The fourth postcard we've received comes from LICHFIELD!
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| Lichfield aerial view |
WHERE IS LICHFIELD?
Lichfield is a cathedral
city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England .
One of eight civil parishes with city status in England ,
Lichfield is situated roughly 16 mi (26 km )
north of Birmingham. At the time of the
2011 Census the population was estimated at 32,219 and the wider Lichfield
District at 100,700.
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| Location of the United Kingdom |
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| Location of Lichfield within Stafforshire |
LICHFIELD IS FAMOUS FOR...
…its three-spired medieval cathedral and for being
the birthplace of Samuel Johnson,
the writer of the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language.
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| Lichfield Cathedral |
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| Samuel Johnson's The Dictionary of the English Language |
Today, the city still retains its old importance as an
ecclesiastical centre, and its industrial and commercial development has been
limited. The centre of the city retains an unspoilt charm with over 230 listed
buildings in its historic streets, fine Georgian architecture and
old cultural traditions. People from Lichfield are known as Lichfeldians.
LANDMARKS
Lichfield Cathedral
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| Lichfield Cathedral High Altar |
It is the only medieval cathedral in Europe with
three spires. The present building was started in 1195, and completed by the building
of the Lady Chapel in the 1330s. It replaced a Norman building
begun in 1085 which had replaced one, or possibly two, Saxon buildings from the
seventh century.
Hospital
of St John Baptist without the Barrs
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| Hospital of St John Baptist without the Barrs |
A distinctive Tudor building with a row of eight brick chimneys. This was built outside the city walls (barrs) to provide accommodation for travellers arriving after the city gates were closed. It now provides homes for elderly people and has an adjacent Chapel.
The Market
Square
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| Lichfield market square |
In the centre of the city, the square contains two statues,
one of Samuel Johnson overlooking the house in which he was born, and one of
his great friend and biographer, James Boswell.
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| Beacon Park |
Beacon Park is
in Lichfield ’s
city centre and hosts many cultural events. It was created in 1859 when the Museum Gardens were
laid out adjacent to the newly built Free Museum 69
acres of open parkland in the
city centre. The park is located in the northwest of the city centre and to the
west of the Cathedral Close across the road from the Garden of Remembrance
LIFESTYLE
Cultural life in Lichfield is
very important. The city hosts an international Arts Festival, The Lichfield
Festival, which has taken place every
July for 30 years. The festival is a celebration of classical music, dance,
drama, film, jazz, literature, poetry, visual arts and world music. Events take
place at many venues around the city but centre on Lichfield Cathedral and
the Garrick Theatre. Popular events include the medieval market in the
Cathedral Close and the fireworks display which closes the festival.
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| Lichfield festival |
Watch this video to know more about this impressive city!
The postcard that a Lichfeldian, Malcolm, has
sent us does not feature Lichfield. It shows one of the most beautiful natural
areas in England, the LAKE DISTRICT.
The Lake District,
also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a
mountainous region in North West England. A
popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes, forests and mountains
(or fells) and its
associations with the early 19th century writings of Romantic poets like William
Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
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| The Lake District |
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| William Wordsworth |
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| Samuel Taylor Coleridge |
Here you have the quintessential Lake District poem: " I
Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by W. Wordsworth (1815). Enjoy!
I
wandered lonely as a cloud
That
floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all
at once I saw a crowd,
A host,
of golden daffodils;
Beside
the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering
and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous
as the stars that shine
And
twinkle on the milky way,
They
stretched in never-ending line
Along the
margin of a bay:
Ten
thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing
their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves
beside them danced; but they
Out-did
the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet
could not but be gay,
In such a
jocund company:
I
gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What
wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft,
when on my couch I lie
In vacant
or in pensive mood,
They
flash upon that inward eye
Which is
the bliss of solitude;
And then
my heart with pleasure fills,
And
dances with the daffodils.
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