TIRED OF LICHFIELD, TIRED OF LIFE ?

February 2026. Lichfield.

Quite a rarity for me to get three new GBG pubs in quick succession these days, on a bus line as well. The number 36 rumbles between Walsall and Lichfield every half hour purely for the benefit of Beer Guide tickers,

and Lichfield Council have also provided some parking spaces for campervans that I won’t name because then they’ll stop you parking overnight like they’re doing all round the coast.

A night in a cathedral town (just closed, reverse micro hours) and just the one newbie pub, what to do ?

Well, the Horse & Jockey looked lively and had Bathams on, so I’ll give that a miss and admire the timber.

Pub recommendations for some towns write themselves; not so in Lichfield. Is there a definitive blog post on the city ? Does it include the (second) Joules ?

This is a place that has long put the great mind of the day to the test. Here we see Samuel Johnson contemplating the respective merits of Joules, Titanic, Marston and micros for inclusion in the 1747 Good Beer Guide.

Remindered copies of Samuel’s “A Dictionary of the English Language“, which would be of some use to our American readers, are available in one of the most impressively timbered charity shops in the Midlands.

My target is another new Titanic pub, to complement their bod GBG entry up the road in Streethall.

I’m not sure what put me off this place. It might have been “An-even-ing of Radiohead“.

It might have been the soundtrack,

though my notes say “too quiet“.

It may have been “too many beers“,

and goodness knows why Titanic needs anyone else’s beers as guests when everyone just picks Plum Porter,

which is pleasant but a tad thin, and Plum Porter should always be chewy.

Attractive, classy, but a dit dull. I suddely wished I was at the Tamworth Tap Vaults.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

13 thoughts on “TIRED OF LICHFIELD, TIRED OF LIFE ?”

  1. That Radiohead-esque band were terrific at Peterborough Cathedral last year, though the bar offering was unlikely to attract any of the local CAMRA’s so no pre-emptive I’m afraid. Shame, there’s plenty of space in most Cathedrals to squeeze a Micropub in the Crypt.

    (The Real) Mark

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  2. Twenty-nine pints in Lichfield last year compared to fifteen during 2024 suggests that Lichfield is still a good pub town, even for Staffordshire. I must admit though that a direct bus from a stop a three minute walk away helps, and my bus pass ensures that I’ve got sufficient beer money when I arrive.

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  3. One of your best posts, Martin. Plum Porter thin when it should be chewy is spot on beer sommeliership. Good to know you’re still improving, even if the beers are not.

    When are you going to organise a pub research trip to Lichfield?

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    1. Lana, I discovered the Tudor while attending junior school. It hasn’t changed, except for a license and a new counter a couple of years ago, and if I get an early bus to Lichfield I’ll still go for a coffee before the George IV a couple of doors away opens. A ‘restaurant chain’ couldn’t match such a unique and historic establishment.

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  5. “Quite a rarity for me to get three new GBG pubs in quick succession these days, on a bus line as well. ”

    Wait; there’s an actual new GBG that’s on the bus line?
    (as in; on a bus, on the line – pretty novel idea)

    “and Lichfield Council have also provided some parking spaces for campervans that I won’t name because then they’ll stop you parking overnight like they’re doing all round the coast.”

    Silly buggers. Don’t they know the folk in those campervans will put money into their economy? Walmart over here allows all motor homes and campervans to park free overnight, as they know they’ll most likely load up on staples and whatnot before they drive off the next day.

    “Well, the Horse & Jockey looked lively and had Bathams on, so I’ll give that a miss and admire the timber.”

    (slow golf clap)

    “Does it include the (second) Joules ?”

    Is that the backup in case something happens to the family jewels?
    (gotta keep the lineage going dontcha know)

    “Here we see Samuel Johnson contemplating the respective merits of Joules, Titanic, Marston and micros for inclusion in the 1747 Good Beer Guide.”

    (looks down)
    Pfft. I think he’s just nodded off.

    “Remindered copies of Samuel’s “A Dictionary of the English Language“, which would be of some use to our American readers”

    Not to mention, S’African, Aussie, Kiwi and possibly Canucks.
    (that Samuel was ahead of his time, knowing the ‘Queen’s English’ would get bastardised – mind you, he was born in Lichfield and died in London; so he was well aware of just how bastardised the English language could get!) 😉

    “My target is another new Titanic pub, to complement their bod GBG entry up the road in Streethall.”

    Ooh, ooh! Plum Porter!

    “I’m not sure what put me off this place. It might have been “An-even-ing of Radiohead“”

    (looks down)
    The mindless pottery painting wouldn’t have helped.

    “It might have been the soundtrack,”

    (looks down)
    That song title sends a shiver up my spine, and not in a good way!

    “It may have been “too many beers“,”

    Too many! You’ve been suborned by Mussolini’s Italy.
    (though, you lot have a point of not having too many cask ales on tap due to lack of, flow through?)

    “and goodness knows why Titanic needs anyone else’s beers as guests when everyone just picks Plum Porter,”

    See! Although, there was a blogger who liked Citra so much, it was his handle if I remember correctly.

    “which is pleasant but a tad thin, and Plum Porter should always be chewy.”

    Oof.

    “Attractive, classy, but a dit dull.”

    Duller than mindless pottery painting?
    (also, I highly doubt you were going for alliteration with a ‘dit dull’?) ☺️

    Cheers

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      3. “I’m quite a fan of huge shops like Walmart and Woolworths, even though I never buy anything.”

        I must confess that I do, mainly as we live in a town of about 40,000 people. My wife, bless her, rarely does. I got used to it when I was buying all of the snacks for her food truck years ago. As a small business, it made sense.

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