My Favourite Spots in Lichfield

Not so long ago I was contacted by the lovely people at PegasusLife to talk about my favourite spots around Lichfield to celebrate the launch of several new retirement developments in the area. For those of you who have followed my  blog for a long time, you may know I live in Lichfield and have been in the area, since I was 12, when I moved here from Oxford.

For those who know nothing about Lichfield (honestly I didn’t till I moved here) it is a cathedral city in Staffordshire and is pretty close the middle of the UK in terms of placement. Lichfield is itself a small yet very pretty city, one which is also filled with a lot of history and has quite a big population of older residents so it is hardly surprising that PegasusLife are in the middle of building Chapter House a new retirement village for people here.

So here are a few of my favourite places around Lichfield?

Lichfield Cathedral

The medieval Cathedral in Lichfield is the only one in England which features three spires, sometimes referred to as the Ladies of the Vale. The cathedral itself is an amazing building both inside and out with so much detail it is well worth taking some time out and looking around if you are ever in the area.

For me it is one of those buildings that I see so often I forget how magnificent it is and it isn’t until I happen to be walking around it again, for one reason or another, that I suddenly remember just how much of a beautiful building it actually is.

For a time I actually worked a cafe which is situated in The Close around the Cathedral, which is still a bustling area, housing a number of people as well as being an area used for a few different events across the year one of my favourites has to be the Festival Market which is part of the annual Lichfield Festival.

Beacon Park

Putting Beacon Park down is probably a bit of a cheat, it actually covers over 70 acres of land just outside the city centre and has so much going on within it. At one end you will find a golf course, while the children’s play area lies to one side of it, with activities held across the summer on them.

Next door to the children’s play area is the bistro, which sells a selection of meals, snacks, drinks and of course those all-important ice creams for hot days. Beyond the bistro lays a large expanse of grass, which is used for football matches and many of the events held in the park, such as Cars in the Park, part of The Lichfield Bower.

Beyond that are tennis courts, a beautiful garden area, bowls and of course a number of monuments to different historical figures such as:

Erasmus Darwin

The Grandfather of Charles Darwin and member of the Lunar Society, Erasmus Darwin lived for a period within Lichfield and you can in fact visit his old home, which is now a museum to his life, and herb gardens.

Edward John Smith

Captain Edward John Smith, was of course the captain of the Titanic, the statue was placed in Lichfield as it was the centre of the diocese. It has been made of bronze and until 2010 had taken on a green patina, which was cleaned off and the statue restored as part of the Parks and People programme.

They are just a couple of the statues in Beacon Park others include: King Edward VII and the Museum Gardens’ ornamental fountain.

Lichfield is definitely an area with a lot to see when it comes to historical buildings and attractions and I can see why the older generation perhaps pick this area as somewhere to retire.

Have you ever visited Lichfield, what do you think of these areas? 

*Written in collaboration with PegasusLife.