The National Memorial Arboretum is now in its second decade.
The changes that it has undergone since its beginnings are remarkable.
When I originally visited in the early years, it was a somewhat damp, puddly sort of place that could be very muddy in parts.
It is now well established with good roads and paths and very good signposting. Clearly the place is a work in progress though. New memorials are being built and developed all the time and I fully expect the National Memorial Arboretum to grow substantially over the next ten years.
Currently it occupies more than 150 acres.
In many ways, now is probably the best time to visit while it is not too large to easily find your way around.
You can choose to have a very rewarding visit on both warm and cool days providing you dress sensibly. I would suggest that very wet days are best avoided though.
You probably need to allow at least three hours for your visit, although you could probably get a flavour of the place in as little as two hours. Most visitors will spend a lot more time seeing everything they want to and the time will fly by.
The National Memorial Arboretum is easy to find just off the A38 dual carriageway in Alrewas. It is well signed with prominent brown tourist signs.
There is a large parking area with good sized parking spaces. Parking is pay and display and just £3.00 to park all day. There are plenty of blue badge spaces close to the Remembrance Centre.
The Remembrance Centre is a well designed modern, contemporary and very welcoming space that includes very clean and smart toilet facilities, a spacious reasonably priced and comfortable restaurant, a coffee shop, a well stocked gift shop with unusual and imaginative souvenirs. Helpful and knowledgeable volunteers and guides are plentiful and will assist you with any information you require to help you plan your visit.
Regular events take place and full details are included on The National Memorial Arboretum website.
The National Memorial Arboretum has put a lot of thought in being accessible to all.
The memorials generally commemorate the military, but also commemorate public services and important charity and civilian institutions. They range from the grand and elaborate to the simple and quite humble. Lots are set in peaceful woodland or calm, reflective wildflower glades. It is impossible not to be moved by the power of most of the memorials.
I personally found the Burma Death Railway and the Sumatra Railway Memorials which feature track originally laid by POW's, especially moving. The Shot At Dawn Memorial on the eastern edge of the Arboretum, is guaranteed to make you think about the terrible fate of young, frightened soldiers shot in WWW1 for apparently being cowards.
If this is your first visit, then the frequent Land Train tour (Around 1 hour duration £5.00 adults/£2.00 children) is a really good way to find your way around the site and get an idea of what you want to see in more detail. There is a clear and very informative commentary.
If you choose to simply walk around the grounds then the roads and paths are all level and well maintained and there are plenty of benches to take a rest or simply to sit and contemplate our recent military history.
The National Memorial Arboretum is well worth a visit. It is a moving and interesting place to see. It is not all sad though and aspects are quite uplifting so you will definitely enjoy your visit.
Admission is free and all profits from the parking, shop, restaurant, coffee shop and other events go towards the upkeep of the arboretum.

On Thursday, 27th. September, 2012 I travelled by the 9.45 am London Midland train from Northampton to Lichfield Trent Valley, and then by a small diesel electric to Lichfield City station. I travel first class and the trip was both comfortable and punctual. At Lichfield city station I then took a taxi to the local Record Office to conduct some family research for the period 1783 - 1801, which entailed the scanning of ancient text written on parchments. I was researching my family names of Moreton, Randle, and Hatton. My paternal great grandparents were John Moreton Jnr., and Fanny Randle. I had arrived at the record office at about 12. noon, so after several hours of intensive research of the parchments, I took a break to rest my eyes. I first walked across from the RO to the nearby Gatehouse public house and there enjoyed a very cheap pint priced at only £1.99p. This was a Weatherstone's retail outlet. I could scarcely believe the price. I enjoyed the pint and then walked directly towards the cathedral. It took only ten minutes to reweach this remarkable piece of architecture which had faced the wrath of Oliver Cromwells' soldiers in the mid-seventeenth century during the time of
The Commonwealth when England was a republic in the wake of the regicide of the last king Charles I, who was beheaded after his trial outside Whitehall, London. The cathedral is built in tis attractive local red quarried stone which gives it a unique visual ambience, especially in bright sunshine. The interior is not brightly lit, so be prepared for the sudden drop in quality
light. I only had a short time on my hands so strode clockwise round the cathderal but in that short time was able to see the spectacular medieval glass windows, the burial sites of several famous clergy, some of the cathederal's ancient silverware and related artefacts, and, the inscriptions on the headstones of the cathdedrals clergy who had been buried here. I could imagine a wonderful ambience in the cathedral during either Easter or Christmas ceremonies.
In the bookshop opposite the cathderal I bought several well printed books which recorded the cathedrals history in photographs and text. I also bought a cute teddy bear which wore a jacket bearing the Lichfield cathedral logotype as well as a nicely printed T-towel bearing a graphic of the cathedral. The walkway back to the record office is a pedestrian walkway, so does not have the volume of traffic normally encountered in a city centre, which is an asset as one can stroll peacefully without noise and distraction from cars, vans and lorries. In the immediate area are a wide variety of restaurants, which served Thai, Indian, Chinese and Italin food. There are also several pubs and a hotel from which to choose a beverage, as I had done earlier. The rain held-off, until I departed at 18.00. By 19.45 I was back in Northampton having spent a fruitful and enjoyable visit to this charming city. I think a two day visit would give the visitor a better feel for the city's history and local people. I found everybody to be most helpful and aboveall polite. I will certainly be returning for further family research and to revisit the cathedral and several other local places of historical interest. The city has some fine antique shops. My family research proved fruitful with over forty entries for my related families, of which, all were written on parchments dating from 1787 - 1800 for my families. My next local visit will be to Nuneaton. Geoffrey E. Dxion-Hamilton, editor, Anglo Nordic Times ( Fd. 1976 ).
visit: Thurs. 27. ix. 2012. 0.9.45 am - 19. 45pm gmt bst.

