Lichfield on the main routes from London to the north-west and Birmingham to the north-east. It also became a centre of great intellectual activity, being the home of many famous people including Samuel Johnson, David Garrick, Erasmus Darwin and Anna Seward; this prompted Johnson's remark that Lichfield was "a city of philosophers". In the 1720s Daniel Defoe described Lichfield as 'a fine, neat, well-built, and indifferent large city', the principal town in the region after Chester. During the late 18th and early 19th century much of the medieval city was rebuilt with the red-brick Georgian style buildings still to be seen
Jason Watkins (actor) for a Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 2001 (2000 season) for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "A Servant For Two Masters" (Young Vic, subsequently transferred to New Ambassadors Theatre). Other theatre work includes "Rafts and Dreams" at the Royal Court Theatre, "Philistines" and "Landscape with Weapon" (by Joe Penhall) at the National Theatre, London (2007) and "A Laughing Matter" (by April De Angelis) at the Liverpool Playhouse in 2003 (for which he was hailed as "magnificent" for his portrayal of the actor David Garrick). In 2018 he gave what some claimed was "the performance of his career" when