Staffordshire Regiment Museum

About the museum

The Staffordshire Regiment Museum stands next to the former Whittington Barracks near Lichfield, which opened as a depot in 1880. The present building dates from the 1960s, when the Ministry of Defence paid for it as the headquarters and museum of the Staffordshire Regiment. The regiment began as a foot regiment formed at Lichfield in 1705. The South and North Staffordshire Regiments were merged in 1959, and each had run its own museum before then, the South's at Davidson House in Lichfield and the North's in the old library building in Beacon Street. Their collections were combined in the new building and now also include items from the Mercian Regiment, which the regiment joined in 2007.

The museum has been extended several times, indoors and outdoors. A replica First World War trench was built in the early 1990s and was renamed the Coltman Trench in 2014, after Lance Corporal William Coltman VC, when it was refurbished; visitor numbers then doubled. The Butler Room is a library and archive named after the benefactor Colonel Eric Butler. When the regimental headquarters closed in 2007, the museum became the only occupant of the building.

Today the museum tells the story of the regiment's soldiers and has sections on the Victoria Cross and regimental mascots. Outside there are the trench, a Second World War air raid street, a pillbox, a collection of armoured vehicles and a memorial garden. Its education programme on the world wars reaches about 5,000 schoolchildren a year.

Highlights

• Coltman Trench, a 100-metre recreated First World War front-line trench
• Smart Street, a Second World War air raid experience
• Armoured vehicles from the Second World War to the first Gulf War
• Camp Fisher adventure playground built around a Warrior vehicle
• Victoria Cross and mascots sections

Permanent exhibitions

• Coltman Trench – A recreated 100-metre section of First World War British front-line trench that visitors can explore alone or with uniformed guides.
• Smart Street – A Second World War public air raid experience with sound effects based on recordings of a bombing raid on Coventry.
• Armoured vehicles and the pillbox – Vehicles from the Second World War to the first Gulf War and a Second World War pillbox moved from North Staffordshire and shown as it was during the war.

Founded

1969

Admission & discounts

Free entry for serving members of HM Armed Forces, veterans and members of the Staffordshire and Mercian Regimental Association with a valid ID card. UK taxpayers can pay with Gift Aid for 12 months of free re-entry. The museum is part of the Max Card scheme. Prices may change for events and Discovery Days. Cash and cards are accepted, and booking is not required.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: no information
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There are accessible toilets and free parking. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the site, but other dogs are not allowed in the museum. Outdoors, the Warrior vehicle on Camp Fisher can be entered by wheelchair users and Smart Street is accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs, but the pillbox is not accessible to everyone, so visitors should ask at reception.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Hands-on stations
• Baby changing facilities
• Playground / play area

Children can explore the trench and Smart Street and play on Camp Fisher, a military-themed adventure playground built around a Warrior armoured vehicle and designed for children up to 12. Smart Street has low lighting and sound effects that may not suit younger children. There are baby changing facilities and a picnic area.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the Defence Medical Services Whittington site, just outside Lichfield. The website links to a map but gives no written directions.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

There is a souvenir shop with a pay-and-post phone service, a picnic area, research facilities, and toilets with baby changing. No café is mentioned.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit