26 Facts About Lichfield

Lichfield is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England.

Lichfield is situated roughly 18 miles south-east of the county town of Stafford, 8.

Notable for its three-spired medieval cathedral, Lichfield was the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, the writer of the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language.

Lichfield's heyday was in the 18th century, when it developed into a thriving coaching city.

The first authentic record of Lichfield occurs in Bede's history, where it is called Licidfelth and mentioned as the place where St Chad fixed the episcopal see of the Mercians in 669.

Related searches

Lichfield itself was unwalled and the cathedral was despoiled, so Bishop Peter moved the see to the fortified and wealthier Chester in 1075.

At the time of the Domesday Book survey, Lichfield was held by the bishop of Chester; Lichfield was listed as a small village.

The Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield had seats in both locations; work on the present Gothic cathedral at Lichfield began in 1195.

In 1291 Lichfield was severely damaged by a fire which destroyed most of the town; however the Cathedral and Close survived unscathed.

Lichfield started to develop a lively coaching trade as a stop-off on the busy route between London and Chester from the 1650s onwards, making it Staffordshire's most prosperous town.

However, due to the lack of heavy industry in the city, Lichfield escaped lightly, although there were air raids in 1940 and 1941 and three Lichfeldians were killed.

Lichfield is one of only 15 towns and cities in England and Wales which appoints a Sheriff.

Lichfield constituency sent two members to the parliament of 1304 and to a few succeeding parliaments, but the representation did not become regular until 1552; in 1867 it lost one member, and in 1885 its representation was merged into that of the county.

The Lichfield constituency was abolished in 1950 and replaced with the Lichfield and Tamworth constituency.

The current Member of Parliament for Lichfield, including the whole of the City, is the Conservative Michael Fabricant, who has been MP for Lichfield since 1997.

The red sandstone underlying the majority of Lichfield is present in many of its ancient buildings, including Lichfield Cathedral and the Church of St Chad.

Lichfield's wealth grew along with its importance as an ecclesiastical centre.

Lichfield City is located in the city centre and Lichfield Trent Valley is located 0.

Lichfield has regular bus services in and around the city, in addition to longer distance services.

Lichfield has college services for the Rodbaston campus of South Staffordshire College, run by Midland Classic, and school-only journeys for local high schools.

Lichfield Canal was historically part of the Wyrley and Essington Canal and ran south of the city from 1797 until it was abandoned in 1955.

The nearest navigable canal to Lichfield is the Coventry Canal which runs through Streethay.

Lichfield has held a religious importance since St Chad became the first Bishop of Lichfield and built a monastery in 669 AD.

Lichfield is served by four golf courses, including the local authority 18-hole course at Beacon Park.

Lichfield Archers were formed over 40 years ago and shoot at Christian Fields, where they have 20-yard indoor and 100-yard outdoor ranges.

Related searches

Lichfield Hockey Club located on Collins Hill Sports Ground on Eastern Avenue is a highly successful club for both men and women, and has a large junior section.