The choir screen at Lichfield Cathedral was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott and installed in 1861. Made by the Coventry metalworker Francis Skidmore, with sculptural work by John Birnie Philip, it was the first of three magnificent metal screens they created for English cathedrals.

Lichfield’s is the only one still standing in its original setting: Hereford’s is now in the V&A, while Salisbury’s was dismantled and sold to a metalworker in 1959. Wrought in iron, copper and brass, it is a remarkable creation by the architect of the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras and the Albert Memorial.

For me the screen filters the boundary between public and sacred - the screen turns separation into invitation. Its open metalwork preserves the long view towards the high altar, while curling foliage, musical angels, gilding and flashes of colour make it seem almost weightless - a piece of filigree Gothic architecture beautifully captured in metal.

Connect with me on: Bluesky / Instagram / Facebook / X / Tumblr / Flickr / Vimeo / Pixelfed / Pinterest