Summer Guided Tours & Excursions 2012

Saturday 18th August 2012:

Joint Coach Trip To Litchfield Cathedral

Guided Tour of Cathedral with Revd. Dr. Lynne Broughton

Guided Tour of town with Litchfield Local Guides

Booking form click here

Following this year’s very successful joint visit with the Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust (CHCT) to Rochester Cathedral, we have decided to repeat this type of visit again this year. 

We will be guided by the Revd. Dr. Lynne Broughton who is one of our specialist guides during our summer tours of Cambridgeshire churches.  Lynne is also a renowned authority and expert on the history and imagery of our great Cathedral’s and is the author of several excellent books on the subject. 

The cathedral is dedicated to St Chad and Saint Mary. Its internal length is 113 metres (370 feet), and the breadth of the nave is 21m (68'). The central spire is 77m (252') high and the western spires are about 58m (190').

The stone is sandstone and came from a quarry on the south side of Lichfield. The walls of the nave lean outwards slightly, due to the weight of stone used in the ceiling vaulting; some 200–300 tons of which was removed during renovation work to prevent the walls leaning further.

Lichfield suffered severe damage during the English Civil War in which all of the stained glass was destroyed. In spite of this the windows of the Lady Chapel contain some of the finest medieval Flemish painted glass in existence. Dating from the 1530s it came from the Abbey of Herkenrode in Belgium, in 1801, having been purchased by Brooke Boothby when that abbey was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars. It was sold on to the cathedral for the same price. There are also some fine windows by Betton and Evans (1819), and many fine late 19th century windows, particularly those by Charles Eamer Kempe.

The Lichfield Gospels are the gospels of Matthew and Mark, and the early part of Luke, written in Latin and dating from around 730. There were originally two volumes but one went missing around the time of the English Civil War. It is closely related in style to the Lindisfarne Gospels. The manuscript is on display in the Chapter House from Easter to Christmas.

The Close is one of the most complete in the country and includes a medieval courtyard which once housed the men of the choir. The three spires are often referred to as 'the Ladies of the Vale'.

Meet:

Ely Barton Road Car park at 0835, the coach will then head to Cambridge to pick up at Trumpington Park & ride at 0900.  The executive coach has an onboard toilet and we hope to arrive at Litchfield Cathedral by 1100.  We will leave Litchfield around 16.30 arriving back in Cambridge approx 1830 and Ely approx 1900

Cost:   (yet to be confirmed)

£30.00      CALH & CHCT Members

£32.50      other Affiliated & CCAN groups

£35.00      Non-Members

Bookings by Friday 18th August 2012 First Come First Served - Please Book Early

All the trips are booked on a first come first served basis, so early application is recommended, but always phone or email to check late availability.

If you want to send the applications for different trips at different times, please either photocopy the form, either download a form from the website, or write out the relevant details clearly.  Unless specifically requested a receipt will not be issued, however if you would like a receipt or a map to guide you to any of the venues, please either preferably provide your email address or enclose a STAMP with your reply (we will provide the envelope)

PLEASE NOTE:

1. Why join and become an individual member at just £8 or £10 for a family, the you can save on this and many other items

2. CALH Members & CALH Affiliated Members price will also cover that person’s spouse or one other person living at the same property

2. The CALH reserves the right to cancel any of the trips at short notice if the number of bookings makes the trip unviable.

3. Cancelations within 14 days of the trip will result in the cost of the coach being deducted from any refund.  Refunds will need to be claimed within 7 days of the trip

To express an interest & to receive a booking form please contact Andrew at info@ calh.org.uk or ring 01223 892430.

Barton Road Carpark, Ely

If you arrive after 8.30am you can stay all day.

If you arrive before 8.30am you can only park for 90 minutes, due to the early morning restrictions. i.e. If you park at 8:00am you need to remove your vehicle by 9:30am.  However, if you arrive at 8:31am you can stay all day.