Upcoming Events
May 2026
Guide To A Lady’s 18th Century Wardrobe
Performed in dramatic historical dress with a variety of appropriate accoutrements by Gemma Thompson historian and dress-maker of Lichfield. Explore the changing silhouette of rococo era with demonstration of how ladies would have dressed at the time.
Find out more »Free Children’s Craft Activities
Call in between 11am to 2pm for children to enjoy spring themed crafts. No booking required. Children Free Adults £5
Find out more »June 2026
Monthly Cellar Tour
Learn more about part of the house that is not normally open to the public on this fascinating cellar tour. Please note there are steps into the cellar and the floor is uneven. Adults £5. Children 12 years and over £2.
Find out more »Greek Myths and Legends with Maria Credali
An evening of traditional Greek tales told for adults. Step into a world where gods walk among mortals, fate cannot be escaped, and every choice echoes through eternity. This evening of traditional storytelling brings the myths of ancient Greece vividly to life—tales of love and vengeance, hubris and heroism, beauty and betrayal. Hear of powerful deities and flawed heroes, of mortals who dared to challenge the will of the gods. These are stories filled with passion, danger, and dark humour—where…
Find out more »July 2026
Who was Dr Edward Kent Parson?
This illustrated talk by Lichfeldian Kent Parson, will share fascinating research into his ancestor, Dr Edward Kent Parson. Hear about a physician cum inventor and a man who lived an intriguing life linked to a Battle, an Arctic expedition, and a multi-million pound estate!
Find out more »September 2026
Queen Jind Kaur of Punjab and Six Princesses
Lichfield Cathedral houses a war memorial to the soldiers who defeated Punjab's Sikh Empire in the 1840s. But on the losing side of the Anglo-Sikh Wars stood a woman: Maharani (Queen) Jind Kaur - Queen Regent, separated from her only child, imprisoned, and exiled - leaving her ten-year-old son, Maharaja Duleep Singh, to surrender the Koh-i-Noor diamond to the Queen of England - and the Sikh Kingdom of Punjab with it. If Queen Jind Kaur of Punjab was defeated, then…
Find out more »October 2026
Lunar Lecture – William Strutt FRS: A tradesman of some eminence by Dr Ian Jackson
As William Strutt left no journals or diary, we need to look at contemporary, third party, accounts of his work and legacies, to understand why he was so respected by his peers, including his appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This talk traces his life, both personal and work, with the progression of his more famous improvements, such as fire-proof mills and the stove heating system, and other less well-known activities. Whilst William Strutt was recognised widely during…
Find out more »November 2026
Tales from the Coroner’s Casebook – A Talk by Quintin Watt
Tales from the Coroner’s Casebook – Life and Death in Georgian South Staffordshire and the Black Country. Part One: 1801-1826. This illustrated presentation examines cases of sudden or unexplained deaths, presided over by Henry Smith Esq. - Coroner of the County of Stafford - between 1801 and 1842. These include: domestic and industrial accidents, manslaughter, murders, suicides and ‘visitations of God.’ Who was this coroner, and what do his inquest reports tells us about life, as well as death, in…
Find out more »Thomas Beddoes: Poetry, Medicine, Disease and Drugs in the Early Nineteenth Century: a Symposium
A series of lectures including refreshments and buffet lunch "O! Excellent Air Bag”: Thomas Beddoes and the Pneumatic Institution by Mike Jay This paper tells the story of Erasmus Darwin’s protégé Thomas Beddoes and his experiments with medical gases at the Pneumatic Institution in Bristol, in which he collaborated with a remarkable circle of scientists and poets that included Humphry Davy, James Watt, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey. Mike Jay is an author and historian who has written widely…
Find out more »December 2026
Christmas Past with Sheelagh James
Did Oliver Cromwell ban Christmas? Was Queen Victoria the first queen to have a Christmas tree in a royal residence? Which king first ate turkey at Christmas? And how have other cultures and empires left their mark on Christmas today? These and many more questions are answered in 'Christmas Past', a festive look at the development of Christmas throughout the ages.
Find out more »February 2027
Cheers – A Talk by Sheelagh James
‘For centuries ‘small beer’ was one of the safest drinks in the nation, drunk by men, women and children. This talk looks not only at ale, beer and porter in the Georgian period, but where it was served, what it was served in and who drank it, the zenith of the coaching era, the growth of the breweries and a notorious brewery explosion.’
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