Founded in the first century B.C. (based on excavations of an Iron Age settlement) Lincoln has grown to be a picturesque Cathedral city and the County town of Lincolnshire. It is a popular tourist destination for those who enjoy historic sites such as the Cathedral, the Castle, or the provincial architecture of the specialty shops on Steep Hill and the old area of Bailgate!! The city lies 230 kilometres almost directly due north of London, and is the most northerly point of the Fosse Way, a famous Roman road which still runs from Lincoln to Ilchester in Somerset. This road became for many years the western boundary of the Roman Empire in Britain, and ensured the importance of Lincoln.
Lincoln is one of the first of the cities to be constructed in England by the Romans and remarkably unspoilt by modernisation, the ancient city of Lincoln rises on a hill from the Lincolnshire plains and is visible for miles from any approach road. The superb site is dominated by its magnificent triple-towered Cathedral, around which wind narrow cobble stoned streets and some of the oldest buildings in the country. The Cathedral was built after an earthquake in 1185 ruined a previous church, and is the third largest in the country. It contains many treasures, amongst them two famous stained-glass windows, the Dean’s Eye, constructed about 1210, and the Bishop’s Eye, constructed about 1320. In the grounds of the Cathedral is a statue of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Lincolnshire poet. In the Minster Yard are many interesting buildings, the main one of note being the Old Bishop’s Palace which is in the care of English Heritage. Opposite the West Front of the Cathedral is Lincoln Castle, one of only two Norman castles in England with two mounds. In the 18th century, part of it was converted into a prison and there is a convict’s graveyard in the shadow of Lucy Tower. Within the castle bailey, and still in use, stands the Crown Court, and one of the original copies of the Magna Carta is housed in the Exhibition Centre. Remains of a Roman legionary fortress can still be found in the Newport Arch and the Roman East Gate. Lincoln has two Norman houses, namely the Jew’s House in the Strait, and Aaron the Jew’s House in Steep Hill, and many of the houses on the hill are Tudor and earlier.
Other sites, in the city, worthy of mention are:
The Strait and Bailgate, both narrow cobbled streets of quaint shops and cottages. Many of the shops sell antiques and secondhand books.
The High Bridge, a stone bridge which has spanned the River Witham since Norman times, and still carries a row of shops.
The Cardinal’s Hat, a fine 15th century timbered house, supposed to have been named after Cardinal Wolsey who was Bishop of Lincoln from 1514-15.
The Usher Art Gallery which has a fine collection of watches, objets d’art and paintings.
The National Cycle Museum is at nearby Brayford Wharf.
Other places of interest within 30 kilometres are:
The Fossdyke Navigation Canal, first excavated by the Romans, links the River Witham to the River Trent. It has a towpath which can be walked as far as the Pyewipe Inn. (‘Pyewipe’ is Lincolnshire dialect for the lapwing.)
A private toll bridge across the River Trent on the main A57 road at nearby Dunham.
Did you know that – during the Second World War the ‘Dambusters’ of 617 squadron flew from Scampton, 8 kilometres north of Lincoln?
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