This absorbing museum charts the life of the pioneering lexicographer, wit, poet and critic Samuel Johnson, who moved to London from his native Lichfield and devoted nine years to producing the first major dictionary of the English language. Johnson's dictionary helped define the word 'dull' with this example: 'to make dictionaries is dull work'. On the 1st floor, a short dramatised film narrates Johnson's life story. It's a lovely property to explore.
Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum
The Midlands & the Marches
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.67 MILES
Founded in 1068 by William the Conqueror, stunningly preserved Warwick Castle is Warwick's main attraction.
King Richard III: Dynasty, Death & Discovery
29.3 MILES
Built following the incredible 2012 discovery and 2013 DNA testing of King Richard III's remains, Leicester's high-tech King Richard III visitor centre…
23.34 MILES
The evocative ruins of St Michael's Cathedral, built around 1300 but destroyed by Nazi incendiary bombs in the Blitz, stand as a memorial to Coventry's…
14.47 MILES
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23.17 MILES
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16.62 MILES
At the University of Birmingham, 3 miles south of the city centre, the Barber Institute of Fine Arts has an astonishing collection of Renaissance…
0.18 MILES
Crowned by three dramatic towers, Lichfield Cathedral is a Gothic fantasy, constructed in stages from 1200 to 1350. The enormous vaulted nave is set…
11.92 MILES
Burton-upon-Trent grew up around its 7th-century abbey, which was famed for its healing spring waters. Brewing began here around 1700 and in the early…
Nearby The Midlands & the Marches attractions
0.05 MILES
Exhibits cover 1300 years of Lichfield history at this museum inside the revamped St Mary's Church, which also contains the town's library and art gallery…
0.18 MILES
Crowned by three dramatic towers, Lichfield Cathedral is a Gothic fantasy, constructed in stages from 1200 to 1350. The enormous vaulted nave is set…
0.22 MILES
After turning down the job of royal physician to King George III, Erasmus Darwin became a leading light in the Lunar Society, debating the origins of life…
2.17 MILES
The village of Wall was once the Roman settlement of Letocetum, which became a key staging post on the Roman road to Wales, and the remains of its inn and…
6.83 MILES
Drayton has been serving up screams since 1949. Crowd-pleasers include the heart-in-mouth Apocalypse free-fall tower and Shockwave, Europe's first stand…
10.86 MILES
This regal, neoclassical mansion is the ancestral home of royal photographer Lord Lichfield. A good proportion of the wall space is devoted to his work;…
11.92 MILES
Burton-upon-Trent grew up around its 7th-century abbey, which was famed for its healing spring waters. Brewing began here around 1700 and in the early…
12.44 MILES
Set in lush grounds 3 miles north of the city centre, this well-preserved hall was built in extravagant Jacobean style between 1618 and 1635. The…