Lincoln Cathedral

Another church from the archives! 

Lincoln Cathedral

The highlight of a visit to Lincoln, UK, is the cathedral there. Standing on the top of the hill and easily dwarfing the nearby castle, this cathedral was built at the instruction of William the Conqueror in the late 11th century. Through various disasters and reconstructions over the centuries, the castle has grown in beauty and prominence. It is the owner of one of the four remaining copies of Magna Carta dating back to 1215, the year it was originally issued. The document is housed in the castle, but a small display in the cathedral shows a copy.

Unfortunately, since we went there on New Year's Day, the book shop was closed and there were no tours on Sundays to get all the good details from them. The first thing we saw on entering was a unique nativity scene.

Front of the Nativity, showing some shepherds looking in a window at...

Back of the Nativity, showing a tired holy family

Detail of Mary and Jesus

The nave of the church is quite impressive, as in many of the cathedrals we have seen.

Nave of church

The 12th century baptismal font was quite ornate.

Top of the baptismal font

Detail on the side of the font representing the battle of good and evil

The choir screen wasn't as impressive as at Ripon or York, and we weren't allowed to pass it while services were going on.

A glorious organ, though!

We did see two models in the church. One was a small replica of the whole cathedral complex, the other was a replica of St. Hugh's tower soliciting donations for the restoration that was in progress (see the picture above for the scaffolding!).

L liked this spot!

Yes, that is St. Hugh on top, as he is outside on the real spire

I came back during nap time which was also between services. Thus I was able to see more of the cathedral. Two of the great treasures of this cathedral are the rose windows in the north and south transepts, the Dean's Eye and the Bishop's Eye, respectively.

Dean's Eye

Bishop's Eye

One of the more illustrious bishops even has a statue under the Bishop's Eye.

Edward King

I was able to go past the choir screen and into St. Hugh's Choir, one of the oldest parts of the cathedral and the place of the cathedra.

Main altar of the cathedral

Bishop's seat or Cathedra

Pulpit

At the back of the church on the left side is Gilbert Pots (named after St. Gilbert of Sempringham), the area where candles are lit.

Glibert Pots

St. Hugh's shrine is also here, where the remains of the saint can be found. He was bishop at Lincoln Cathedral at the end of the 12th century. Not only did he care for the poor and defend the Jews, but also he stood up against three of the English Kings, viz. Henry II, Richard, and John. He also began the rebuilding of the cathedral after the 1185 earthquake.

Tomb of St. Hugh

Another famous part of the cathedral is the Lincoln Imp, who is carved at the top of a column and is devilishly hard to capture in a photo. My camera was not up to the task.

The cathedral also has a cloister which allows for some magnificent views of the outside.

That's the Bishop's Eye from the outside

Cloister with Chapter House on the left

I didn't notice the rose window in the chapter house (which is a large circular room that was quite chilly and has excellent acoustics), so I went back in to see the window.

Chapter House rose window

After this visit to the church, I went on my tour of the Roman ruins of Lincoln.

Movie Review: Lincoln (2012)

Lincoln (2012) directed by Steven Spielberg

Despite the title, this movie is not a bio-pic about American president Abraham Lincoln. Rather, it tells the story of his fight in late 1864 and early 1865 to pass the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery in the United States. The story is dramatically told with the typical Spielberg visual flair.

Even though the film is not a bio-pic, it gives a fully-rounded character portrait of Lincoln. We see him as a father comforting his young son and trying to keep his older son out of combat. We see the turbulent relationship with his wife Mary Todd Lincoln (ably played by Sally Field). He deals with congressmen, soldiers (high and low ranked), government workers, and everyday people. Lincoln often uses his penchant for storytelling to make his points. He's decisive and forceful when he needs to be. He is politically adept, which often means skirting on the edges of (if not crossing over) what's moral to achieve his ends. Viewers see his lawyerly mind working all the different facets of legal issues, especially when he discusses (though really it is a monologue) the legality and the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation. Daniel Day-Lewis gives a great performance, capturing the voice and look and world-weariness and optimism of Lincoln. So perhaps the title is justified.

The political and moral wrangling over the amendment is interesting. Many different factions in the House of Representatives need to be satisfied--hard-lining abolitionists and Southern sympathizers and middle-grounders. Lincoln's staff works with sympathetic congressmen to make sure they don't push so hard they make it impossible for others to join the cause. They hire some men to offer patronage to wavering congressmen to secure their votes. When patronage doesn't work, blackmail is also tried. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Confederate government is invited to negotiate peace (thus placating those hoping that a diplomatic solution has been tried before the amendment is passed) but Lincoln struggles with accepting their potential offer (which would kill momentum for the amendment but end the war) and his desire to pass the amendment (which would end the evil of slavery but kill the peace negotiations). The movie gives plenty of food for thought on the right way to handle such situations and the need for compromise and chicanery in politics.

Check out more commentary on A Good Story Is Hard to Find podcast which is what inspired me to watch.

