Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum
Encyclopedia
Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum is a biographical museum and bookshop located in the centre of the city of Lichfield
, Staffordshire
in the United Kingdom
. The building is a Grade I listed building situated at the corner of Market Street and Breadmarket Street opposite the market square.
The museum opened in 1901 and is dedicated to the life and works of the author and lexicographer
Samuel Johnson
who wrote the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language
. Johnson's father built the house in 1707 and Samuel was born in the house on the 18th September 1709 and spent the majority of his first 27 years in the house before leaving for London in 1737.. The house was used as a commercial property for various trades between the time of Johnson's death in 1784 until the house was bought for the city by John Gilbert in 1900 for the purpose of retaining the building as a museum to Johnson. The house remains in active use as a museum to the present day, celebrating its 110 year anniversary in 2011.
style with four storeys, the top storey being lit with dormer windows which were removed in the 18th century and restored in the 1970’s.The front of the house faces onto the Market Square and on this side the upper storeys are jettied outwards over the ground floor. As built this projecting front was supported at each end by a plain pillar, these continued upwards on the corners of the upper storeys by pilasters
of the Ionic order. The facing of the house was red brown brick and the roof tiles were blue black. In the 18th century two central pillars were added and one was removed in the late 19th century. In the 19th century the pilasters were removed and the outside was stuccoed
.
The house was built in 1707 by Michael Johnson and served him as a bookshop and residence. On the 18th September 1709 Samuel Johnson was born at the house and spent much of his early life in the house before leaving for London with David Garrick
on 2nd March 1737 at the age of 27. The house continued to be occupied by Johnson's mother Sarah after his departure. On 31 January 1739, Johnson and his mother mortgaged the family home to Lichfield town clerk Theophilus Levett
, a longtime friend of the family, for £80. The debt was the subject of correspondence between Johnson and Levett, as well as Theophilus Levett's son John, for some years. Ultimately, Johnson paid off the outstanding mortgage in full. After the death of Johnson's mother in 1759, Johnson asked his step-daughter Lucy Porter and his parents servant Catherine Chambers to keep the house and continue running the business.
It is not known when the Johnsons gave up ownership of the house, it may have remained in Johnson's ownership until his death in 1784. As a year after his death in 1785 the house was sold for £235 at an auction in the Swan Inn.The buyer was bookseller Major Morgan who continued the use of the building as a bookshop. From 1817 to 1835 the house was the newspaper office of the Lichfield Mercury. It is thought it then lay empty for a number of years occasionally being used as a grocer, dentists and ironmongers before the premises were bought in 1887 by James Johnson of Stockport in order to preserve the house in which Dr. Johnson was born. Under James Johnson's will the house was sold to the city in 1900, the money being given by John Gilbert, and on 27th May 1901 a museum devoted to the life and works of Samuel Johnson was opened.
Museum
The museum was opened in 1901 and contains an extensive library of manuscripts and books, including over 1,000 books collected by the Revd. Dr. Peter Hay Hunter of Edinburgh and given by his widow in 1911. The museum was run by the city council until 1974, when its management was transferred to a trust. In 1982 the restored city council regained control. The museum is the headquarters of the Johnson Society, founded in 1910. A bookshop part of the museum that faces onto Market Street was opened in 1990.The museum currently contains a varied mix of displays, reconstructed rooms and audio-visual media. Visitors are taken through the colourful life and major achievements of Lichfield's most famous son, from troubled childhood, through literary obscurity and financial poverty, to world renown and success. The collection includes prints and paintings, furniture, manuscripts and books: including many early and rare editions of Johnson's work. The book collection has largely been obtained through three major donations, now housed in the libraries named after their donors: the Hay Hunter, Wood and Blum Libraries. Personal items include Johnson's armchair, tea set, breakfast table and portable writing desk, David Garrick's
walking stick and a bookcase belonging to James Boswell
.
documentary Seven Ages of Britain
, where David Dimbleby
visited the museum to read extracts from Johnson's dictionary.
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The building is a Grade I listed building situated at the corner of Market Street and Breadmarket Street opposite the market square.
The museum opened in 1901 and is dedicated to the life and works of the author and lexicographer
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
who wrote the first authoritative Dictionary of the English Language
A Dictionary of the English Language
Published on 15 April 1755 and written by Samuel Johnson, A Dictionary of the English Language, sometimes published as Johnson's Dictionary, is among the most influential dictionaries in the history of the English language....
. Johnson's father built the house in 1707 and Samuel was born in the house on the 18th September 1709 and spent the majority of his first 27 years in the house before leaving for London in 1737.. The house was used as a commercial property for various trades between the time of Johnson's death in 1784 until the house was bought for the city by John Gilbert in 1900 for the purpose of retaining the building as a museum to Johnson. The house remains in active use as a museum to the present day, celebrating its 110 year anniversary in 2011.
