On Friday the 21st June 2024 we drove up 3 hours to Skegness Lincolnshire, where we decided to visit before continuing onto our campsite at Haven Thorpe Park at Cleesthorpe.
We parked in North End Car Park and walked up long the promenade towards the pier.
The original Skegness was situated farther east at the mouth of The Wash. Its Norse name refers to a headland which sat near the settlement. By the 14th century, it was a locally important port for coastal trade. The natural sea defences which protected the harbour eroded in the later Middle Ages, and it was lost to the sea after a storm in the 1520s. Rebuilt along the new shoreline, early modern Skegness was a small fishing and farming village, but from the late 18th century members of the local gentry visited for holidays.
The arrival of the railways in 1873 transformed it into a popular seaside resort. This was the intention of The 9th Earl of Scarborough, who owned most of the land in the vicinity; he built the infrastructure of the town and laid out plots, which he leased to speculative developers. This new Skegness quickly became a popular destination for holiday-makers and day trippers from the East Midlands factory towns.
By the interwar years the town was established as one of the most popular seaside resorts in Britain. The layout of the modern seafront dates to this time and holiday camps were built around the town, including the first Butlin's holiday resort which opened in Ingoldmells in 1936.
We walked up on the very short pier that is home to just a chippy, amusements and some fast food stalls.
Opened in June 1881, it was at the time the fourth longest in England, originally stretching a length of 1,844 ft (562 m). When originally built, it was a T-shaped pier with a saloon/concert hall at the pier head. Steamboat trips ran from the pier to Norfolk until 1910.
During World War II, the pier closed in an attempt to prevent enemy invasion. A severe storm in 1978 caused significant damage to the pier, isolating the pier head and shelters which were ultimately demolished in the mid-1980s due to the significant costs of restoration. A part of the pier caught fire whilst demolition was taking place.
The pier has had various renovations in modern times, including redecking and waterproofing, allowing for operation during winter periods and permitting usage during rainy conditions.
New owners acquired the pier in early 2021 and in July announced projections to rebuild the structure to its original length. It presently stands at 118m ( 372ft).
We then visited the McDonalds there to have a quick lunch. However turned out not to be so quick. Half hour to get two happy meals, wasn't busy, staff were just slow and disorganised!
We walk up into town and pass the Skegness Clock Tower.
The Jubilee Clock Tower dates from 1898. It has a gabled stone base and an octagonal tower of red brick banded with stone. The square section at the top is in stone and has four clock faces. The building has a pointed bronze roof and the stone base has an inscription and entry.
The Jubilee Clock Tower was built by Edmund Winter of Liverpool to mark Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Construction of the tower was complete by 1899, and it remains one of of the town's most notable landmarks.
We drive on for another hour to the Haven Campsite in Cleesthorpe.
We arrive and set up my new Campal Estate Slimline Campal Estate Slimline setup with the Decathlon Aprenaz Base M tent on the rear.
Bed turned out to be comfy but as suspected we did need the two pillows I bought extra to fill the gaps by the doors to stop us rolling into the gap at night.
We walked around the site and then down to the Fitties Beach.
Wasn't sure if we qualified for the Fitties beach, but we weren't evicted, so all good!
Out in The Humber we can see Haile Sand Fort.
The Humber Forts are two large fortifications in the mouth of the Humber Estuary in northern England: Bull Sand Fort and Haile Sand Fort
The two forts were planned in 1914, at the start of the First World War, to protect the sea entrance to the Humber Estuary. They stand 59 feet (18 m) above the water and have a diameter of 82 feet (25 m). There was accommodation for 200 soldiers. Started in May 1915, they took more than four years to build and construction was not finished until December 1919, a year after the war ended.
During the Second World War the forts were reactivated and modernised. They were regularly attacked by enemy aircraft. During this time, they installed submerged netting to prevent enemy submarines from travelling up the estuary to Hull or Grimsby. The forts were finally abandoned by the military in 1956.
Humberston Fitties beach is a stretch of golden sand separated by groynes at the south end of Cleethorpes. The beach is located between the Saltmarsh and Marine Embankment beach area and the Humber Mouth Yacht Club.
This area is known as Humberston Fitties with many vintage holiday chalets and a larger caravan park, Thorpe Park.
From here you have great views of the World War II forts, Haile Sand Fort and Bull Sand Fort, that straddle the mouth of the river Humber. On a clear day you can also see across the Humber to Spurn Point. This part of the beach has many sand dunes and is also a conservation area.
