Thursday, August 15, 2013

Land of Lincoln

Here's my stitching progress on Mosey 'n Me's "Spot" - the rabbit.

Another day, another train trip!

This morning King's Cross station was a-swirl with kilts.  England played Scotland (soccer) last night at Wembley Stadium.  The Scots lost in a heart-breaker 2-3.  Our train was full to the brim with Scots returning home - we were lucky to find two seats as the train was totally booked.

Off we went to Newark and then on to Lincoln - fortified by a Full English Breakfast. 

On the top left is the 16th century (1520) Guildhall.  The bottom left is the
Leigh-Pemberton House - a 16th century Tudor merchant's home. The River Withham which flows quietly through the city was full of swans. 

Though Lincoln is in the middle of the flat Fens, its cathedral, bishop's palace, and castle are perched at top a Steep Hill.  And this is the long winding street we walked to reach the cathedral.

 Yes, the street is named Steep Hill, and rightly so. The higher up we went, the narrower and steeper the street, and the more posh the shops. 
The bottom left photo shows the Jew's House and the Jew's Court. These two building are old old old as the Jew's were expelled from England in 1290 and they pre-date that event. 

We even found several examples of medieval windows.  Notice the big 'bubbles' on two of the panes?  Those are the 'ends' of the blown glass and were less expensive to buy.  

Finally we reached the top of Steep Hill Street, and there it was - Lincoln Cathedral.

Peregrine falcons perch atop a platform in one of the towers.

William the Conqueror ordered construction of the cathedral and brought Remigius de Fécamp, from France to oversee the building.  He made Remigus the first bishop of Lincoln - a huge dioscese stretching from the Thames to the Humber. The west entrance is the oldest part of the cathedral and dates from 1088. The two statues atop the spires are of St Hugh and a swineherd who gave St Hugh his life's savings to help fund rebuilding of the cathedral.

Most of the cathedral dates from 1185 after an earthquake destroyed much of the previous building.  What a wonderful space - I was pleased the nave was not cluttered up with chairs. In medieval times this is how it would have looked - though far more colorful and bustling with parishioners and pilgrims. 

Look closely at the two photos on the right.  You can see that the stonemasons did not manage to build to 'true' when they reattached the newer work to the old west facade.  The line of bosses (medallions) are off a good 18" or so.
  
After the earthquake of 1185, a new bishop was appointed. He was Hugh de Burgundy of Avalon, France, who became known as St Hugh of Lincoln. He began the rebuilding and expansion program. Rebuilding commenced with the choir (St. Hugh's Choir) and the eastern transepts between 1192 and 1210. The central nave was then built in the Early English Gothic style.

Lovely isn't it?

The Imp (bottom center) has become the symbol of Lincoln Cathedral.  I think I prefer the owls (bottom left) or St Hugh (upper left).

As the sun shone today, the stained glass windows made lovely mosaics on the floor.

Much of the stained glass was destroyed in the Civil War.  The window on the bottom left uses the broken bits of old glass to great effect.  It is called the Bishop's eye and looks south, the other round window is called the Dean's Eye and looks to the north.

The cathedral has a small Cloister...

And a large Chapter House with 43 seats.

It also is home to one of the four remaining original copies of the Magna Carta.

Directly opposite of the cathedral is are the ruins of the Bishop's Palace.

It once was a large and lavish place of work and home to the Bishop of Lincoln.

We walked over to look at Lincoln Castle, but did not visit.  The castle is currently wrapped up in scaffolding and under-going a large restoration project with much of it off-limits. (Photo from Wikipedia).

We did walk a bit around the cathedral area and found the location of a large temple and the remains of a Roman Well.  Those Romans!  Where did they not leave a mark?

Lincoln's street names are full of historical context - Danesgate, Silver Street, Clasketgate!

And here's a real gem for all you Pillar box fans out there.
This Queen Victoria Pillar box  was painted gold in 2012 by the Royal Mail to honor Sophie Wells, a London 2012 Olympic Gold Medal winner on the British Equestrian team. 

14 comments:

Annette-California said...

I have to say "It was so worth walking Steep Hill Street". WOW Lincoln Cathedral is my favorite one yet! The photo you took of Peregrine falcons perch - looking up - I can see Hogwarts inspiration:) And the central nave is SO LOVELY!!! You made a good start on "Spot". Love those kilts:))) How fun Beth!
love Annette

cucki said...

Wow it's beautiful x

hazel c UK said...

Another memory jerker for me remember Lincoln from many, many years ago when on holiday in the area especially the cathedral for there was a flower festival on at the time. Glad you had a good day and your photographs are really detailed.

What a sight it must have been to see all the Scots.

Your mosey stitch is really taking shape and you are so quick.

Enjoy whatever you o okay.

Hugs
Hazel

Chris said...

Wow! What an amazing day with such amazing sites. So many details to look at. I need to visit here :)

Ann at Beadlework. said...

Another lovely cathedral Beth, you and your mum have soaked up so much history in your visit. By the way I do like Mosey 'n Me designs and you rarely see them these days.

Mary said...

Before you head back home I want to say a big Thank you for taking me along on this trip of a lifetime...I have enjoyed every minute. The photos were amazing, English gardens are the best from the manor homes to the Cotswold window boxes. l

carolm said...

Thank you for all the wonderful pictures and history you reported on your trip. I remember my trip but unfortunately I was not there as long as you and now I see what I have missed. Luckily I was able to walk around Stonehenge a most interesting place. Thank you again for such wonderful pictures....

Barb said...

Another truly amazing cathedral. it looks like a very interesting part of the country. I read a book recently about the early Tudor time in England and it mentioned the Jews being removed. A bit of history I had never heard of.

Margaret said...

I love seeing a cathedral, and this one is a treat for sure! So interesting too! Love seeing the streets of Lincoln as well. Fun to see the kilts too!

Melanie said...

What a great little road for a walk! It must be awesome to live in a little town above a little shop like that, right? I would love that.

All the little motives on these cathedrals are always a bit creepy to me. Makes me wonder what people thought of them all those hundreds of years ago. The interiors are fabulous. 'Wonky' ceiling and all. :)

GOLD pillar box?? I think you found the winner of them all.

Vickie said...

I just love those signs on Steep Hill

Mouse said...

not sure I would have made it up that hill ..lol but the cathedral certainly is worth it :) ...
think the owls would have been better too ..lol
and love the gold pillar box :) love mouse xxxxx

Unknown said...

Glad to see that you enjoyed your visit to Lincoln!

Steep Hill is definitely worth it once you get to the top and the tea rooms and restaurants up it are lovely too. Jew's House actually has a fine dining restaurant in it now which is worth a visit.

Hopefully you can stay a little longer next time and explore the Brayford Waterfront too: a much more modern area with views of the marina and the Cathedral looking down over it.

Unknown said...

Nice post on Lincoln. I haven't been for a while so I think I'm due a little trip in with my little boy. Can not wait for all the work to be completed at Lincoln Castle.