Lichfield

Lichfield is a historic city in Staffordshire, England. It is known for its beautiful three-spired medieval cathedral and is the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, who wrote the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language. The city's history began in 669 AD when Chad of Mercia arrived to establish his bishopric, making Lichfield an important religious center.

In 2009, a large collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver was found near the city. Lichfield grew into a busy coaching city in the 18th century and was home to many famous thinkers and writers. Today, Lichfield still holds its importance as a religious center and has many old buildings that show its rich history.

Toponymy

The name "Lichfield" comes from two old sources. Near the city, there was an ancient village called Letocetum, which meant "Grey wood" in an old language. Over time, this name changed and became part of the name "Lichfield" when an important leader chose the area as his home.

Some people think the name means "field of the dead" because of an old story, but there is no proof that this is true. The city's name really comes from the idea of a "grey wood" and the open country around it.

History

Prehistory and antiquity

Main article: Letocetum

The earliest signs that people lived in Lichfield are old stone tools found near St Michael on Greenhill. These tools suggest that people may have worked with stone there long ago. Not far away, traces of older homes have been found on a sandy hill where the Lichfield Cathedral now stands.

About 2 miles southwest of Lichfield, near where two old roads cross, was a place called Letocetum. It began in the year 50 as a fort for Roman soldiers. By the year 200, it had become a small town with baths and a special guest house. The Romans left by the year 400, and Letocetum slowly faded away. Some old Roman items have been found in Lichfield, and one old grave found under the cathedral might be from that time. After the Romans left, Lichfield may have grown as people from Letocetum moved there.

Middle Ages

The early history of Lichfield is unclear. The first certain record of Lichfield appears in an old history book called Bede’s work, where it is named Licidfelth. It was here that a man named St Chad set up an important church for the people of Mercia in the year 669. The first Christian king of Mercia, Wulfhere, gave land in Lichfield for Chad to build a monastery. Because of this, Lichfield became the religious center of Mercia, about 7 miles northwest of the king’s home in Tamworth.

In the year 700, a new church was built to hold the bones of St Chad, who had died in 672 and became a sacred place for many visitors. Kings of Mercia were buried in this church, which made Lichfield more important. In the year 786, a king named Offa made Lichfield an archbishopric, giving it control over many churches from the Humber to the River Thames. This lasted for 16 years before power returned to Canterbury.

During the 800s, Danish Vikings damaged Mercia, and Lichfield, which had no walls, suffered. The church was harmed, and the leader moved to a safer, richer place called Chester in the year 1075. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, Lichfield was a small village owned by the bishop of Chester.

In the year 1102, the leader moved back to Coventry, and work began on the current Gothic cathedral in Lichfield in 1195. In 1153, King Stephen allowed weekly markets in the Market Square, which have continued ever since.

Bishop Roger de Clinton organized the streets south of Minster Pool into the pattern we see today. He also protected the area around the cathedral and built walls around the town. In 1291, a big fire damaged most of the town, but the Cathedral and its grounds were safe.

In 1387, King Richard II allowed the creation of a guild led by St Mary and St John the Baptist. This guild acted as the local government until it was ended by King Edward VI in the year 1548.

Early Modern

The rules of King Henry VIII greatly changed Lichfield. The Reformation ended visits to sacred places, including St Chad’s shrine in 1538, which hurt the town’s economy. The same year, a religious building called the Franciscan Friary was closed down, turning it into a private property. An even bigger problem came with a sickness called the plague in 1593, which killed more than a third of the people living there.

During a big conflict called the English Civil War, Lichfield was divided. Some people, including those at the cathedral, supported the king, while most townspeople supported the Parliament. The town became important for supplies, and both sides wanted to control it. A leader named Lord Brooke tried to attack the fortified cathedral area but was killed by a shot from a hidden shooter. The area was taken by forces supporting Parliament but was later taken back by a Royalist named Prince Rupert. After the Royalist cause failed in 1646, the area gave up again. The cathedral was badly damaged during the war, losing its tall middle tower. It was fixed later with help from King Charles II.

Lichfield grew as a stop for travelers between London and Chester starting in the 1650s, becoming Staffordshire’s richest town. In the 1700s and early 1800s, it was a busy place for travelers and a center for smart people, home to famous individuals like Samuel Johnson and David Garrick. The town was described as neat and well-built. During this time, many old buildings were replaced with red-brick houses from the Georgian style. The town also got better sewers, paved streets, and gas lights. A part of the British Army began in Lichfield in 1705.

