Cathedral Lodge Hotel

Registry Office

by Imbi

If you want to get married here in Lichfeld, and don't want a church wedding, this is the place - the Registry Office. used to be the Library and Museum, and still has a stone plaque on the upper wall over the entrance that says "Free Lending Library".

Old Building

by Imbi

Lichfield has history of almost 1500 years and there are so many things you would come across when visiting there. One of the interesting thing would be this building, which was built in 1527.
It has some amazing style and most importantly, it is still in very good shape and use.

Pool Walk

by Imbi

It is one of the walk along Minster Pool. Pool Walk is the name of the path alongside Minster pool. If you are coming out of the Cathedral and walking on Dam street it will be on you right hand. It runs from Dam Street through to Beacon Street

Lichfield Friary

by leics

Nothing much remains of what was once a rather large establishment, dating from 1230. The Friary was destroyed on the orders of King Henry Vlll (as were many religious establishments), and only a few of its walls are marked out on the site after excavations discovered their position. Many 'dressed' stones are visible on the edges of the grass, however, and a little of the original wall.

Across the road you can see the remains of a Friary building incorporated into a more recent one. See photos.

The Heritage Trail on the weblink will guide you to the Friary's location within the city.

Tiny city..........

by leics

.......a town really, but because it has a cathedral it is definitely a city.

Legend says that a thousand Christian martyrs were killed here during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, which gave the city its name meaning 'field of corpses (lych)'.

Lichfield is a good place for an afternoon's wander, should you be in the vicinity. There's the cathedral itself, obviously, and Dr Johnson's birthplace, lots of good cafes/eating places and a rather pleasant shopping area. A bit of Tudor architecture, a bit of Georgian, some Medieval remnants (mostly alleyways) Victorian 'pleasure gardens' and promenades, the remains of the cathedral moat..........well worth a gentle exploration.

The present cathedral (see travelogue) was started in 1195, although there were religious structuires on the site from the 600s. Its three spires make it unusual amongst English cathedrals. The cathedral once contained a shrine to St. Chad, whose gold-encrusted skull was later displayed in a special chapel within the building.

During the English Civil War the cathedral came under siege three times, the central spire being destroyed and a huge amount of damage done to the interior by the roundheads (anti-Royalists led by Oliver Cromwell). however, over the subsequent centuries the cathedral has been rebuilt and restored, so that it is now difficult to see whish is restoration and which is original.

It's small, and not full of tourists, and feels like a place where people felt comfortable in their worship. Not overawed, not diminished, but just comfortable and comforted.

Samuel Johnson, the author of the first English dictionary, was born her in 1709, and his birthplace is now a museum. I managed to visit on his birthday (unintentionally): a special concert in the market place, balloons....and a remarkably well-preserved 288-year-old man enjoying himself!

Being so near to the A5 (the route from London to North Wales and Ireland) meant that Lichfield became an important coaching stop during the 18th century, although its fortunes fell somewhat with the coming of the railways. It feels like a place where people are happy with what is, to be honest, a comfortable small-town lifestyle. And nothing wrong with that, as far as I'm concerned!