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
The Lichfield Festival BBC Radio 3, and shortlisted for a 2007 British Composer Award. The 2007 Lichfield Festival was on a shortlist of 3 for a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society 'concert series and Festivals' award. Alongside Philip Glass's recital was a unique collaborative performance between Tunisian Oud player Dhafer Youssef, Norwegian jazz Trumpeter Arve Henriksen and Armenian Duduk player Djivan Gasparyan. Festival 2008 opened with Marin Alsop's final performance as principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Mexican rockers Los de Abajo performed at the Lichfield Garrick, along with jazz vocal group The Passion, The Puppini Sisters, the Bryan Corbett Quartet, Rainer Hersch,