More Bits of Lincoln

I realized looking through my pictures that there's still some parts of Lincoln I'd like to share.

When we first arrived, we looked for a tea shop to get some refreshment. We found Dennetts Ice Cream Parlour that had a tea room downstairs. The downstairs was quite traditional, by that I mean it felt quite medieval. The cellar dates back to the 14th century!

It was chilly (we were the first customers) but the food was great

Door without stairs!

The town gate leading from the ice cream shoppe to the cathedral was quite impressive.

One out of three looking at the camera ain't bad

The building on the right in the picture above is the church of Mary Magdalen. Though a small church, the people inside were quite welcoming. We admired their nativity scene and Jacob got to see their bell ropes. Lucy was given a piece of candy (Jacob politely refused). They even have a historic sign over the street sign.

Awesome name for a road, though it would be terrible to get in a spelling bee

Down the hill from the Cathedral is a narrow street that leads past a school with a pretty awesome motto over its door.

Disce aut discede--learn or get out!

Lincoln had a large Jewish population in the middle ages and one of the 12th century buildings is called Jews House.

It's a restaurant now!

This house is on a road called Steep Hill because it is in fact a steep hill. We walked up the hill, though we did need a rest when we made it to the top.

Mommy and Lucy look down the hill they just climbed.

Jacob's choice of resting spot is great!

The book store wasn't open, which is another reason that we'll probably head back to Lincoln some day.

Lincoln Castle

On the day after New Year's, we went went to Lincoln Castle. It's not as impressive as it once was (the Civil War took a heavy toll) but it still contains much history and charm, in spite of the time it served as a gaol (that's a jail for you American readers) and the place for executions.

We entered through the East Gate, which had some impressive cannons from the 18th century.

I wish I could claim that I took the picture just as the ball was coming out!

Here is where Jacob found the ultimate souvenir. It doesn't need batteries and is extremely low maintenance. And it didn't cost a thing. Since he found it, he's been showing it to everyone we meet. He even took it with him on our recent trip to Portugal, which will show up in the blog soon, I hope. What is this great souvenir? Let him show you:

"This is the rock I found in Lincoln!"

Entering the gate brought us to the ticket booth/gift shop, where the children tried out some of the more kitschy wares.

Or is that kitschy wears?

The great defender

Once inside the castle, we proceeded to the left to find Cobb Hall, the northeastern defense tower that was also used for public executions in the 19th century. Many birds lived inside the hall, to the delight of Jacob. We saw the various slits where crossbows and short bows were used to defend the castle.

Cobb Hall entrance

Interior with defender's window

That window looks like a nice target!

Down below is where prisoners were kept in chains. Executions were held on the roof, where we accessed the walls of the castle.

Iron ring for chains, ball for cannon shot

The ladder is a tight squeeze

View of the Cathedral from Cobb Hall

We enjoyed the view from the walls but were unable to circumnavigate them because of work on Lucy Tower. It is named after Lucy Taillebois, who was first married to the Sheriff of Lincoln. Subsequent marriages brought her more wealth and she built the tower to assert her authority at the castle.

View from the castle wall

View of the West Gate from above

Lucy Tower under repair!

We retreated to Cobb Hall and then went to the Magna Carta exhibit. The Cathedral's original 1215 AD copy of Magna Carta is on display, along with several informational exhibits on the history and impact of the document.  Naturally, no photographs were allowed.

We also saw an ornately carved stump in the middle of the bailey or inner courtyard.

Lucy and possibly her namesake from the tower

Jacob tries to point but his mitten does not cooperate

Also in the bailey is the castle's well. The bath house just up the slope served as the prison laundry when the castle was primarily used as a jail.

A favorite spot for the children

The bath house, conveniently near the well

Also nearby is a magnificent bust of King George III. The bust was formerly part of a statue on a column 90 feet high that overlooked Dunston Heath to the southeast. When World War II began it was deemed a hazard for aircraft and the statue was taken down. The bust came to the castle in 1973.

Thanks for letting us American colonists go!

We also visited the 18th century gaol, of which the most striking feature is the chapel. It has individual cubicles for the inmates to attend services so they can't see each other. Grimly the chapel is decorated with an empty coffin under the pulpit.

Mommy and Lucy join the women's prison!

View from the chapel cubicles

View from the chapel pulpit (those are manikins)

Two other features are found in the castle. First is the court house, which is still in use and is not available for touring.

The court house

Second is the base of an Eleanor Cross. It is named after Eleanor of Castile, the bride of King Edward I. She married him when he was 15 (and only a prince) and she was 10. They had a fruitful marriage (16 children!) and was a devoted wife to Edward. When she died, her body was embalmed in Lincoln and slowly made its way to London. Everywhere it stayed overnight a cross was erected in her honor. The cross at the castle was one of the many casualties of the Civil War.

The base of the Eleanor Cross at Lincoln Castle

After our visit, we headed out for lunch at a nearby restaurant and then drove home. Lincoln was a great adventure and I imagine we might come back, especially if they have jousting at the castle!