Blog and latest news
Sign up for our mailing list and stay in the loop with exciting updates and glimpses behind the scenes at the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum.
The changing face of Johnson’s Birthplace
2022 will see some small but important changes at Johnson’s Birthplace. This year, new displays in Michael Johnson’s Workroom will … Read More
Sam’s School Days
Samuel Johnson was born in September 1709 on Breadmarket Street in Lichfield. His home provided his first school, at “his … Read More
“I was bred a bookseller”: the Johnson Family Bookshop
Samuel Johnson’s Birthplace was not only a family home, it was also a family business. This month’s blog post highlights … Read More
The Muse of Johnson’s Willow: Elizabeth Graeme Fergusson
This month we welcome John Winterton, Johnson Society of Lichfield council member and editor of ‘Transactions’, who gives insight into … Read More
Foody: Eatable; fit for food
September is a month of celebration and commemoration at Johnson’s Birthplace, as we prepare to mark Johnson’s 312th Birthday on … Read More
Samuel Johnson and Robert Burton: The Anatomy of Melancholy at 400
In 1621 Robert Burton published The Anatomy of Melancholy. Often cited as Samuel Johnson’s favourite book, the work has engaged … Read More
Johnson’s Willow: The Story Continues…
If you have passed the Museum recently you may have noticed our current willow-themed window display. The creation is in … Read More
Hester Lynch Piozzi
May 2nd marks the 200th anniversary of the death of Hester Lynch Piozzi in 1821. Known to Johnson as Hester … Read More
Samuel Johnson’s Easter Resolutions
Within the Birthplace Museum collection, one little book contains a particularly special inscription. At Easter in 1777, aged 68, Samuel … Read More
Samuel Johnson: a social anthropologist?
A large part of Samuel Johnson’s writing was concerned with contemporary society. In 1773 he had the opportunity to observe … Read More
‘It is advantageous to an author, that his book should be attacked as well as praised. Fame is a shuttlecock. If it be struck only at one end of the room, it will soon fall to the ground. To keep it up, it must be struck at both ends.’
