Lichfield

Understand

One of seven civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield has a population of 35,000 (2021). It sits north of Birmingham and north-west of London.

Lichfield is notable for its three-spired cathedral and as the birthplace of Dr. Johnson, the writer of the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language. A Dictionary of the English Language, one of the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language, was prepared by Samuel Johnson and published on April 15, 1755.

Lichfield is also the birthplace of Elias Ashmole (23 May 1617 – 18 May 1692). Elias was a celebrated English antiquary, politician, officer of arms, astrologer and student of alchemy. He supported the royalist side during the English Civil War, and at the restoration of Charles II, he was rewarded with several lucrative offices. Throughout his life, he was an avid collector of curiosities and other artefacts. Many of these he acquired from the traveller, botanist, and collector John Tradescant the Younger. Ashmole donated most of his collection, his antiquarian library and priceless manuscripts to the University of Oxford to create the Ashmolean Museum.

Get around

Lichfield is small enough to be able to get around most of the areas of interest in the centre on foot. There are local buses running on selected routes, but they generally are really of use only to residents.

See

thumb|300px|A Panorama of Lichfield from one of the Cathedral Spires Minster Pool and Stowe Pool Dam Street Market Place Corn Exchange Milley's Hospital St. Johns without the Bars Staffordshire Regiment Museum is on A51 Tamworth Rd near Whittington Heath Golf Club.

Do

Coventry Canal skirts the east of town. It courses 38 miles (61 km) from Coventry via Bedworth, Nuneaton, Atherstone, Polesworth and Tamworth to Lichfield and has a firm towpath for hiking or cycling. It has 13 locks and is navigable throughout for narrow-boats not exceeding 72 ft / 21.9 m length, 7 ft / 2.1 m beam and 6 ft 6 in / 1.98 m headroom. It has junctions with several other canals, ending north of Lichfield at the Trent and Mersey Canal, and forms part of the 106 mile circuit of the "Warwickshire Ring". Lichfield Festival has a literature event at the end of March and a chamber concert series in October, but the main event is the international music and arts festival over 11 days in July.