In the Market Square at the very heart of the city of Lichfield is St Mary`s Church, now also the home of the Lichfield Heritage Centre. This church is in fact the fifth one on this site since the first one in 1260, with the present building dating from 1868. With the gradual decline of the city centre population from the 1930`s onwards, this large church, built for a congregation of some 900 people, began to experience problems, and by the late 1970`s it was obvious something had to be done urgently to save this ancient church from redundancy and possible demolition. So in 1978 a committee was formed to examine ways and means to save this historic building. This initiative resulted in an imaginative plan envisaging a Community Centre, run mainly by volunteers, which would be an independent Registered Charity and financially self-supporting. It would have five sections :- 1. A Social Centre for Senior Citizens 2. A Heritage Exhibition and Treasury 3. A Gift Shop 4. A Coffee Shop 5. The original Dyott Chapel and Chancel, was to be retained in a smaller area of the building, as the Parish Church of St.Mary, to ensure continuing worship here for the future. This ambitious plan caught the imagination of the city, £333,000 was raised and the Centre was opened by The Earl of Lichfield in 1981. It has since grown from strength to strength in all sections, with the Parish Church of St Mary still functioning as it has done for centuries. The Lichfield Heritage Centre has become a major Lichfield and Staffordshire tourist attraction, being visited by people from all over the world. In addition, our excellent teaching and educational facilities have proved to be of great appeal and benefit to local schools and children. Our latest refurbishment, opened in November 2002 by our Patron Mr James Hawley TD, HM Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, has now made it better than ever, as shown by the increasing number of satisfied and most complimentary visitors throughout the past year. The new Staffordshire Millennium Embroidery Gallery is proving to be of major significance which, together with all our other fascinating displays and attractions, as shown on our Web pages, makes a visit to this unique Centre a most memorable and rewarding experience with something of appeal for all ages.
|
