and early Welsh text. Another case holds part of the Staffordshire Hoard and further one the Lichfield Angel a 8th century sculpture found only recently during excavation of the nave. One wonders what other treasures lay buried beneath this newer cathedral? We walk through a passage - an area for the washing of feet. The walls covered in medieval wall paintings. Saved from destruction and now a hint back into what worship must have been like pre-reformation.

Do you like Christmas trees? Along the passage are trees. Many trees lining up to a crib. All decorated in the spirit of Christmas . After admiring the age old scene of Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus we walk into the Lady Chapel where the Herkenrode Glass is set into the windows. Those pesky parliamentarians smashed the medievel glass and left the windows bare and clear glassed .Dating from the 1530s it came from the Abbey of Herkenrode in Belgium. Purchased by Brook Boothby in 1801 it came from the abbey which was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars. What Napoleon did not appreciate has found a wonderful home in the Lady Chapel. The glass is different to our stained glass . Not random leaded but neat squares of lead hold brightly coloured or even painted glass. The windows are stunning especially now they have been cleaned and restored at an enormous cost to the cathedral. STanding in front of them I find myself in awe. I may not be religious but these objects are stunningly beautiful and what a joy that they were saved from destruction.

There is so much to see in this building. The Shrine of St Chad, the altarpieces look as if made of ivory and are so delicate. Look at the gold and gilt work. Look at the triptych over the altar. The screen depicts the angels who visited St Chad. I am going to light a candle. I just feel rather moved by the whole place . Quietly we ponder on which cathedral is the most moving we have been in. The jury is out. Is it one in France or Italy? Is it one in this country? As we walk towards the door we are greeted by a display of white paper angels suspended from the ceilings . Hundreds of fluttering white paper angels. They look like butterflies as they move in the breeze.

I don't want to leave . I am not sure you do either. We have to though. We have another visit to make to a local shop to pick up another christmas present and we need dinner. Turkey, stuffing, roast and mashed potatoes, parsnips, peas, cranberry sauce, apple sauce , rich gravy, brussel sprouts. It would not be christmas without a christmas dinner .

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