After we visited Lichfield Cathedral we had a swift look around the town and walked across the historic market place. where according to the blue plaques quite a lot has gone on over the centuries, including poor souls being burnt at the stake in the 1550s, during Mary Tudor’s reign.
It looks like neither Jack or I managed to take a photo of the house from the outside but you can see it on their website here.
When we visited the member of staff, probably a volunteer, was very friendly and helpful. I managed to buy a couple of books there, but nothing Johnson or Boswell related. The only such book I have read in the past is Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides, definitely entertaining.
Samuel Johnson of dictionary fame was born in this house which was built by his father. The bottom of the house is a bookshop and gift shop, but you can wander all over the rabbit warren of a house which has plenty of interest on show, related to Johnson. It also has a bureau bookcase which belonged to James Boswell and came out of his family home Auchinleck House in Ayrshire, Scotland.
James Boswell stands in one corner of the marketplace.
At the other side of the marketplace stands Samuel Johnson, overlooking his birthplace.
I believe that the photo below is of the room that Johnson was actually born in.
Johnson left a large part of his estate to his manservant Francis Barber who had been born into slavery.
Samuel Johnson’s birthplace in Lichfield is definitely worth a visit – and amazingly it’s free although they will obviously be thankful for a donation. They also had a copy of Johnson’s Dictionary on display which you could thumb through to see his definitions of words.
I love that you describe the house as a rabbit warren. Boswell standing in the corner made me laugh. I suspect he spent a lot of time standing in corners. I didn’t know about Francis Barber and that bit of info raises Johnson in my esteem.
Stefanie,
I didn’t know about Francis Barber either. I think that Boswell probably spent a lot of time slumped in corners!
The name of Samuel Johnson always catches my eye. My youngest daughter, while attending and working on a master’s in English literature at the local university, helped with the digitization of the Johnson’s dictionary. Fortunately, she and her husband were able to visit his home in London several years ago. I had no idea of this story of Francis Barber….I’ll have to pass this post along to my daughter.
Paula,
How interesting, I would like to visit his London home sometime, and lots of other places in, London but I can’t face the thought of actually going to London, it’s far too busy. It’s a bit of a ‘claim to fame’ to have been part of the digitization of his dictionary!