Lichfield Museum, formerly known as "Lichfield Heritage Centre", is dedicated to the history and heritage of the city of

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west of B ...

. The museum is located on the south side of the market square on the second floor of St Mary's Church in the centre of Lichfield,

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. Following the renovation of St. Mary's Church into a new community hub in 2018, the museum no longer exists. The museum was opened by the

Earl of Lichfield Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times, twice in the Peerage of England (1645 and 1674) and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom (1831). The third creation is extant and is held by a member of the Anson family. Hi ...

on 30 May 1981 when the 19th century city centre church was converted into a multi-purpose building to serve the community. The newly formed second floor of the church was dedicated to a museum and heritage exhibition dedicated to the history of Lichfield. The museum is run mainly by volunteers and is an independent

Registered Charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

and financially self-supporting.

Features and exhibitions

The museum features a treasury exhibition, were can be seen chalices, goblets and centrepieces from the city,

Diocese of Lichfield The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers of seve ...

and The

Staffordshire Regiment The Staffordshire Regiment (Prince of Wales') (or simply "Staffords" for short) was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. The regiment was formed in 1959 by the amalgamation of the South Staffordshire Reg ...

. Also viewable is the Lichfield Heritage Collection which features over 6000 photographs; negatives; newspapers; reports; leaflets and other interesting memorabilia from the past 150 years. There is a muniment room which features some of the oldest objects in the collection including the City's ancient charters, the earliest being Queen Mary`s Charter of 1553 followed by several others over the centuries, right up to

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. The Guild Book of St Mary's Guild of 1387 - 1680 is the oldest document exhibited. There are also two audio-visual presentations which feature stories into Lichfield's ancient past, the building of the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...

and the sieges during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The Staffordshire Millennium Embroideries are a unique representation of a thousand years of Staffordshire's history, embroidered in silk, wool, cotton, metallic thread and leather, one panel for each century of the

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

. This inspired work was created solely by Mrs Sylvia Everitt of Rawnsley, near

Cannock Cannock () is a town in the Cannock Chase district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It had a population of 29,018. Cannock is not far from the nearby towns of Walsall, Burntwood, Stafford and Telford. The cities of Lichfield and Wolverh ...

, who made these embroideries over five years of dedicated work as her gift to the people of Staffordshire in commemoration of the Millennium. She toured the county for several years giving lectures about her embroideries before donating them to the Lichfield Museum where they are now permanently displayed in a specially designed Gallery. For her work Sylvia was awarded the MBE in 2002. Tours are available to the top of St Mary's 158-year-old spire to a viewing platform 40m above the market square with views over the city and surrounding countryside. There is a coffee shop and gift shop on the ground floor at the exit of the museum. The museum is open 7 days a week from 09:30 until 16:00.

References

External links

Lichfield Museum
- St. Mary's Lichfield
Visit Britain Tourism website
{{City of Lichfield Buildings and structures in Lichfield Museums in Staffordshire Local museums in Staffordshire Museums established in 1981 1981 establishments in England