The area has very little in the way of facilities, but this adds to its charm. On a breezy day you may be lucky enough to watch many kite surfers on the water as this is known as one of the best locations for the sport.
The area adjacent to the beach is a public bridal walkway along the top of the Sea defence, a footpath that runs the entire length of the beach. This allows access through the centre of the Humberston Fitties beach. This is used by many dog walkers, cyclists and bird watchers.
We go back to the car and tent, before heading to the leisure centre at Haven to have dinner in the restaurant before Mel heading over to play bingo. We did plan to go back to see the entertainment but we fell asleep in the car, so we can say the bed is comfy!
Saturday 22nd June 2024
The next day we got up and drove an hour to Lincoln. We parked up at the NCP Car Park St Rumbold Street.
We walked up St Rumbold Street crossing Broadgate and up St Swithins Square passing St Swithins Church onto Saltergate.
We reach Lincoln Guildhall and Stonebow.
The Guildhall and Stonebow, Lincoln, has been the meeting place of Lincoln City Council from Medieval times to the present. The term Stonebow, which is derived from the Danish word stennibogi, indicates a stone archway that visitors entering the city from the south, along the High Street, would have passed through. It is a Grade I listed building. Lincoln City Hall, a 20th-century building on Orchard Street, provides further accommodation for the city council.
The first gateway on the site, which formed the southern gateway to the City on Lincoln on Ermine Street, the main road from London to York, was completed in the early 211 AD. The gateway would have become known as the Stonebow, which is derived from the Danish word stennibogi, some time after the Viking invasion of England in the late 8th century. The Guildhall, which had been located in the south east corner of the city, was moved to a new location over the Stonebow in 1237. In 1386 King Richard II presented a sword to city officials who ensured that it was displayed in the building. The Guildhall and Stonebow were demolished in the late 14th century but, due to a shortage of funds, the present building was only completed around 1520.
Sometime about 1840 the Lincoln architect W. A. Nicholson made extensive alterations to the east end of the Stonebow, when the building that housed the old City prison was pulled down. Nicholson observed that the Roman wall of the Lower Colonia in Lincoln was to the north of the Stonebow and was still standing to the height of about 15 feet. This suggests that the Stonebow was a barbican, that had been built forward of the Roman southern gateway. Nicholson appears to have been the architect responsible for the present building to the east of the Stonebow completed about 1844 which now contains the Mayor's Parlour and the display of civic regalia. Further alterations took place 1885–90 by the architect J. L. Pearson, who was responsible for alterations on the west side of the Stonebow. Pearson created an additional passageway arch and the shop units under the arch. In connection with the alterations Potts of Leeds provided a new clock in 1889 with two dials (one facing north, the other south).
We have breakfast at Jenny's Café on Saltergate before walking under the guildhall and up the High Street pass all the shops here.
We reach the Strait that leads onto Steep Hill.
The Strait is famous for its eclectic mix of independent businesses, which includes traditional sweet shops, fashion boutiques, American smoke houses, and more.
Jew's House on The Strait dates back to the 12th century and the elaborate doorway and windows still remain. Today, the house is occupied by an award-winning, fine-dining restaurant offering a unique culinary experience.
Next to this is Jew's Court, dating to the 17th century and built on what is thought to be a Jewish synagogue. This is home to the Society of Lincolnshire History and Archaeology (SLHA) and their bookshop.
As we begin to climb Steep Hill we pass Jews Court.
A Grade I listed, 13th century building on Steep Hill, traditionally thought to be on the site of a Medieval Synagogue and now a historical book shop.
Though the history of Jew's Court is shrouded in mystery, it came close to demolition before it became home to the Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology. The building therefore houses the society's offices, a lecture room and library, the meeting place for the Lincoln Jewish Community, as well as a local history bookshop selling historical books, second-hand books (fact and fiction) and postcards.
The term 'court' probably refers to the courtyard withing Jewish communal buildings as part of a synagogue complex.
The Medieval synagogue is thought to have been housed behind the two surviving Medieval houses as it is unlikely that a synagogue would have been on the street. Archaeological evidence suggests that the main walls contain 13th century material, with many 18th cenutry additions.
The synagogue was attacked, along with the Jewry, in 1266 by the Disinherited Barons and Gentlemen in the Isle of Oxholme. Along with the whole city of Lincoln, the Jews were ‘spoyled’, with the attackers entering the synagogue and burning holy documents.