Late Modern and contemporary

The Industrial Revolution and railways arriving in 1837 ended Lichfield’s role as a major stop for travelers. While nearby Birmingham grew quickly, Lichfield stayed much the same.

In the 1930s, the first houses for rent were built in an area called the Dimbles. When World War II started, over 2,000 children and families from busy areas were sent to Lichfield to stay safe. Even though Lichfield did not have big factories, it was bombed a few times in 1940 and 1941, and three people from Lichfield were lost. Near the city, airplanes took off from Fradley Aerodrome, known as RAF Lichfield.

After the war, many new houses were built in the 1960s, including some tall apartment buildings. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a large area called Boley Park was built with many homes. The city’s population grew three times between 1951 and the late 1980s.

Lichfield has kept growing, especially to the west. A big new area called Darwin Park has been growing for years, adding about 3,000 people to the city. Plans were made for a new shopping and fun area called Friarsgate near Lichfield City Station, but these plans have changed, and now there are ideas for a cinema in an old shopping place called Debenhams.

Governance

Lichfield has had different ways of being governed over time. In the past, the Bishop of Lichfield had control over the city. In 1548, King Edward VI gave Lichfield its first secular government. Later, in 1553, Queen Mary I gave the city its own Sheriff and made it a separate county from Staffordshire. This changed in 1888.

Today, the City Council has 28 members from six areas of the city, elected every four years. The Mayor of Lichfield leads the council meetings, and there is also a Leader of Council who handles important decisions. Lichfield is one of only 15 towns in England and Wales that still appoints a Sheriff.

Lichfield used to have its own Members of Parliament, but this changed over time. Now, the city is part of a larger area represented by one MP. The current MP for Lichfield is Dave Robertson, who won in the 2024 general election.

Geography

Lichfield is a city in the county of Staffordshire in England. It covers about 5.41 square miles and is located between high ground to the west and river valleys to the east. The city is built on red sandstone, which can be seen in many old buildings, including Lichfield Cathedral.

The city's land slopes down from the north-west to the area where the cathedral stands. There are ridges and hills around the city, with some reaching up to 134 meters high. Two small streams flow through Lichfield and join together before running into a larger river.

Demography

In 2021, the city of Lichfield had a population of 34,738 people. Most people, about 96.5%, identify as white, and around 66.5% consider themselves Christian. More than half of the people older than 16 were married. About 64% of people had jobs, and 21% were retired. These numbers are all higher than the average for the whole country.

Economy

Lichfield grew rich as an important religious center. People traveled there to honor St Chad until changes in the 1500s.

In medieval times, Lichfield made woolen cloth and worked with leather. The area had many farms.

Later, Lichfield became a busy travel hub with many inns and shops. But when trains were invented, travel by coach dropped, and the city’s growth slowed. By the late 1800s, making beer became a key job, and nearby farms grew food for Birmingham and the Black Country.

Today, Lichfield has many small factories, especially in the eastern part of the city. Two well-known local companies are Armitage Shanks, which makes baths and showers, and Arthur Price of England, which makes fine knives and silver items. Many people live in Lichfield but work in Birmingham.

The city is home to the Central England Co-operative, one of the UK’s biggest independent consumer co-operatives.

Culture and community

Culture

Lichfield Greenhill Bower happens every year on Spring Bank Holiday. It started as a celebration after the Court of Arraye in the 12th century and has kept many old traditions. After a special event at the Guildhall, there is a parade with marching bands, morris men, and carnival floats. The Bower Queen is crowned outside the Guildhall. There is also a funfair in the city centre and another fair in Beacon Park.

The Lichfield Festival is an international arts festival held every July for 30 years. It celebrates classical music, dance, drama, film, jazz, literature, poetry, visual arts, and world music. Events happen in many places around the city but mainly at Lichfield Cathedral and the Garrick Theatre. Popular events include a medieval market and a fireworks display at the end of the festival.

Every three years, Lichfield Mysteries, a big community theatre event, takes place at the cathedral and in the Market Place. It includes 24 plays in the style of the Middle Ages with over 600 amateur actors. Other summer festivals include the Lichfield Folk Festival and The Lichfield Real Ale, Jazz and Blues Festival.

