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Ancient and Modern - some Lichfield Landmarks
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The Borrowcop Gazebo
Standing on the City's highest point the Borrowcop Gazebo is one of
Lichfield's little known gems. The current building was erected in
1805 following a public subscription. It was restored by the Manpower
Services Commission in 1981 and is now maintained by Lichfield City
Council.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2020
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The Martyrs Plaque
The Martyr's Plaque dates from 1676 when it was mounted on the
façade of the original Guildhall. The sculpture depicts the three
dismembered British Kings who feature on the City Seal. When the
Guildhall was rebuilt in the 19th century the surviving parts of the
plaque were re-assembled in the museum gardens. It was restored in
2010 as part of the Lichfield Heritage Parks project.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2020
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The Friary Clock Tower
The Grade II listed Clock Tower which now stands at the south end
of The Friary was presented to the City in 1863 by the Trustees of
the Conduit Lands Trust. The tower was built to a design by Joseph
Potter Jnr and originally stood in St John Street on the site of the
1301 Crucifix Conduit. It was moved to its present location in 1928
when the new road through the Friary was created.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2022
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Sandfield Pumping Station
The Sandfields Pumping Station on Chesterfield Road was built in
1873 to help supply clean water to Walsall from the springs around
Lichfield. Pumping ceased in 1997 and the Grade II* listed building,
which still contains a superb Cornish Beam Engine, is now looked after
by a charitable trust.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2020
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Local Art in Lichfield
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Girl Reading
The neo-classical statue "Time is Precious" was executed
in marble by Antonio Rossetti in 1873 and is now on display at the
Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.
A copy of this statue, known here as "Girl Reading", and its
companion piece by Donato Barcaglia, known as "Old Father Time",
were gifted to the City in 1948 by the late Col. M.A. Swinfen Broun.
The two statues had previously been displayed in Swinfen Hall.
"Girl Reading" was first displayed in the vestibule of the
former Free Library on Bird Street but now stands in the chapel of
St Mary's Church in Market Square.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2023
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The Formation of Poetry
This unusual artwork outside Tesco's store was
created in 2009 to celebrate the tercentenary of
Dr Samuel Johnson's birth. Sculpted by Peter Walker,
with funding from Tescos, the artwork was designed
with the help of students from the Friary School.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2022
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The Erasmus Darwin Statue
Erasmus Darwin (1731-1802) the grandfather of Charles Darwin,
lived in Lichfield for most of his life. A founder member of
the Lunar Society, he was well known as a physician, a scientist,
a philoshopher and a poet.
This four figured statue of Erasmus Darwin was designed by
John Sanders MBE, former principal of the Lichfield School of
Art, and erected by the Darwin Walk Trust in 2012.
Photo - Lesley Bushell, 2021
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