England's only medieval three-spired cathedral — and Dr Johnson's birthplace
Lichfield has the only medieval cathedral in England with three spires — the 'Ladies of the Vale' visible from miles around — and is the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, the man who wrote the first comprehensive English dictionary. The cathedral close is one of the most beautiful in England, with the cathedral reflected in Minster Pool. The Lichfield Gospels (730 CE) — one of the finest Hiberno-Saxon illuminated manuscripts in the world — are still kept here and are often displayed.
Lichfield was the seat of a Mercian bishopric from 669 CE, in the heart of Anglo-Saxon England, and for a brief period (787–803 CE) the site of England's only other archbishopric besides Canterbury — a status granted by King Offa of Mercia to elevate his kingdom. Samuel Johnson was born here in 1709 and lived in Lichfield until his twenties; his birthplace is a museum, and his statue dominates the market place. The cathedral narrowly survived Parliamentary destruction during the Civil War (it was besieged three times and the central spire was shot down) but was the most extensively restored c…