Church of St Chad, Lichfield

The Church of St Chad stands on the northern edge of Lichfield, beside Stowe Pool. A 12th-century building with later additions, it began as a stone church replacing an earlier monastery near St Chad’s spring. The nave, aisles and chancel survive from the Norman period, while Early English windows and an octagonal font date from the 13th century. A 14th-century tower houses four bells, three from the 17th century and one inscribed 1255. The church was restored after damage in the English Civil War, when a brick clerestory and separate roofs were added. The church’s history is tied to St Chad, who lived as a hermit by the spring here before becoming Bishop of Lichfield in 669. In 1323 the Irish pilgrim Symon Semeonis called it “a most beautiful church” with tall stone towers and rich ornament. Later, curate William Gresley served here from 1830 to 1837. Victorian restorers rebuilt the north aisle, extended the clerestory and added a porch and vestry. Monuments recall Dr Johnson’s stepdaughter and a servant of his family. Inside, the chancel holds a five-light east window with 14th-century tracery. A Lady chapel at the east end of the south aisle was created in 1952 as a war memorial. Outside, St Chad’s Well in the churchyard marks the spring where he prayed and baptised converts. An octagonal stone structure once covered the well, later replaced by a simple timber canopy. The well remains a site of pilgrimage, decorated each Maundy Thursday with flowers and greenery.