Explore the cathedral city of Lichfield
Discover the charms of this small Staffordshire city, where the streets are lined with history as well as inviting shops and tearooms.
Cathedral and Remembrance Gardens, Lichfield. Photo: CaronB/ Getty Images/iStockphoto
For a small city, Lichfield packs a lot into its compact dimensions. The city’s heritage-heavy streets are laced overhead with colourful bunting that zigzags its way between smart Georgian townhouses and the distinctive black and white façades of Tudor properties, which add to the city’s charm.
There are plenty of boutique shops and tearooms to explore – try The Tudor of Lichfield, which dates from 1510 and offers a delicious range of cakes and chocolates – but a visit to the city wouldn’t be complete without seeing the colossal cathedral that dwarfs everything around it. Complete with its intricately carved exterior and grand spires, the cathedral dates from the 13th century and is awe-inspiring. Inside, visitors are able to view a small selection of items from the Staffordshire Hoard; the St Chad’s Gospels, an eighth-century manuscript; and the Lichfield Angel, an early medieval sculpture that has survived the test of time.
A visit to the city wouldn’t be complete without seeing the colossal cathedral that dwarfs everything around it.
Opposite the cathedral, a small passageway leads through a tangle of garden to Erasmus Darwin’s House. Grandfather of Charles Darwin and dear friend of Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus was himself a fascinating man. Explore the house he lived in to discover the man’s extraordinary inventions, impressive for their sheer number alone.
Another great figure who forms part of Lichfield’s rich history is Dr Samuel Johnson, creator of the first English dictionary as we know it today. Explore his former home where it is possible to spend hours flicking through the pages of a replica Dictionary.
