Lichfield - Staffordshire's Premier Historic City
Lichfield has been the home of Tempest Vehicles for more years than we care to remember. Many local residents and customers will refer to us as Friarsgate as that's what we were called for many years when we held the Rover and MG franchises. After MG Rovers sad demise, we took on the Ford Franchise and a new name 'Tempest Vehicle Services Ltd'.
Whilst it's a new name most of the friendly faces are the same as you can see if you visit our About Us section. Our commitment customer service remains as high as ever and we are always happy to see you. Even if you just want to pop in, have a browse and say hello. You will always be welcome at Tempest.
We are a local car dealer with local people and a love of Lichfield and the surrounding county of Staffordshire. This section is our tribute to our beautiful city.
Lichfield is probably most famous for its cathedral and no wonder! This stunning building with its distinctive 3 spires dates back to 672 AD when a shrine was built to Chad, the Bishop of Mercia. This shrine grew and grew over the centuries until it was virtually destroyed during the English Civil War around 1650. After the Civil War, Bishop Hacket started the restoration process. A process that continued over the next 200 years. But it was Sir George Gilbert Scott, the famed Cathedral Architect of the late 19th century, who restored and rebuilt the cathedral to the stunning spectacle we have today.
To this day, work continues on the cathedral to ensure it stays in full use. To support this, an appeal called InSpires was launched to pay for the constant maintenance process.
Lichfield Cathedral has served Lichfield for over 1300 years. We hope Tempest can do the same, in our own way for as long.
One day, John Lang, the Dean of Lichfield Cathedral thought it would be a good idea to start a small arts festival and stumbled across a small music society run by a school teacher - a Mr Gordon Clark. Pretty soon the small spark of an idea grew into a registered charity and company. With the patronage of the Earl, Patrick Lichfield (and a £500 cheque), the festival took off.
Today, 25 years on, the Lichfield Festival is a world renowned festival of drama, dance, cinema, literature, visual art, jazz, folk, classical and world music.
In 2007, the festival attracted 50,000 visitors and lasted for 10 days. It attracted over 400 performers and artists from all over the world perform at 75 events in 16 different venues. Artists such American composer Philip Glass, Britain's composer and conductor, Carl Davis and the Soweto Gospel Choir were present. The festival saw 3 World Premiers as well as two projects involving over 200 local children.
The real beauty of the festival is the way it combines high calibre international artists and legends with local Lichfield talent.
So, if you have never been to the festival, blank out early July 2008 in your diary now and make a point of it.
Whilst you are here, pop into Tempest Vehicles. We are located opposite Lichfield Station or drop your car in for a service whilst you enjoy the superb entertainment on offer.
The countries leading actor in the 18th century was Lichfield resident, David Garrick. An actor of considerable stature on a par with later day geniuses such as Sir Laurence Olivier and Sir Ralph Richardson. The Garrick Theatre, named after this famous Lichfield resident, was opened in 2003 and features a 500 seat auditorium and 200 seat studio theatre. The theatre is just a stones throw from Tempest Vehicles showroom.
This year sees performances from the likes of Barry Cryer, Ricky Tomlinson, Pam Ayres, Barbara Dickson and Lichfield's very own Tony Christie - a regular customer at Tempest Vehicles.
Whether its Opera, Jazz, Pop, Am Dram of international artists, the Garrick Theatre has something for all tastes. For this seasons line up of stars, plays and other performances, visit the Garrick Theatre Lichfield website for details
It was Samuel Johnson who famously said, "I lately took my friend Boswell and showed him genuine civilised life in an English provincial town. I turned him loose at Lichfield."
Not much has changed since then as Lichfield to this day exudes that quality that Johnson was so proud of. A quality we at Tempest Ford try to bring to everything we do.
Johnson was a political journalist, writer, biographer and poet. His mot famous book "A Dictionary of the English Language" forms the basis for today's modern dictionaries. More than that, its a unique record of social culture, language and ideas from 18th century Lichfield and England.
Lichfield's Museum dedicated to his life and works is on the corner of Market Street and Breadmarket Street - walking distance from Tempest's showroom.
Open all year round and for no more than £2 (concessions available) you can visit on of the best military museums there is and one that's a fitting tribute to the brave men and women who served in the Staffordshire Regiment and its predecessors.
The museum features a fascinating display of armoured vehicles and memorabilia covering the regiments long and illustrious history. Based near Whittington on the A51 between Lichfield and Tamworth.
Do you have a story to tell or information about Lichfield you think may be of interest to our visitors? If so, our webmaster would love to here from you. Just email him with your article, story or information and we will try to feature it here.
Links to web sites about Lichfield, Staffordshire and other useful motoring sites can be found on our Useful Sites page. You can find this by returning to our Home page and following the link at the bottom of the page