Our speaker in September 2024 was Jonathan (Jono) Oates, a local historian, author, tour guide, and much else. He told us about a recent project in Lichfield in which he had played a leading role.

In November 2022 'Lichfield Live' ran an article on the potential return of "The Johnson Head". This is a bust of Lichfield's most famous son, Samuel Johnson, which had been installed above the doorway of Number 10 Bird Street from 1884 to 1969. Fifty years later the bust was offered for sale, by auction, in 2017 and the purchaser contacted Lichfield City Council to discuss its potential return to our City. Following discussions with the Johnson Society, the new owner agreed to return the bust to Lichfield - free of charge - but with the stipulation that it should be returned to the exact location from which it had originally come.

Lichfield City Council estimated that the cost of the installation of the bust, including any necessary repairs, would be approximately £7,000; a cost which could not be met directly from council funds.

When Jono saw this report, he realised that it was highly unlikely that any individual, or organisation, would be able to fund the total cost of the installation. However, he thought that the money could be raised by crowdfunding. So, in January 2023, he set up a GoFundMe project. This is a computer application, where individuals can donate money to a community-based or charitable project. Jono aimed to raise £6,000 and set a projected time of nine months in which to raise the target amount.

Within a few hours, money started to be donated to the account - initially in donations of £10 and £20, then also in larger amounts. The fund reached £3,500 in just under a fortnight, at which point Lichfield City Council contacted Jono with some great news. Messenger, a restoration company based in Burntwood, had been so impressed by the amount of money that had been raised, and in such a short period of time, that they agreed to pay for the installation, including time and materials, out of their own resources. The fund could then be closed, the target amount having now been achieved with the generosity of the Messenger group.

Work could now start and Jono paid privately for the bust to be transported from the current owner's home in Oxfordshire, back to Lichfield. However, when the bust arrived it was very clear that it had sustained severe damage over the decades. A local stonemason, Paul Jones, agreed to undertake the repairs and restoration.

After many months the bust had been extensively repaired and, following preparation of the shop wall, it was installed back in its original location - after an absence of 55 years.

For many years Number 10 Bird Street had been a printer's shop; the family firm of Lomax's. Thomas George Lomax founded the company in 1850, and his son, Alfred Charles Lomax, continued the business. After Alfred retired in 1901 the firm was taken over by two former Lomax employees, Messrs Bull and Wiseman, and the shop was renamed Lomax's Successors. Lomax's were responsible for producing and selling thousands of books, journals, catalogues and postcards, and also sheet music, in the days long before desktop publishing, and they were one of the most respected and well-known businesses in Lichfield.

Although its business name was Lomax's, the shop was known locally as 'The Johnson Head', after the bust of Samuel Johnson that stood above the doorway. An earlier bust, dating from 1821, was replaced in 1884 with a new one created by Robert Bridgeman and Sons, the noted stonemasons and wood carvers based in Quonians Lane, off Dam Street. When the printer's shop finally closed down, this bust which had remained in place until 1969, was removed to be sold at auction for the first time.

The restored bust was unveiled on 18th September 2024 by the Mayor of Lichfield, Councillor Sam Schafer. A very appropriate date, as it was the anniversary of the birth of the famous lexicographer Samuel Johnson himself in September 1709.

Jono said that the project had been a selfless one, owing to the generosity of people who had donated funds to the GoFundMe account; the team from Messenger who had provided their time for free; the willingness of the owners of the building (the George Hotel) and the owners of the shop (Viking e-cigs) who supported the project from the outset; the Samuel Johnson Birthplace Museum and the Johnson Society for their support; and stonemason Paul Jones for the careful restoration work he carried out on the bust.

The Johnson Head bust was missing from Lichfield for 55 years, but hopefully it will now remain a feature on Number 10 Bird Street for many decades to come.

Based on notes provided by the speaker