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# Lichfield at 4am – a great place to be
- URL: https://lichfieldlive.co.uk/lichfield-at-4am-a-great-place-to-be/
- Published: 2009-04-04T13:39:13.000Z
- Updated: 2011-01-05T19:29:09.000Z
- Author: Paul Groves
- Tags: Comment & Opinion, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-07-22 21:52, News

Unless you are one of the dedicated 24-hour party people, or do shift work, the chances are you haven’t wandered through the centre of Lichfield at 4am.

I hesitate to say it, but you might be missing out on something.

Lichfield’s historic heart beats at 4am. There is an atmospheric quality to the city centre that can even be seen in the stark surroundings of the bus station.

Early this morning I was acting as Sherpa for Rachel (my wife) as she took photographs for the excellent [4am Project](http://4amproject.org/?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk), the brainchild of Birmingham-based photographer Karen Strunks. Karen has been taking photographs of Birmingham at 4am for several months and organised a worldwide 4am mass snapshot for today – 4am on the 4th of the 4th.

We spent a hugely enjoyable hour at various points in the city.

![minster-4am](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/minster-4am.jpg "minster-4am")

Minster Pool

![market-square-4am](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/market-square-4am.jpg "market-square-4am")

Market Square

![city-station-4am](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/city-station-4am.jpg "Lichfield City Station")

Lichfield City Station

![bus-station-4am](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/bus-station-4am.jpg "bus-station-4am")

Lichfield Bus Station

![conduit-4am](https://storage.ghost.io/c/e3/90/e390c3da-0866-4d2a-8ffe-ca4999d7ce1c/content/images/lichfieldlive-co-uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/conduit-4am.jpg "conduit-4am")

Conduit Street

(all photos by [RachelCreative](http://rachelcreative.wordpress.com/?ref=lichfieldlive.co.uk))

There were a surprising number of people around at 4am – about 10 early morning party people making their meandering way home, a milkman, a lady preparing to make bread in one of the bakery shops, a few cabbies, a police patrol and a couple of people walking to work.

The laughing milkman, delivering to various city centre premises, told us: “You must be barking mad. I *have* to be up at this time. Crazy people.”

He might have been right.

But the early morning stroll was well worth it and proved what a tremendous little city we live in.

Photographs have been taken at 4am in villages, towns and cities all over the world for this project. I’m glad Lichfield is represented.

I’m reluctant to encourage people to venture out at 4am and see for themselves as it might affect the quietness and the atmosphere we discovered.

But the city does look great before the dawn chorus is fully awake.