“A triumph of art” or “blatant vulgarity”: The Reception of Scott and Skidmore’s Screens

Abstract

This essay provides a broad narrative of how the screens designed by architect and designer George Gilbert Scott and made by metalworker Francis Skidmore for the cathedrals of Hereford, Lichfield, and Salisbury, have been regarded since they were produced. It examines debates surrounding removal, retention and rescue, and the twists and turns in the reception history of the Hereford Screen in particular. The article quotes lesser-known voices who influenced the fate of the Hereford Screen, and draws on new research conducted in the archives of Hereford Cathedral and Lichfield Cathedral. An index describing some of the documentation relating to the history of the Hereford Screen in the cathedral archive is available at the bottom of this article as a downloadable appendix.

Keywords

• vulgarity
• Hereford Screen
• George Gilbert Scott
• Francis Skidmore
• Hereford Cathedral
• Lichfield Cathedral
• Salisbury Cathedral