Artwork Information

Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the Church of England. During the English Civil War the cathedral suffered considerable damage at the hands of Puritan Christians who destroyed many medieval stained-glass windows. The sad fate of English monuments such as the cathedral motivated antiquaries including William Dugdale to undertake research, recording relevant documents and commissioning drawings and prints from artists such as Hollar. They then published their findings as a means of salvaging England’s threatened heritage.