There is record also of a large Jewish wedding in Lincoln in 1271, thought to have taken place at the synagogue here. The building is one of only five surviving Medieval Jewish houses in England, evidence of the prominent Jewish community in Lincoln during the 12th and 13th century.
Today the upper room is used by the Lincolnshire Jewish Community, re-founded in 1992, as a synagogue. Next door is Jew's House, the former residence of a local Rabbi and now home to a stylish restaurant.
Roman Lindum Colonia developed from an Iron Age settlement of Britons on the River Witham, near the Fosse Way road. Over time its name was shortened to Lincoln, after successive settlements, including by Saxons and Danes. Landmarks include Lincoln Cathedral (English Gothic architecture; for over 200 years the world's tallest building) and the 11th-century Norman Lincoln Castle. The city hosts the University of Lincoln, Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln City F.C. and Lincoln United F.C. Lincoln is the largest settlement in Lincolnshire, with the towns of Grimsby second largest and Scunthorpe third.
It isn't called Steep Hill for no reason, we continue to climb up the hill.
During the Anarchy, in 1141 Lincoln was the site of a battle between King Stephen and the forces of Empress Matilda, led by her illegitimate half-brother Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. After fierce fighting in the city streets, Stephen's forces were defeated and Stephen himself captured and taken to Bristol.
By 1150, Lincoln was among the wealthiest towns in England, based economically on cloth and wool exported to Flanders; Lincoln weavers had set up a guild in 1130 to produce Lincoln Cloth, especially the fine dyed "scarlet" and "green", whose reputation was later enhanced by the legendary Robin Hood wearing woollens of Lincoln green. In the Guildhall, surmounting the city gate called the Stonebow, the ancient Council Chamber contains Lincoln's civic insignia, a fine collection of civic regalia.
Outside the precincts of cathedral and castle, the old quarter clustered round the Bailgate and down Steep Hill to the High Street and High Bridge, whose half-timbered housing juts out over the river. There are three ancient churches: St Mary le Wigford and St Peter at Gowts, both 11th century in origin, and St Mary Magdalene, from the late 13th century. The last is an unusual English dedication to a saint whose cult was coming into vogue on the European continent at the time.
Lincoln was home to one of five main Jewish communities in England, well established before it was officially noted in 1154. In 1190, anti-Semitic riots that started in King's Lynn, Norfolk, spread to Lincoln; the Jewish community took refuge with royal officials, but their homes were plundered. The so-called House of Aaron has a two-storey street frontage that is essentially 12th century and the nearby Jew's House likewise bears witness to the Jewish population. In 1255, the affair called "The Libel of Lincoln" in which prominent Lincoln Jews, accused of ritual murder of a Christian boy (Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln in medieval folklore) were sent to the Tower of London and 18 executed.
The Jews were all expelled in 1290.
Thirteenth-century Lincoln was England's third largest city and a favourite of more than one king. In the First Barons' War it was caught in the strife between the king and rebel barons allied with the French. Here and at Dover the French and Rebel army was defeated. Thereafter the town was pillaged for having sided with Prince Louis. In the Second Barons' War, of 1266, the disinherited rebels attacked the Jews of Lincoln, ransacked the synagogue and burned the records that registered debts.
Some historians have the city's fortunes declining from the 14th century, but others argue that it remained buoyant in trade and communications well into the 15th. In 1409, the city became a county corporate: the County of the City of Lincoln, formerly part of the West Riding of Lindsey since at least the time of the Domesday Book. Additional rights were then conferred by successive monarchs, including those of an assay town (controlling metal manufacturing, for example). The oldest surviving secular drama in English, The Interlude of the Student and the Girl (c. 1300), may have originated from Lincoln.
Lincoln's coat of arms, not officially endorsed by the College of Arms, is believed to date from the 14th century. It is Argent on a cross gules a fleur-de-lis or. The cross is believed to derive from the Diocese. The fleur-de-lis symbolises the cathedral dedication to the Virgin Mary. The motto is CIVITAS LINCOLNIA ("City of Lincoln").
The dissolution of the monasteries cut Lincoln's main source of diocesan income and dried up the network of patronage controlled by the bishop. Seven monasteries closed in the city alone, as did several nearby abbeys, which further diminished the region's political power. A symbol of Lincoln's economic and political decline came in 1549, when the cathedral's great spire rotted and collapsed and was not replaced. However, the comparative poverty of post-medieval Lincoln preserved pre-medieval structures that would probably have been lost under more prosperous conditions.