Lichfield Heritage Weekend, which includes Dr Johnson's Birthday Celebrations, happens on the third weekend in September. It features many events like live music and free tours of important places in the city.

Community facilities

There are many parks, gardens, and open spaces in the city. The main park in the city centre is Beacon Park, where many community events and activities happen. The city centre also has two lakes, Minster Pool and Stowe Pool. The Garden of Remembrance, a memorial garden created after World War I, is on Bird Street. Other parks are on the edges of the city, such as Brownsfield Park, Darnford Park, Shortbutts Park, Stychbrook Park, Saddlers Wood, and Christian Fields.

The city has two public sports and leisure centres. Friary Grange Leisure Centre in the north-west offers sports like racket sports, a swimming pool, a sports hall, and a fitness gym. King Edward VI Leisure Centre in the south offers racket sports, a sports hall, and an artificial turf pitch.

Lichfield Library and Record Office used to be on St John Street and The Friary. The library was there from 1989 until it moved to the newly renovated St Mary's Church on Market Square in 2018.

The city has the Samuel Johnson Community Hospital on Trent Valley Road. This hospital opened in 2006, replacing the old Victoria Hospital.

Media

Lichfield gets its news and television from BBC West Midlands and ITV Central. People watch TV using the signal from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter.

The city has several local radio stations, including BBC Radio WM, Capital Mid-Counties, Heart West Midlands, Greatest Hits Radio Birmingham & The West Midlands, Smooth West Midlands, Hits Radio Birmingham, and Cannock Chase Radio FM, a community station from Cannock Chase.

Local newspapers are the Lichfield Mercury and Lichfield Live.

Places of interest

Lichfield has many special places to see and visit. One of the most famous is the Lichfield Cathedral, which is special because it is the only medieval cathedral in Europe with three spires. There is also the Cathedral Close, an area around the cathedral with many interesting old buildings.

Other places include the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum, where you can learn about the life of Samuel Johnson. The Erasmus Darwin House is a museum about Erasmus Darwin, opened to the public in 1999. The Hub at St Mary's in St Mary's Church is a place for community events and has a local library. The Lichfield Guildhall has been important for the city's government for over 600 years.

You can also visit the Bishop's Palace, built in 1687 and now used by a school, and Dr Milley's Hospital, a old building from 1504. The Hospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs is a old Tudor building that now homes elderly people. The Church of St Chad is a 12th-century church with a reconstruction of 'St Chad's Well' nearby.

The city also has St Michael on Greenhill, a church with a very large churchyard, and Christ Church, an example of Victorian architecture. The Market Square in the centre of the city has statues of Samuel Johnson and his friend James Boswell.

There are also parks and lakes such as Beacon Park and the lakes Minster Pool & Stowe Pool. You can see the ruins of The Franciscan Friary and the Lichfield Clock Tower. The remains of a Roman staging post can be found at Letocetum in the village of Wall. The Staffordshire Regiment Museum in Whittington shows the history of the regiment. The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas is a place for remembering those who served in the armed forces. Lastly, there is the Sandfields Pumping Station, an old pumping station from the 19th century.

Transport

Railway

Lichfield has two railway stations: Lichfield City and Lichfield Trent Valley. These stations are part of the Cross-City Line, with trains going to places like Bromsgrove and Redditch through Birmingham New Street.

Trent Valley station is also on the West Coast Main Line, a bit north-east of the city. From there, you can catch faster trains to London Euston, passing through Milton Keynes Central, Rugby, Stafford, and Crewe.

Buses

Several bus companies serve Lichfield, including Arriva Midlands, Diamond East Midlands, Chaserider, and National Express West Midlands. They run buses to cities and towns such as Birmingham, Aldridge, Brownhills, Burntwood, Rugeley, Burton upon Trent, Stafford, Sutton Coldfield, Tamworth, and Walsall. There is also a special bus service for people living in Lichfield, called LinkUp, which connects to Burntwood and nearby villages.

Roads

Lichfield is well connected by roads. Old Roman roads, such as Watling Street and Ryknild Street, used to pass near the city. Today, major roads like the A5 and A38 run close by. The A5 goes towards Wales and Tamworth, while the A38 goes to Birmingham and Derby. The nearest big motorway exit is T5 of the M6 Toll, just a short drive south of the city.

Canals

Lichfield used to have its own canal, the Lichfield Canal, which was part of a bigger canal system. It stopped being used in 1955. Plans are in place to bring it back to life one day.

