Lichfield's first cathedral was built in 700 to house the bones of St Chad. In 1085 the original Saxon church, which was made from wood, was replaced by a stone one. However, this church was in turn replaced by the current cathedral in 1195. The building was completed in the 1330s. The cathedral was badly damaged during the Civil War including the destruction of one of the spires and all the stained glass. Restoration began in the 1660s but was not finished until the 19th century.
The cathedral is the only English medieval cathedral with three spires though is one of the smallest cathedrals. The cathedral was built from local sandstone and contains a large number of statues of kings, bishops and saints on the exterior.