Between 1642 and 1651 in the English Civil War, Lincoln was on a frontier between the Royalist and Parliamentary forces and changed hands several times. Many buildings were badly damaged. Lincoln now had no major industry and no easy access to the sea. It suffered as the rest of the country was beginning to prosper in the early 18th century, travellers often commenting on what had essentially become a one-street town.
By the Georgian era, Lincoln's fortunes began to pick up, thanks in part to the Agricultural Revolution. Reopening of the Foss Dyke canal eased imports of coal and other raw materials vital to industry. Along with the economic growth of Lincoln in this period, the city boundaries were spread to include the West Common. To this day, an annual Beat the Boundaries walk takes place along its perimeter.
Coupled with the arrival of railway links, Lincoln boomed again during the Industrial Revolution, and several famous companies arose, such as Ruston's, Clayton's, Proctor's and William Foster's. Lincoln began to excel in heavy engineering, by building locomotives, steam shovels and all manner of heavy machinery.
It was also around this time that the town's name became overshadowed in the world's consciousness by a different meaning of the word “Lincoln”: namely, U. S. President Abraham Lincoln, who led his country through their brutal Civil War and succeeded in abolishing all slavery within its borders. Abraham Lincoln's surname does trace back to the English town of Lincoln, but his family had migrated to America long before his birth. Many locations in the U. S. now bear the name Lincoln, such as Lincoln, Nebraska. But the shared name with England's Lincoln is only coincidental, as the U. S. place names were named in honor of Abraham Lincoln.
A permanent military presence came with the 1857 completion of the "Old Barracks" (now held by the Museum of Lincolnshire Life). They were replaced by the "New Barracks" (now Sobraon Barracks) in 1890, when Lincoln Drill Hall in Broadgate also opened.
At the top of the hill we can see the Cathedral to our right and the castle to our left. We opted to visit the castle first.
We walk on through to Lincoln Castle.
Lincoln Castle is a major medieval castle constructed in Lincoln, England, during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. The castle is unusual in that it has two mottes. It is one of only two such castles in the country, the other being at Lewes in East Sussex. Lincoln Castle remained in use as a prison and court into modern times and is one of the better preserved castles in England; the Crown Courts continue to this day. It is open to the public most days of the week and possible to walk around the walls from which there are views of the castle complex, cathedral, the city, and surrounding countryside. Displayed within the castle is one of only four surviving exemplars of the Magna Carta of 1215. The castle is now owned by Lincolnshire County Council and is a scheduled monument.
A stage was set up in the castle grounds for a Paloma Faith gig that night.
Here there be Dragons!
Bursting through the walls of Lincoln Castle, Lucy, a magical dragon is once again resting on the banks, ready to meet you! Having enjoyed her time in Lincoln she has decided to return and this time she has brought her friend, Norman, along!
Magnificent in size, our fantastical dragons provide an inspiring and enchanting backdrop for this year as you enjoy the grounds of Lincoln Castle!
The dragons are free to view as you explore the Castle grounds * All other admissions apply.
We decided not to pay to walk the castle walls, there was enough to see for free.
After William the Conqueror defeated Harold Godwinson and the English at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he continued to face resistance to his rule in the north of England. For a number of years, William's position was very insecure. In order to project his influence northwards to control the people of the Danelaw (an area that had for a time been under the control of Scandinavian settlers), he constructed a number of major castles in the North and Midlands of England: including those at Cambridge, Huntingdon, Lincoln, Nottingham, Warwick and York.
When William reached Lincoln (one of the country's major settlements), he found a Viking commercial and trading centre with a population of 6,000 to 8,000. The remains of the old Roman walled fortress of Lindum Colonia (source of the name 'Lincoln'), located 60 metres (200 ft) above the countryside to the south and west, proved an ideal strategic position to construct a new castle. Lincoln was also a vital strategic crossroads of the following routes (largely the same routes which influenced the siting of the Roman fort):Ermine Street – a major Roman road and England's main north–south route, connecting London and York.
Fosse Way – another important Roman route connecting Lincoln with the city of Leicester and the south-west of England.
The valley of the River Trent (to the west and southwest) – a major river affording access to the River Ouse, and thus the major city of York.
The River Witham – a waterway connected to the River Trent (via the Fossdyke Roman canal at Torksey) and to the North Sea via The Wash.
The Lincolnshire Wolds – an upland area to the northeast of Lincoln, which overlooks the Lincolnshire Marsh beyond.
