HISTORY - The Civil War
In 1643 the Cathedral Close was besieged, first by the Parliamentary forces under Robert Lord Brooke, and then by Prince Rupert and the Royalists.
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During the first siege the Parliamentary troops occupied St Chad’s, using it as a storehouse for their scaling ladders and equipment. Although no fighting took place here, the church was considerably damaged by cannon ball, musket and wanton destruction.
The worst damage was to the roof which had to be completely rebuilt. This took the form of three separate roofs over the nave and the two aisles, very much as it is today, and the brick clerestory was added at this time. The use of brick was probably due to the fact that the cathedral was being rebuilt at the same time and this must have made it difficult to obtain the necessary supplies of stone and skilled masons. Holes in the main stone work were filled in with red bricks and tiles. The Perpendicular style font dates from about 1450. This was moved from the rear of the church to its position in the Lady Chapel in the late 1990s to make way for the present carpeted welcome area. The altar and the chest in the Lady Chapel date from 1658 and 1669 respectively. |
Roof of the Lady Chapel and Main Aisle (from tower)
Font as it is today in the Lady Chapel
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