Lichfield City is a pleasant half-hour train ride north out of Birmingham in the Staffordshire countryside, and home to one of England’s great old cathedrals. With its unmistakable three spires (“Three Sisters”), Lichfield Cathedral is a magnificent sight to behold as you approach the historic city center. The environs of the cathedral are a pleasure to explore as is an unhurried walk through the cathedral itself. Lanes leading to the cathedral offer welcoming small-scale cafes, restaurants, and other inviting businesses and attractions, such as museums honoring Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles, and Samuel Johnson, compiler of an important early English dictionary. There is a lovely pond you can stroll beside, pubs offering traditional refreshment, and a village market outside St. Mary’s Church, all just minutes from the cathedral by foot.

The exterior stonework of the cathedral is an imposing dark reddish hue. Its three sky-piercing spires are a unique feature among English cathedrals. It’s easy to spot many interesting and intact gargoyles mounted at various levels on the outer walls of the church, particularly at the east end. Watch out for an especially horrifying one of Medusa’s head. If you’re lucky, you’ll hear a session of change-ringing in the bell tower, the cascading sound of bells mightily rolling around upon themselves with subtle, ever-shifting changes of bell sequence. Change-ringing is one of the aural wonders of English cathedrals and never fails to give me goosebumps and make time seem to stand still. Have a seat on one of many benches placed along the perimeter of the cathedral and enjoy gazing upon any of the many different views of this grand edifice.

A wander through the interior will provide you with several hours immersion in a serene yet historical and awe-inspiring cathedral environment. Lichfield Cathedral traces its origins back to the legend of St. Chad in the 600’s. The present cathedral took about 150 years to build and is largely Gothic. It contains all the major styles within that broad category of time stretching from the 1200’s through the 1300’s and beyond. The crossing and western end of the choir date from 1200 and show both Norman Transitional and Early English work. The Lady Chapel and eastern choir are in the Decorated style, and there are examples of Perpendicular style.

The cathedral suffered much damage at the hands of Henry VIII and during the English Civil War so had to undergo quite a bit of rebuilding in subsequent ages, which continues to the present day. Lichfield and the cathedral close were a battleground during the Civil War in the 1600’s. If you look closely at the many carved heads decorating the side aisles in the nave, you can see slash marks on some of them where swords were sharpened during that upheaval!

History washes over you as you explore this ancient building and marvel over the monuments, effigies, stained glass windows, tiled floors, organ pipes, chantry chapels, massive doors, iron and metal-work, the complex tracery, and myriad of architectural features from the smallest detailed wood and stone carvings to the soaring arches, breathtaking ceiling vaulting, and herculean pillars. One of the cathedral’s treasures is the St. Chad Gospels, an eighth-century Gospel Book with 236 surviving folios, eight of which are illuminated. Priceless exhibits such as this along with the vast cathedral fabric that envelopes and transports you make for a profoundly rewarding experience.

There are two cathedral gift shops. Purchases benefit the cathedral and help you remember your lovely sojourn at Lichfield’s “Three-Sisters” cathedral.