The closest working canal is the Coventry Canal, which passes through Streethay.

Airports

There are two airports not too far from Lichfield: Birmingham Airport is to the south, and East Midlands Airport is to the north-east.

Education

Lichfield has nine primary schools and one infant school, along with three secondary schools: The Friary School, King Edward VI School, and Nether Stowe School, which is a comprehensive school with a focus on Maths and Computing.

There are also two independent schools: Lichfield Cathedral School for ages 3 to 18, and Maple Hayes School for children who struggle with reading. The Lichfield campus of the University of Staffordshire and South Staffordshire College offers many courses, including advanced studies. A special school for art, design, and media opened there in 2006.

Religion and beliefs

Many people in Lichfield say they are Christian. About two-thirds of the people in the area said this in a big survey in 2011. Lichfield has been important for religion for a very long time. A man named St Chad became the first Bishop of Lichfield and built a monastery there in the year 669.

Lichfield has many different places for people to pray and worship. There are churches for different Christian groups, like the Anglican Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and others. There are also places for other religions, such as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

There are also schools in Lichfield that are connected to different Christian groups.

Sport

Historically, rugby was more popular in Lichfield than football because it was the main sport at Lichfield Grammar School. Both sports have stayed at an amateur level. Lichfield Rugby Union Football Club was started in 1874. As of the 2011–12 season, they play in the Midlands 1 West League, which is the 6th level of the English Rugby Union system. The team plays at Cooke Fields, southeast of the city on Tamworth Road.

Lichfield City plays in the Premier Division of the Midland Football League after moving up in 2012. Their first team plays at Brownsfield Park. LCFC is a community club with teams from under 7s to adults.

AFC Lichfield is a community youth football club with teams in the Lichfield & District Recreational League for ages from under 6 to under 18. They also have a football academy for boys and girls aged 4–8 years.

Lichfield Diamonds LFC is a leading girls' football club in Staffordshire and was the first all-female club to achieve Charter Standard Status. The team plays at the Collins Hill Sports Ground.

The Wandering Angels from Lichfield played in the first known Women's FA Cup Match on 1 November 1970 against Leicester City Supporters Ladies FC.

Lichfield Cricket Club currently plays in the Third Division of the Birmingham and District Premier League. They also play at the Collins Hill Sports Ground.

Lichfield Hockey Club is a field hockey club based at Collins Hill Sports Ground on Eastern Avenue, and competes in the Midlands Hockey League. On 21 March 2015, the men's first team won the league and moved up to the Men's England Hockey League for the 2015/16 season.

Lichfield has four golf courses, including the local 18-hole course at Beacon Park. The others are: Darnford Moors Golf Club, a new 9-hole course in the south of the city; the Robert Rock Academy, a driving range and coaching academy; Lichfield Country Club in Elmhurst, with an 18-hole course and the Midlands' first American-specification 9-hole par 3 course; and Whittington Heath Golf Club, an 18-hole course southeast of the city.

Lichfield Archers were formed over 40 years ago and shoot at Christian Fields, where they have indoor and outdoor ranges. The club holds competitions and has held the Staffordshire Outdoor Championship at Christian Fields.

Notable Lichfeldians

• Ceatta of Lichfield, an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon saint.

16th century

• Edward Wightman (1566–1612), last person in England to be burnt at the stake for untrue beliefs, in the Market Place of Lichfield.
• Edmund Gennings (1567–1591), priest and martyr

17th century

• Thomas Minors (1609–1677) merchant, politician, MP from 1654 to 1660 and a church leader
• Michael Biddulph (1610–1666) elected MP for Lichfield in 1660
• Elias Ashmole (1617–1692), historian, politician, and founder of Ashmolean Museum
• Edward Wetenhall (1636–1713), bishop of the Church of Ireland
• Gregory King (1648–1712), historian, artist, and expert in numbers
• John Floyer (1649 in Hints – 1734), doctor and writer
• Richard Dyott (1667–1719) elected MP for Lichfield many times between 1690 and 1715
• Joseph Addison (1672–1719), writer, poet, and politician.
• Gilbert Walmisley (1680–1751), lawyer, friend of Samuel Johnson, buried near Lichfield Cathedral.
• Theophilus Levett (1693–1746), lawyer, town leader of Lichfield, politician and landowner,