A castle here could guard several of the main strategic routes and form part of a network of strongholds of the Norman kingdom, in the former Danish Mercia, roughly the area today referred to as the East Midlands, to control the country internally.
As in Norwich and other places, the castle was used as a secure site in which to establish a gaol (prison; jail). At Lincoln, the gaol was built in 1787 and extended in 1847 – the 1787 Governor's House and the 1847 Prison are now Grade II* heritage listed buildings. The old prison is a three-storey stone building with 15 bays, and is connected to the 18th-century Governor's House via a single-storey prison chapel.
Imprisoned debtors were allowed some social contact, but the regime for criminals was designed to be one of isolation, according to the separate system. Consequently, the seating in the prison chapel is designed to enclose each prisoner individually so that the preacher could see everyone but each could see only him. By 1878 the system was discredited and the inmates were transferred to the new gaol in the eastern outskirts of Lincoln. The prison in the castle was left without a use until the Lincolnshire Archives were housed in its cells.
William Marwood, the 19th-century hangman, carried out his first execution at Lincoln. He used the long drop, designed to break the victim's neck rather than to strangle him, to execute Fred Horry in 1872. Until 1868, prisoners were publicly hanged on the mural tower at the north-east corner of the curtain wall, overlooking the upper town.
Parts of the prison are open as a museum, including the 19th-century chapel which is claimed to be the only one remaining in the world designed for the separate system (each seat enclosed). The prison has been used as a filming location, for example for the ITV television series Downton Abbey.
In 2012 the "Lincoln Castle Revealed" project, a three-year programme of renovation, began at the castle. Work involved creating a new exhibition centre in which to display Lincoln's copy of Magna Carta, building visitor facilities, and opening sections of the prison within the castle to the public. The scheme was completed in April 2015 to coincide with the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. The Lincoln Castle Magna Carta is one of the four surviving originals, sealed by King John after his meeting with the Barons at Runnymede in 1215, and is accompanied by an exhibition explaining the origin of the Magna Carta and its far-reaching effects.
We now walk on to see Lincoln Cathedral.
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| Leigh Pemberton House on the left. |
Leigh-Pemberton House is a historic house located on Castle Square in Lincoln, England, located on Bailgate between Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle. It became a Grade II* listed building on 8 October 1953. It is a half-timbered Tudor house, originally built for a merchant in 1543. A bank from 1899 until 1979, it was eventually given to the city of Lincoln by the Chairman of the National Westminster Bank, Sir Robin Leigh-Pemberton, (later governor of the Bank of England). It underwent extensive restoration in 1929 and 1970.
We walk through the Exchequer Gate to the Cathedral.
Located at the cathedral end of Castle Hill, this is where tenants who rented property from the church came to pay their rents. A chequered cloth was used to aide the counting of the rent monies, and it is from the alternating black and white pattern of the cloth that we get the word 'Exchequer'. The gate was built in the 14th century and probably acted as the main, ceremonial access point to the Cathedral close.
Above the arches are two further floors of rooms, which were at one time let as dwellings. The origin of the building is uncertain, but tradition holds that it was constructed during the reign of Edward I.
Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the mother church of the diocese of Lincoln. The cathedral is governed by its dean and chapter, and is a grade I listed building.
The earliest parts of the current building date to 1072, when bishop Remigius de Fécamp moved his seat from Dorchester on Thames to Lincoln. The building was completed in 1092, but severely damaged in an earthquake in 1185. It was rebuilt over the following centuries in the Gothic style. The cathedral became the tallest building in the world upon the completion of its 160-metre-high (525 ft) central spire in 1311. It surpassed the Great Pyramid of Giza, and held the title until the spire collapsed in 1548 and was not rebuilt.
The cathedral holds one of the four remaining copies of the original Magna Carta, which is now displayed in Lincoln Castle. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the UK by floor area, at approximately 5,000 m2 (50,000 sq ft), after Liverpool Cathedral, St Paul's Cathedral, and York Minster. It is highly regarded by architectural scholars; the Victorian writer John Ruskin declared: "I have always held ... that the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."
We enter the cathedral, there is a charge, but again you can see enough for free without having to pay.
When Lincoln Cathedral was first built, William the Conqueror granted the parish of Welton to Remigius in order to endow six prebends which provided income to support six canons attached to the cathedral. These were subsequently confirmed by William II and Henry I.
Until then St Mary's Church in Stow was considered to be the "mother church" of Lincolnshire. (although it was not a cathedral, because the seat of the diocese was at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire). However, Lincoln was more central to a diocese that stretched from the Thames to the Humber.
