The One With the Steep Climb

So now it’s Tuesday morning and jet lag finally caught up with us – not to mention the non-stop “go-go-go” for the past three days.  We decided to sleep in a few extra hours and have a good breakfast.  We got lost trying to get out of Nottingham – the exit of the parking garage was not on the same street as the entrance and - big surprise-  there was no “block” to go around in order to turn around.  That set us back an extra half hour.

The day was cloudy, but fortunately, it wasn’t raining and the temperature was still pleasant.  On the way to Lincoln, we drove through the edge of “Sherwood Forest” and if we weren’t running late, we probably would have stopped for a few pictures.  As we got closer to Lincoln, we could see the cathedral from several miles away since it is perched on top of a big hill, (according to the guidebook it can be seen from up to 30 miles away) which once we found a place to park in the town, we had to climb!  Part of said hill is above.  By the time we got to the top my legs were burning!

Following his victory at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror set up a northern stronghold in the old Roman city of Lindum Colonia – current day Lincoln.  As was usually the case, a cathedral was built in addition to a castle (above) with the cathedral being completed around 1092.  

Fifty years later –during the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, the cathedral was heavily damaged by fire.  The Bishop at the time, Alexander the Magnificent, was well connected and widely traveled; factors which may have contributed to Lincoln having the first major church building with a stone ceiling as well as intricate carvings around the main door.

In 1185, the cathedral was virtually destroyed by an earthquake – only the west front and towers remained.  Rebuilding in the new “gothic” style began almost immediately, overseen by the new bishop, Hugh of Avalon.  In 1215, the Bishop of Lincoln was one of the signatories of the Magna Carta and Lincoln Cathedral holds one of the four remaining copies of the documents which is usually on display at the castle.

Following Hugh’s death in 1200, a number of miracles were reported at his tomb in the cathedral and twenty years later he was declared a saint.  By mid-century, the number of pilgrims to the tomb  resulted in the church being enlarged (a new “Angel Choir”)  to accommodate the growing crowds and St. Hugh’s tomb.

As the reports of miracles increased, so did the pilgrims – and the money flowing into the church.  In the early 14^th century, the central tower was raised to its current height as were the western towers and wooden spires covered with lead were added.  For nearly two hundred years, Lincoln Cathedral was the tallest building in the world, until the spire on the central tower collapsed in 1548.

Lincoln’s cathedral did not escape damage during the reformation and many of the cathedrals treasures (including St. Hugh’s body) were removed.  Without the pilgrims, the cathedral’s income dropped – especially during the Civil War years from 1640-1648)-  and building fell into disrepair.

With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, repairs were made but the costs for maintaining the building were considerable and over the next couple of centuries the church struggled financially.  By 1726 the weight of the western tower and spires were causing it to lean and nearly 100 years later they were permanently removed for safety reasons.   Structurally the cathedral has remained the same ever since.

The three great arches of the west front are all that remain from the first cathedral from 1092.  Above the doors are a number of figures showing the torments of the damned in Hell and the joys of the blessed in Heaven and scenes from the Old Testament. Currently work is being done by the cathedrals stonemasons to restore them. 

The nave is one of the lightest and most spacious in England and is an example of the pointed arches of gothic architecture, built during the Early English/Gothic style (c1190-1250).  The Cathedral can seat a total of about 4,000 people and on some occasions, like on Christmas Eve, it is standing room only!

The choir screen was damaged when the central tower collapsed in 1237 and was subsequently rebuilt.  Its floral motif was likely originally painted and full of color.  Although we hoped to get a great shot of this without the people in front it, they do give a sense of how big this really is!

The cathedral has two beautiful “rose windows”, both made in 1220s.   Most of the glass in the Dean’s Eye window (large round window above) is original and in 1990 it underwent a 16 year restoration project.  The Cathedral has over 700 windows with 140 of them containing stained glass.

The Bishop’s eye was reconstructed in the 14^th century.

The gorgeously carved choir stalls in St. Hugh’s Choir were installed in the 14^th century.

The Sanctuary contains the High Alter which was restored in 1769 (the original having been a victim of the Reformation). 

In a rather unremarkable niche to the right of the alter is the equally unremarkable tomb of Katherine Swynford.  One of her daughters, Joan, is buried beside her (the tombs have been placed end to end - Katherine's is the higher one). 

The long time mistress (and later wife) on John of Gaunt (son of Edward I), Katherine is the subject of a classic book from the 50’s by Anya Seton (appropriately entitled Katherine).  She is also an ancestress of Henry VIII and the other Tudor monarchs.   I was expecting something a little more elaborate.

Beyond the sanctuary is Eleanor of Castille’s visceral tomb.  The wife of Edward I, when she died in 1290 near Lincoln the king had her internal organs buried here.  Her body was then taken to London and at each stop along the way, the king ordered a cross to be built (the most famous of which is Charing Cross).  Her tomb from Westminster Abbey was replicated here in 1890 to mark the 600^th anniversary of her death.

The Great East Window dates from 1855 and shows scenes from the life of Christ along with Old Testament stories. 

Built in the 1330s, the Chapter House has ten sides.  The stained glass windows date from the late 19^th century and show pictures of the history of the Cathedral.  The person in the blue sweater looking up is me!

As with Canterbury, the sheer number of things to look was overwhelming and I’m sure there are things we missed.  A bit of trivia:  parts of the movie The Da Vinci Code were filmed here after filmmakers were denied access to Westminster Abbey.

The ceiling of the small entryway.

I couldn't find anything in the guidebook which indicates exactly what is in this window, but it looks like a depiction of some kings.

More stained glass

Figures of kings above the main door

Another ceiling shot

another stained glass window

L

After a couple of hours, we decided to have lunch and walk around the town a little bit.  With the Cathedral up on top of the hill, the town around it has several steep climbs – one of them had a sign indicating a 12% grade! 

Unfortunately, the lunch service was a little slow and as we left Lincoln and got back on the highway, I had a sinking feeling we weren’t going to make it to York.  I was right.  But as Chip said, there’s always next time!

*all information is from the Guide book

Cheers!