18th century

• John Wyatt (1700–1766), inventor of a spinning machine
• Thomas Newton (1704–1782), church leader, Bible expert and Bishop of Bristol, 1761 to 1782.
• Samuel Johnson (1709–1784), often called Dr Johnson, was a famous English writer, poet, playwright, and dictionary maker
• Richard Greene (1716–1793) historian and collector of interesting objects.
• David Garrick (1717–1779), actor, playwright, and theatre leader
• Erasmus Darwin (1731–1802), scientist and inventor, and grandfather of Charles Darwin
• Anna Seward (1742–1809), poet and writer
• Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744–1817), politician, writer, inventor, lived at Stowe House
• Theophilus Houlbrooke (1745–1824), minister and botanist, leader of the Liverpool Athenaeum from 1809 to 1813
• General Richard Vyse (1746–1825), general and MP for Beverley in 1806
• Joseph Potter (1756–1842) architect and builder, worked in Staffordshire and nearby areas
• Thomas Day (1748–1789), writer and activist, lived for a time at Stowe House
• Henry Salt (1780–1827), historian; gave Egyptian collection to the British Museum
• Admiral of the Fleet Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet, of Shenstone (1781–1866), a Royal Navy officer

19th century

• John Hewitt (1807–1878), historian
• James Fowler (1828–1892), a Victorian church architect
• Richard Garnett (1835–1906), scholar, librarian, writer and poet
• Walter Noel Hartley (1845–1913), chemist and expert in light
• Frederic King (1853–1933), singer
• Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Swinfen-Broun JP (1858–1948), soldier, leader, High Sheriff and deputy leader of Staffordshire
• Mary Alice Eleanor Richards (1885–1977), British botanist and plant collector in Zambian plants

20th century

• Theodora Benson (1906–1968), writer
• Alasdair Steele-Bodger (1924–2008), animal doctor
• Elaine Horseman (1925–1999), author
• Denis Alva Parsons (1934–2012), artist
• Michael Laskey (born 1944), poet and editor
• Tony Christie (born 1943), singer
• John Hinch (1947–2021) drummer, original drummer of Judas Priest
• Lieutenant General Louis Lillywhite (born 1948) retired British Army doctor, Surgeon-General 2006/2009
• Phil Ford (born 1950), television writer
• Charles Lambert (born 1953) novelist and short-story writer
• Richard Allinson (born 1958), radio host, early morning weekend show on BBC Radio 2
• Mark Thwaite (born 1965), guitarist with rock bands The Mission, Tricky, & Peter Murphy
• Julian Argüelles (born 1966), jazz musician
• Helen Baxendale (born 1970), actress
• Richie Edwards (born 1974), bassist with rock bands the Darkness and Stone Gods
• Adrian Poynton (born 1979), writer, playwright and comedian
• Sian Brooke (born 1980), actress
• Bryn Fowler (born 1982), musician, bassist and singer in the band the Holloways
• Siobhan Dillon (born 1984), singer and actress
• Susan Stokes-Chapman (born 1985), novelist
• Michael Lieber (born 1988), novelist (student at Lichfield's Maple Hayes Hall)

Sport

• Tommy Skelton (1856–1900), jockey, rode the winner of the Grand National 1886, Old Joe
• Roly Harper (1881–1949), professional footballer, born in Lichfield
• Noel George (1897–1929), goalkeeper for Wolves, died from an illness of the gums
• Roger Pearman (1943–2009), cricketer and cricket leader
• Tom Leadbitter (1945–1995), motorcycle racer
• Jason Robinson (born 1965), cricketer
• Ian Wright (born 1972) former footballer, 347 pro appearances
• Stuart Ryder (born 1973), former Walsall F.C. and England U21 footballer
• Adam Wilcox (born 1976), racing driver
• Robert Rock (born 1977), professional golfer on the PGA European Tour, formerly a coach at Swingers Golf Centre
• Gary Mason (born 1979), motorcycle racer in the British Superbike Championship
• James Austin (born 1983) judoka, competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• Adam Christodoulou (born 1989), racing driver
• Sophie Capewell (born 1998), cyclist, competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics
• Lewis Brunt (born 2000), footballer
• Freya Gregory (born 2003), footballer

Twinnings

After the Second World War, the city of Lichfield formed friendships with two places to help build peace and understanding. Lichfield is now twinned with:

• Limburg an der Lahn, Germany
• Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, France

You can read newspapers from Limburg and Sainte-Foy at Lichfield Library.