Architecture
The house was built on the corner of Breadmarket Street and Market Street in 1707 by Johnson's father, Michael. The house is built of timber frame and brick infill in a PalladianPalladian architecture
Palladian architecture is a European style of architecture derived from the designs of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio . The term "Palladian" normally refers to buildings in a style inspired by Palladio's own work; that which is recognised as Palladian architecture today is an evolution of...
style with four storeys, the top storey being lit with dormer windows which were removed in the 18th century and restored in the 1970’s.The front of the house faces onto the Market Square and on this side the upper storeys are jettied outwards over the ground floor. As built this projecting front was supported at each end by a plain pillar, these continued upwards on the corners of the upper storeys by pilasters
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
of the Ionic order. The facing of the house was red brown brick and the roof tiles were blue black. In the 18th century two central pillars were added and one was removed in the late 19th century. In the 19th century the pilasters were removed and the outside was stuccoed
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
.
History
Pre-MuseumThe house was built in 1707 by Michael Johnson and served him as a bookshop and residence. On the 18th September 1709 Samuel Johnson was born at the house and spent much of his early life in the house before leaving for London with David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
on 2nd March 1737 at the age of 27. The house continued to be occupied by Johnson's mother Sarah after his departure. On 31 January 1739, Johnson and his mother mortgaged the family home to Lichfield town clerk Theophilus Levett
Theophilus Levett
Theophilus Levett was an attorney and early town clerk of Lichfield, Staffordshire, a prominent early Staffordshire politician and landowner, and a member of a thriving Lichfield social and intellectual circle which included his friends Samuel Johnson, the physician Erasmus Darwin, the writer Anna...
, a longtime friend of the family, for £80. The debt was the subject of correspondence between Johnson and Levett, as well as Theophilus Levett's son John, for some years. Ultimately, Johnson paid off the outstanding mortgage in full. After the death of Johnson's mother in 1759, Johnson asked his step-daughter Lucy Porter and his parents servant Catherine Chambers to keep the house and continue running the business.
It is not known when the Johnsons gave up ownership of the house, it may have remained in Johnson's ownership until his death in 1784. As a year after his death in 1785 the house was sold for £235 at an auction in the Swan Inn.The buyer was bookseller Major Morgan who continued the use of the building as a bookshop. From 1817 to 1835 the house was the newspaper office of the Lichfield Mercury. It is thought it then lay empty for a number of years occasionally being used as a grocer, dentists and ironmongers before the premises were bought in 1887 by James Johnson of Stockport in order to preserve the house in which Dr. Johnson was born. Under James Johnson's will the house was sold to the city in 1900, the money being given by John Gilbert, and on 27th May 1901 a museum devoted to the life and works of Samuel Johnson was opened.
Museum
The museum was opened in 1901 and contains an extensive library of manuscripts and books, including over 1,000 books collected by the Revd. Dr. Peter Hay Hunter of Edinburgh and given by his widow in 1911. The museum was run by the city council until 1974, when its management was transferred to a trust. In 1982 the restored city council regained control. The museum is the headquarters of the Johnson Society, founded in 1910. A bookshop part of the museum that faces onto Market Street was opened in 1990.The museum currently contains a varied mix of displays, reconstructed rooms and audio-visual media. Visitors are taken through the colourful life and major achievements of Lichfield's most famous son, from troubled childhood, through literary obscurity and financial poverty, to world renown and success. The collection includes prints and paintings, furniture, manuscripts and books: including many early and rare editions of Johnson's work. The book collection has largely been obtained through three major donations, now housed in the libraries named after their donors: the Hay Hunter, Wood and Blum Libraries. Personal items include Johnson's armchair, tea set, breakfast table and portable writing desk, David Garrick's
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
walking stick and a bookcase belonging to James Boswell
James Boswell
James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck was a lawyer, diarist, and author born in Edinburgh, Scotland; he is best known for the biography he wrote of one of his contemporaries, the English literary figure Samuel Johnson....
.
In Media
The museum was featured in the fifth episode of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary Seven Ages of Britain
Seven Ages of Britain (BBC series)
Seven Ages of Britain is a BBC television documentary series which is written and presented by David Dimbleby. The seven part series was first aired on Sunday nights at 9:00pm on BBC One starting on 31 January 2010....
, where David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby
David Dimbleby is a British BBC TV commentator and a presenter of current affairs and political programmes, most notably the BBC's flagship political show Question Time, and more recently, art, architectural history and history series...
visited the museum to read extracts from Johnson's dictionary.