Remigius built the first Lincoln Cathedral on the present site, finishing it in 1092 and then dying on 7 May of that year, two days before it was consecrated. In 1124, the timber roofing was destroyed in a fire. Alexander (bishop, 1123–48) rebuilt and expanded the cathedral, but it was mostly destroyed by an earthquake about forty years later, in 1185 (dated by the British Geological Survey as occurring 15 April 1185). The earthquake was one of the largest felt in the UK: it has an estimated magnitude of over 5. The damage to the cathedral is thought to have been very extensive: the cathedral is described as having "split from top to bottom"; in the current building, only the lower part of the west end and its two attached towers remain of the pre-earthquake cathedral.
Some have suggested that the damage to Lincoln Cathedral was probably exacerbated by poor construction or design, with the actual collapse most probably caused by a vault failure.
After the earthquake, a new bishop was appointed. He was Hugh de Burgundy of Avalon, France, who became known as St Hugh of Lincoln. He began a massive rebuilding and expansion programme. With his appointment of William de Montibus as master of the cathedral school and chancellor, Lincoln briefly became one of the leading educational centres in England, producing writers such as Samuel Presbiter and Richard of Wetheringsett, though it declined in importance after William's death in 1213. Rebuilding began 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 architectural style. Lincoln Cathedral soon followed other architectural advances of the time – pointed arches, flying buttresses and ribbed vaulting were added to the cathedral. This allowed support for incorporating larger windows. There are thirteen bells in the south-west tower, two in the north-west tower, and five in the central tower (including Great Tom). Accompanying the cathedral's large bell, Great Tom of Lincoln, is a quarter-hour striking clock which was installed in the early 19th century.
We walk around the exterior of the cathedral.
The two large stained glass rose windows, the matching Dean's Eye and the Bishop's Eye were added to the cathedral during the late Middle Ages. The former, the Dean's Eye in the north transept dates from the 1192 rebuild begun by St Hugh, completed in 1235. The latter, the Bishop's Eye, in the south transept was reconstructed a hundred years later in 1330. A contemporary record, "The Metrical Life of St Hugh", refers to the meaning of these two windows (one on the dark, north, side and the other on the light, south, side of the building):
For north represents the devil, and south the Holy Spirit and it is in these directions that the two eyes look. The bishop faces the south in order to invite in and the dean the north in order to shun; the one takes care to be saved, the other takes care not to perish. With these Eyes the cathedral's face is on watch for the candelabra of Heaven and the darkness of Lethe (oblivion).
After the additions of the Dean's eye and other major Gothic additions it is believed some mistakes in the support of the tower occurred, for in 1237 the main tower collapsed. A new tower was soon started and in 1255 the cathedral petitioned Henry III to allow them to take down part of the town wall to enlarge and expand the cathedral, including the rebuilding of the central tower and spire. They replaced the small rounded chapels (built at the time of St Hugh) with a larger east end to the cathedral. This was to handle the increasing number of pilgrims to the cathedral, who came to worship at the shrine of Hugh of Lincoln.
In 1290 Eleanor of Castile died and King Edward I of England decided to honour her, his Queen Consort, with an elegant funeral procession. After her body had been embalmed, which in the 13th century involved evisceration, Eleanor's viscera were buried in Lincoln cathedral and Edward placed a duplicate of the Westminster Abbey tomb there. The Lincoln tomb's original stone chest survives; its effigy was destroyed in the 17th century and replaced with a 19th-century copy. On the outside of Lincoln Cathedral are two prominent statues often identified as Edward and Eleanor, but these images were heavily restored in the 19th century and they were probably not originally intended to depict the couple.
Between 1307 and 1311 the central tower was raised to its present height of 271 feet (83 m). The western towers and front of the cathedral were also improved and heightened. At this time, a tall lead-encased wooden spire topped the central tower but was blown down in a storm in 1548. Around 1380, the western towers were raised to their current height. They were capped with wooden spires covered with lead in 1420, but by 1807 they were dismantled. With its spire, the tower reputedly reached a height of 525 feet (160 m) (which would have made it the world's tallest structure, surpassing the Great Pyramid of Giza, which held the record for almost 4,000 years). Although still doubted, this is the height agreed upon by the majority of historians.
Sometime during the later stages of the Second World War, the accomplished RAF pilot and future Black British civil rights leader, Billy Strachan, almost crashed his aircraft into Lincoln Cathedral. Strachan credited this experience with ending his piloting career, as he found it psychologically impossible to continue flying combat missions.
