This window contains two significant pre-Reformation figural panels depicting St Peter (left) and St Simeon with the Christ Child (right). Both figures survive from a larger late medieval glazing scheme and were reassembled during the 19th-century restoration of the cathedral, when much of the surrounding decorative work was replaced.

Each saint stands beneath an elaborate Gothic canopy of predominantly Victorian workmanship, with slender pinnacles, traceried niches, and extensive grisaille painting characteristic of 19th-century cathedral restorations. Despite this later framework, the core figures retain their original late medieval character.

Left Light, St Peter

The figure of St Peter preserves its 15th–early 16th-century head, beard, and upper drapery, rendered in the soft modelling and warm ochre tones typical of late medieval English glass. Peter holds a scroll, and although his attribute, the key, no longer survives in full, the gesture suggests its original presence. 

Right Light, St Simeon with the Christ Child

The right-hand light contains a beautifully preserved medieval St Simeon, his aged face and flowing beard modelled with fine black-line shading and subtle yellow stain. He holds the Christ Child, also largely medieval, whose halo and blessing hand retain their original silver-stained detailing. The drapery of both figures, particularly around the upper body, is consistent with c.1480–1520 English work. As with St Peter, the architectural base and framing are Victorian.

This scene represents the Presentation in the Temple, with Simeon recognising Christ as the fulfilment of prophecy, the moment commemorated in the Nunc dimittis.

Tracery Light

The tracery light above contains a standing angel, reconstructed during the 19th-century restoration but probably based on surviving medieval fragments. The surrounding canopy work, borders, and architectural framing throughout the window are Victorian insertions intended to unify the panel composition.

Date and Attribution

Although Victorian restoration dominates the window’s structure, the figural cores in both lights are authentically late medieval. Their style, especially the facial modelling, colour palette, and drapery fold patterns, aligns with English workshop production between c.1480 and 1520. No documentary evidence survives for the original workshop, but the work broadly reflects Midlands glazing trends of the late Perpendicular period.

The surrounding architectural canopies, borders, pedestals, and much of the lower drapery were replaced during the cathedral’s 19th-century restoration, likely under the direction of Sir George Gilbert Scott, who oversaw extensive re-leading and reconstruction of the glazing.

Significance

Despite their fragmentary state, these panels are important survivals of Lichfield’s pre-Reformation stained glass, which otherwise suffered severe losses during the Civil War and subsequent periods of neglect. The juxtaposition of St Peter, representing apostolic authority, with St Simeon, embodying prophetic fulfilment, creates a meaningful theological pairing. Their preservation within a Victorian framework allows the medieval imagery to remain a visible part of the cathedral’s layered artistic history.