I don’t know where to start. The whole experience of this Cathedral is mind-blowing.
As you know, I was here to walk the Spires and Steeples trail from Lincoln to Sleaford. However, one of my objectives was to visit Lincoln Cathedral for the first time. I planned an easy walk to Washingborough from the door of the cathedral. I then caught the bus back to spend time in the Cathedral.
The steep hill up to the Cathedral is steep! But there are many shops to look into while you catch your breath. You pass through a gateway into the cathedral grounds, and there in front of you is the magnificent door with the kings’ freeze of statues above.
I arrived just after the 11 am tour had departed – time for coffee and cake in the modern cafe. By the time I had finished, it was time for the next guided tour. I was glad I signed up for it.
These volunteer guides put a lot of effort into exploring the cathedral. Ours was excellent and blended history and architecture with insight and humour. I was reluctant to take photographs on the tour, but spent time later in various parts of the cathedral.
While up at the cafe, I looked into a room telling of the cathedral’s history. The following pictures are from a slide show.
William the Conqueror had a Cathedral built in the C11th on the site of a Roman fort. In 1124, the timber roofing was destroyed in a fire. It was rebuilt and expanded, but it was mostly destroyed by an earthquake about forty years later, in 1185. Only the lower part of the west end and its two attached towers remain of the pre-earthquake cathedral.
Extensive rebuilding in the early C13th wasn’t successful, and the central tower collapsed in 1237. It was replaced and, by the 1300s, had an additional spire, making the cathedral, at 525ft, possibly the tallest building in the world at that time. This central spire fell during a storm in 1548 and was never replaced.
Enough history, now for some random photographs of the building’s interior and exterior. I didn’t really do it justice; you will have to visit yourself.
Chapter House with flying buttresses.
The Chapter House.
The Chapter House.
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Cloisters.
The West Tower entrance.
Rose window.
Rose window.
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External Rose Window.
C12th Font.
With a locked lid.
They were setting up the 13m long Black Oak Table made from planks from a 5000-year-old tree preserved in the Fenland peat. It seats 48 people. https://www.thefenlandblackoakproject.co.uk/
The light was fading as I left – somehow emphasising the grand Gothic scale of this magnificent Cathedral.
I never got around to the Castle or art gallery, Storm Darragh was approaching, and I thought I’d better get home before Northern Rail descended into chaos. I was lucky to snatch four fine days walking in December.