Lincolnshire was home to many Bomber Command airfields during the Second World War, giving rise to the nickname of "Bomber County". The station badge for the nearby RAF Waddington depicts Lincoln Cathedral rising through the clouds. Until the opening of the RAF Bomber Command Memorial in 2012, the cathedral had the only memorial in the United Kingdom dedicated to Bomber Command's large losses of aircrew in the Second World War.
During the war, "priceless British treasures" were placed in a chamber sixty feet beneath the cathedral for safekeeping. This did not include the cathedral's copy of Magna Carta as it was on loan in the United States.
We walked around to Priory Gate.
A very short distance from the east end of Lincoln Cathedral stands Priory Gate, which marks the location of one of the old medieval gates that gave access to the cathedral close. The current gateway, surmounted with battlements as if it still served a defensive purpose, straddles the north end of Pottergate.
It is a Victorian replacement for the medieval gates on this site, assembled from the original medieval building material. A similar gateway arch stands at the south end of Pottergate, and Exchequer Gate, a true medieval survivor, stands near the cathedral west front. A few short steps away from Priory Gate is a statue of Alfred, Lord Tennyson, a Lincolnshire native.
The Grade II listed gateway has a central pointed arch flanked by a pair of small pedestrian arches. The top of the gateway is crenellated in the fashion of a medieval castle parapet. The original gate was one of a pair over the road on the east side of the Cathedral grounds.
Both gates were torn down in 1815, and the solitary Priory Gate erected in 1825 using as many of the original stones as possible.
Just by the arch was a RSPB tent with scopes set up to see the peregrine falcons and their chicks up on the cathedral. What a great sight they were too!
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| Statue of Tennyson |
We walk back around and visit Lincolns Bishops Palace.
The Old Bishop's Palace is a historic visitor attraction in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire. When it was first built, in the late 12th century, it was at the centre of the vast Diocese of Lincoln, which stretched from the Humber to the Thames. The Palace was one of the most impressive buildings of medieval England, reflecting the power and wealth of Lincoln's bishops. It is situated on a hillside site, just below Lincoln Cathedral, providing extensive views over the city. The site lies immediately to the south of the Roman wall which had become the medieval defensive wall of the Bail, which enclosed both Lincoln Castle and Lincoln Cathedral. The palace was damaged during the Civil War and subsequently largely abandoned. During the period that followed the Bishop's main residence was Buckden Palace in Huntingdonshire. In 1841, following the reduction in size of the Diocese of Lincoln, the Bishop moved to Riseholme, to the north of Lincoln. This proved inconvenient and Riseholme Hall was sold. In 1886 an older building on the western side of the Palace enclosure was substantially rebuilt and enlarged in a Tudor revival style by the architect Ewan Christian. A further change occurred in 1888 when the architects Bodley and Garner rebuilt and converted the southern portion of the medieval Great Hall into a chapel for the Bishop.
In 1945 it was decided that this Palace was too large and in 1948 the Bishop's residence was moved to Atherstone Place on the north side of the cathedral. The Victorian Bishop's palace subsequently became a Diocesan Retreat centre and since 2009 has been run as the Old Palace Hotel. The ruined parts of the Medieval Palace were placed in the guardianship of the Ministry of Works in 1954, and are now managed by English Heritage. A programme of restoration, excavation and interpretation has been carried out. A modern garden plan was laid out by Mark Anthony Walker, in 2001, and a vineyard re-established in 2012.
The palace's most notable surviving feature is the East Hall, built over an undercroft by the Burgundian-born Bishop St Hugh of Lincoln and completed in the 1230s. The range of buildings that included an expanded chapel and the tower gatehouse were built by Bishop William Alnwick, (bishop 1436–1450) in the 1430s.
We leave the Bishops Palace and walk back pass the Cathedral.
We walk back through the Exchequers Gate and back towards Steep Hill.
We walk back down Steep Hill.
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| Imperial Teas Of Lincoln |
We stop at Bunty's Tearoom for a cream tea.
The tearoom had a 50s style to it, with loads of 50s memorabilia and staff wore 50s clothes too!
Very nice cream tea it was too!
We continue our walk back down Steep Hill.
We pass a Cat Café, with the window full of cats.
We walk back through the town, back under Guildhall and down along High Street passing over High Bridge.
High Bridge, also known as the Glory Hole, carries the High Street across the River Witham in the city of Lincoln in Lincolnshire, England. It is the oldest bridge in the United Kingdom on which buildings still stand.
