Lincoln
The splendid Cathedral City of Lincoln is a wistful mix of medieval buildings and narrow cobbled streets which lead up the hill to the imposing 13th Century Cathedral and castle walls which has over 2,000 years of history entwined with the character of Lincoln.
The area was first settled by the Romans who formed the garrison town of Lindum Colonia in about AD80, but it was the Normans who were responsible for most of the historic architecture you will see in Lincoln today.
During the middle ages Lincoln grew to be one of the most important and affluent towns in England through its woollen industry of the Lincolnshire Wolds and the strategic importance of Lincoln City.
A walk up the aptly named Steep Hill, in the centre of Lincoln is like walking back in time, bringing you past many of gems of medieval architecture, such as Jews House built in the late 12th Century, which housed the many wealthy Jewish Merchants in the area. There are also a number of attractive Tudor buildings around the city and early 15th Century brickwork buildings lining the cobbled streets. The main architectural features are the Castle and of course Lincoln Cathedral .
These were established by William the Conqueror around 1068 and as the Cathedral grew in stature and dominance, the town of Lincoln prospered, being one of the wealthiest in England throughout the 13th Century. Indeed Lincolnshire played an important role in the formation of the Magna Carta, the defining document of liberty and basis for many constitutions to follow throughout the world and one of the few remaining copies is exhibited in the Castle. The medieval era was an important time for the Cathedral, which played host to early parliaments of King Edward I and was an most important Minster at the time. Today it remains one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Britain with stain glass windows of almost unparalleled clarity.
Lincoln is surrounded by graceful agricultural plains and dotted around are picturesque villages made up of old orange tiled cottages and farm-houses. Lincolnshire, Lord Tennyson once said is the county of ‘calm and deep peace’, and that’s just as true today.
