Lincoln is a county town and cathedral city located in east central England on the River Witham. In the 2021 Census, the city’s district had a population of 103,813, while the wider urban area had a population of 127,540.
Lincoln Cathedral, formally named the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is regarded architecturally as one of the finest cathedrals in Britain. The building’s foundations were first laid in 1072 and it was consecrated in 1092. The cathedral was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1185 and in the following centuries it was rebuilt in Gothic style.
The cathedral holds one of the four remaining copies of the original Magna Carta, which is now displayed in Lincoln Castle. In height, the cathedral currently stands at 83 metres (272 ft), but it is once believed to have been up to 160 metres (525 feet) high making it the tallest building in the world from 1311 to 1548. In 1548 it lost this record when its large central spire collapsed in a storm.
Thursday, 28th March 2024
A modern carved wooden panel inside Lincoln Cathedral. This is one of a series of 15 works titled the Forest Stations by artist William Fairbank. It is based on the Stations of the Cross: a series of images depicting Jesus on the day of his crucifixion with accompanying prayers. This one is labelled ‘Jesus, a man of truth, is condemned to death by the crowd, through their government’. It appears to show Jesus in one corner with a large hand pointing above, as well as a crowd of people also pointing in condemnation.Inside Lincoln Cathedral looking from the nave across towards the North Transept with an arched entrance to the north aisle ahead. An elaborate stone screen can be seen separating a side chapel from the North Transept.View along the north aisle of Lincoln Cathedral. A large Gothic-arched stained-glass window can be seen at the far end.A modern statue of the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child inside Lincoln Cathedral. This 2 metre (7 foot) high limestone sculpture was unveiled in 2014. It was carved by Aidan Hart. The statue has been painted using traditional pigments.A replica of the tomb of Eleanor of Castile inside Lincoln Cathedral. Eleanor of Castile was the first wife of King Edward I. She was Queen Consort of England from 20th November 1272 until her death on 28th November 1290. She died at Harby near Lincoln and her body was transported in a grand procession from Lincoln for burial at Westminster Abbey where her main tomb is located. A second replica tomb was erected at Lincoln Cathedral containing her viscera or internal organs (although excluding her heart which was buried at a third location at Blackfriars in London). The Lincoln tomb’s stone chest is original but the effigy was destroyed in the 17th century and replaced with a 19th-century copy. The replica effigy is shown in the photo. It is made of black marble and depicts Eleanor of Castile lying on the tomb with a lion at her feet.Tatiana touching a large urn holding a candle inside Lincoln Cathedral. A female volunteer guide is standing to her right. This is an area of the cathedral intended for prayer and meditation. The urn is one of several modern pots known as Gilbert Pots. They are named after 12th century prior Gilbert of Sempringham. He was the founder of the Gilbertine monastic order. The taller thinner pots represent men and the shorter stubbier ones women. There is one in the centre that represents Gilbert of Sempringham himself: this pot has a rough surface because his skin is said to have been covered with warts.The cloister of Lincoln Cathedral dating from the 1290s. The photo shows the view through one of the unglazed Gothic-arched windows that run along the inside of the arcade that surrounds the quadrangle of grass in the middle of the cloister.The rectangle of grass within the cloister. A group of around five tomb stones can be seen in the nearest corner. A small part of the cathedral itself can be seen rising up in the background.
