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THE RACE TO SAVE THE HERKENRODE GLASS
The Herkenrode Glass in the Lady Chapel at Lichfield Cathedral is one of Europe's least known artistic treasures and one of the Cathedral's greatest. Designed and made in Flanders during the sixteenth century, the glass panels were brought from Herkenrode Abbey to England in 1803, to escape the destruction of the Napoleonic Wars.
Having survived so many religious and political upheavals and a perilous journey to England, the glass has faced its biggest threat from the crumbling of the Lichfield sandstone, condensation, grime and pollution. Emergency funding from English Heritage and other benefactors has allowed us to remove the glass to safety and begin the restoration of the masonry.
Now, £980,000 is needed to complete the painstaking conservation programme to bring the glass back to its former glory, as one of the central icons of the religious and spiritual life of the Cathedral.
A group of us from St Mary's Church Mucklestone, are walking to Lichfield Cathedral (from Mucklestone) over four days and three nights, in order to raise money for this appeal. We will be staying in village halls with basic amenities and carrying all of our own provisions in ruck sacks. Please give generously.