Lichfield Cathedral is free, Erasmus Darwin House is £5 and four district parks just won Green Flags. Prices, opening times and what is new, all checked this month.
Lichfield packs an unusual amount into a small city: the only English cathedral with three spires, a museum in the house of the man who half-invented evolution before his grandson finished the job, and a national memorial site ten minutes up the road at Alrewas. Most of the best of it is free. This is what is open, what it costs and what has just changed, with every price checked against the venue’s own site in August 2026.
Free, and worth the trip
Lichfield Cathedral. Entry is free, with a suggested voluntary donation of £5 per person. Open 10:00 to 17:00 Monday to Saturday and 12:00 to 17:00 on Sunday, last entry 16:30 both ways. Hours change for services and events, so the cathedral asks visitors to check its calendar before setting out. Tower tours are bookable in advance (Lichfield Cathedral).
The National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas. Entry is free and the grounds are open 10:00 to 17:00 daily. The charge is for the car park: £5 booked in advance or £8 on the day for a car, £3 or £5 for a motorcycle or scooter. Booking ahead saves £3 a visit, which is the whole point of the advance price (National Memorial Arboretum).
Wall Roman Site, Letocetum. The open-air remains of the bath house and mansio on Watling Street at Wall (WS14 0AW) can be walked round daily, with free parking 50 metres from the entrance. The museum opens 11:00 to 16:00 on selected dates only, run by volunteers: in the rest of 2026 that means 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 and 31 August, 12, 13, 26 and 27 September, and 10, 11, 24 and 25 October (Friends of Letocetum). Dates can change, so check before you drive out.
The parks. Four of the district’s parks hold Green Flag awards as of July 2026: Beacon Park and Burntwood Park, which both retained theirs, and Princes Park and Stowe Pool and Fields, which won for the first time (Lichfield District Council). Stowe Pool is the one to walk if you want the cathedral view that ends up on everyone’s photographs.
What it costs to go in
| Place | Cost | When |
|---|---|---|
| Lichfield Cathedral | Free, £5 suggested donation | 10:00–17:00 Mon–Sat, 12:00–17:00 Sun |
| National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas | Free entry, parking £5 advance or £8 on the day | 10:00–17:00 daily |
| Wall Roman Site, Letocetum | Open-air site free, free parking | Daily; museum 11:00–16:00 on selected dates |
| Erasmus Darwin House | Adult £5, ages 12–16 £2, under 11 free | 11:00–17:00 Thu–Tue to 24 Oct, closed Wed |
| Chasewater Country Park | Parking £1.20 up to 2 hours, £3.50 all day | Daily; toilets 11:00–15:00 |
| Padel courts, Beacon Park | £16 an hour off peak, £20 peak | Seven days a week, booked on the Playtomic app |
The paid-for ones
Erasmus Darwin House, in the Cathedral Close, is the home of the physician, poet and grandfather of Charles Darwin who set out his own theory of evolution decades before On the Origin of Species. Admission is £5 for an adult, £2 for ages 12 to 16, and free for under 11s with an adult. It opens Thursday to Tuesday, 11:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:15 until 24 October 2026, closed on Wednesdays, then switches to Thursday to Monday, 11:00 to 16:00, for the winter. The herb garden is free to visit all year (Erasmus Darwin House).
Chasewater Country Park covers 889 acres of water, heath and old mining country on the Burntwood and Brownhills edge of the district, run by Staffordshire County Council. There is no entry charge; parking is £1.20 for up to two hours or £3.50 all day, and an annual pass is £38, which also covers Milford Common and Marquis Drive on Cannock Chase. Toilets open 11:00 to 15:00 (Staffordshire County Council).
What is new this summer
Three padel courts opened in Beacon Park on 30 July 2026. Padel sits somewhere between tennis and squash and is played mostly in doubles on an enclosed court. Sessions are £16 an hour off peak and £20 an hour at peak times, split between four players, with no membership needed. Booking is through the Playtomic app up to 14 days ahead, and you get a code to open the gate. The courts belong to Lichfield District Council and are run by Active Lichfield District (Lichfield District Council).
An Everyman Cinema is coming to the former Debenhams. Full Council approved a further £5.56 million on 14 July 2026 to finish converting the empty store in the Three Spires Shopping Centre into a leisure venue with a cinema plus food and drink units, and to take full ownership of the finished building. Construction is due to complete later in 2026, with the cinema expected to open in 2027 (Lichfield District Council).
An evening out
The Lichfield Garrick on Castle Dyke (WS13 6HR) is the city’s theatre and takes touring work as well as local productions. Coming up in September 2026: Jason Manford on the 4th, Tubular Bells Live on the 6th, John Barrowman on the 7th, and Lichfield Operatic Society’s The Sound of Music from the 15th to the 19th. The box office is on 01543 412121 (Lichfield Garrick).
Frequently asked questions
Is Lichfield Cathedral free to visit?
Yes. Entry is free, with a suggested donation of £5 per person. It is open 10:00 to 17:00 Monday to Saturday and 12:00 to 17:00 on Sunday, with last entry at 16:30. Hours change around services, so check the cathedral’s calendar first.
How much does it cost to park at the National Memorial Arboretum?
Entry to the Arboretum is free. Car parking is £5 if you book in advance and £8 if you pay on the day. Motorcycles and scooters are £3 in advance or £5 on the day.
What is there to do in Lichfield for free?
The cathedral, Beacon Park, Stowe Pool and Fields, Princes Park and Burntwood Park, the grounds of the National Memorial Arboretum and the open-air Roman remains at Wall are all free, though the Arboretum charges for parking and Chasewater’s car park is £1.20 for two hours.
When is the Wall Roman Site museum open?
The open-air site is accessible daily. The museum opens 11:00 to 16:00 on selected dates only, staffed by volunteers. The remaining 2026 dates are 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30 and 31 August, 12, 13, 26 and 27 September, and 10, 11, 24 and 25 October.
How much are the new padel courts in Beacon Park?
£16 an hour off peak and £20 an hour at peak times, shared between the players on the court. Book through the Playtomic app up to 14 days ahead. There is no membership.
Is there anything to do in Lichfield when it rains?
Lichfield Cathedral, Erasmus Darwin House and the Lichfield Garrick are all indoors, and from 2027 the former Debenhams building is due to house an Everyman Cinema.
Sources
- Lichfield Cathedral for opening hours, free entry and the suggested £5 donation.
- National Memorial Arboretum, plan your visit and book parking for opening hours, free entry and parking charges.
- Erasmus Darwin House for admission prices and seasonal opening hours.
- Friends of Letocetum, Wall Roman Site opening times for the museum opening dates and parking.
- Staffordshire County Council, Chasewater Country Park for size, facilities and parking charges.
- Lichfield District Council for the Beacon Park padel courts, the Green Flag awards and the former Debenhams scheme.
- Lichfield Garrick, what’s on for the September 2026 programme.
Opening times and prices change, especially at volunteer-run sites. Checked August 2026; confirm with the venue before you travel. Getting there is covered on our roadworks and travel page.
Have your say
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