We cross Wigford Way and down to Brayford waterfront.
Brayford Pool is a natural pool formed from a widening of the River Witham in the centre of the city of Lincoln in England. It was used as a port by the Romans – who connected it to the River Trent by constructing the Foss Dyke – and has a long industrial heritage.
Today, the waterfront surrounding the pool is home to a range of hotels, restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and a modern University (the University of Lincoln). There is also a year-long programme of events on the waterfront including vehicle displays, music evenings and carnival parades.
We walk back under Wigford Way under a bridge and back up to High Bridge.
The bridge was built around 1160. The ribs of the original bridge survive, making it possibly the second-oldest masonry arch bridge in Britain and certainly the oldest with intact buildings on it. Churches and other ecclesiastical buildings were not uncommon on or near medieval bridges but High Bridge is unusual in carrying a secular building.
The current row of timber framed shops on the west side of the bridge date from about 1550. Stokes Tea & Coffee have been custodians of the building since 1937. The two upper storeys of the shops are jettied forward and at the corners there are carved figures of angels. The shops were partly dismantled and re-erected in 1901–02 under the supervision of the Lincoln architect William Watkins.
Bridges like this were common in the Middle Ages, the best known being London Bridge, but most have long since been demolished because of their obstruction to the river flow and to shipping.
The Glory Hole is the name given by generations of boaters to the High Bridge in Lincoln. Locally, the term extends to the pedestrian walkways leading up to the bridge, some of which sit on original wooden structures. The structure has a narrow and crooked arch which sets a limit on the size of boats using the Witham and going from Brayford Pool, at the start of Foss Dyke, to Boston and the sea.
Since the 14th century, the bridge has contributed to floods in Lincoln and after any heavy rain the bridge is virtually unnavigable to boats, which may be why it got its name. A design by William Jessop in the 19th century to reroute the waters of the Witham through the south of the town was never implemented.
The bridge is both a grade I listed building and a scheduled monument.
For centuries the main thoroughfare through Lincoln was the High Street and all traffic had to cross High Bridge. A bypass was built in 1971, taking traffic away from the city centre, and the High Street, including the bridge, was pedestrianised.
We climb the steps back up by High Bridge and walk back to the car. We drive on to visit Cleesthorpe before returning to the campsite.
Cleethorpes is a seaside town on the estuary of the Humber in North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England with a population of 29,678 in 2021. It has been permanently occupied since the 6th century, with fishing as its original industry, then developing into a resort in the 19th century. Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of the three small villages of Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe.
In 2021, The Trainline named Cleethorpes beach the second best seaside destination in the UK that is reachable by train, just behind Margate.
Before becoming a unified town, Cleethorpes was made up of three small villages: Itterby, Oole and Thrunscoe, which were part of a wider parish called Clee (centred on Old Clee) named from clee, an old form of the word clay. The name Cleethorpes is of comparatively recent origin, combining the parish Clee with thorp, an Old English/Old Norse word for "village". The earliest attestations are 1552 for singular Clethorpe (meaning Itterby) and 1588 for plural Clethorpes (including Oole, adjacent to Itterby; later also Thrunscoe slightly to the south).
Whilst there are Neolithic and Bronze Age remains in the area, permanent occupation appears to date from the 6th century, with substantial communities appearing only in the 9th century when the Danes arrived.
The Winter Gardens, a venue for a variety of events, was demolished in 2007 and replaced by 47 flats. During a mass boycott of punk bands in the 1970s the Winter Gardens was just one of five U.K. venues that allowed the likes of the Clash, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols to perform. The old mini steam railway running from the seafront Leisure centre to St Anthony's bank has been extended and significantly improved whilst a cafe, taphouse, and gallery has been added to the boating lake, many ducks and geese use the boating lake to breed making it a pleasant place to visit. A large open air show ground has been built close to the eastern end of the boating lake often showing live bands and hosting special events, most notably hosting the London 2012 Olympic torch relay. A new RNLI station is set to be completed on the Central Promenade by 2025.
We walked along the seafront and like Skegness wasn't really for us. Its a typical seaside resort and unless you love sitting on the beach, candyfloss and amusement arcades there isn't much else to do.
We drove back to the campsite for dinner, more bingo and watch some more crappy holiday park entertainment before we went back to the car to sleep.
Sunday 23rd June 2024
We packed up camp and drove just over three and a half hours back home.
Great weekend to try out my Campal setup!
