Lincoln Cathedral, an awesome gothic building with loads of treasures to discover inside.
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Lincoln Cathedral, an awesome gothic building with loads of treasures to discover inside. Construction of this magnificent cathedral began in 1192, with its stunning rib vaulting as well as pointed arches and beautiful stained glass windows. To contrast with this, the amazing chapter house has fan vaulting and, coincidentally, was where some scenes of the film, the De Vinci Code were shot. Look closely and you will find beautifully carved misericords and if you are eagle eyed you will find some “Green Men” as well as a little creature known as the “Imp”. In the nave at the opposite end to the entrance is the tomb for the entrails of Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I. (Her heart was buried in Blackfriars in Lincoln and the rest of her body, in Westminster Abbey). In the choir area, is the tomb of Katherine Swynford, the mistress and third wife of John of Gaunt whose family line culminated with Henry VII claiming the throne in 1485.
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What is there to see at Lincoln Cathedral?
Essential information
The West Front of the cathedral. Not the best shot but I will go back again and get one without the scaffolding!
Thank goodness, this was not covered by scaffolding. It is called “The Torments of Hell”. Like a “Doom Painting”, this was to show the illiterate people that sinners to go hell where absolutely horrible things happen to them whereas non-sinners are welcomed in heaven. Plus this was not just for a few hours or days, this was for eternity!
Taken from the cloisters
The amazing South transept.
A close-up of the “Dean’s Eye”.
Looking back down the nave.
Stained glass in the south transept.
The great east Window.
A sculpture of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Cantilupe Chantry Chapel. She is the patron saint of the cathedral and of the city of Lincoln. This sculpture was made in 2014 to commemorate these links and to represent all the sculptures of Mary destroyed here during the “Reformation”. Sculptures/statues were considered “Popish” Catholic totems that simply distracted members of the congregation from worshipping what they called “the true God” and as such had to go. This also accounts for the lack of beautiful medieval stained glass in existence today.
Having walked up the nave, you get to the “Central Crossing” and if you then look up, you will see the inside of the tower. The stone vault is magnificent and can easily give you neck strain if you study it for too long.
Above. This is known as the Pulpitum and divides where the choir sits with the nave. There are loads of funny creatures dotted around it. See below.
Guest contributor, David Griffith aka the_epigrapher contacted me to inform me that the sculpture above is a centaur and sent me his photo from Ringland in Norfolk showing a late 14th c centaur.
David Griffiths writes;
Above the arrow indicates the tomb of Katherine Swynford.
Originally her tomb looked like the above photo of a drawing by William Sedgewick featured in William Dugdale’s Book of Monuments but unfortunately, it was “trashed” by “Roundheads in the English Civil War. The brasses show Katherine and her daughter Joan.
Guest contributor, Olivia Guilfoyle aka on Instagram @lookbackwithliv writes;
On the 25th of November (possibly), 1350, Katherine Swynford, mistress and third wife of John of Gaunt, and “mother of the Beauforts”, was born the daughter of Sir Payn Roelt, a Hainault knight in the service of King Edward III of England's consort, Philippa of Hainault. Payn eventually rose to be Guyenne King of Arms.
The identity of Katherine's mother is unknown but she and her older sister, Philippa, seem to have been spent their early years in Queen Philippa’s household.
By 1365, Katherine was serving Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, John of Gaunt's first wife, and she was married to Sir Hugh Swynford of Coleby and Kettlethorpe.
On the 13th of January, 1396, John of Gaunt married his third and final wife, his mistress, Katherine Swynford. Katherine had previously been employed as governess to John’s daughters: Philippa and Elizabeth of Lancaster. It was some time after Blanche’s death, before John’s second marriage to Constance of Castile, that she and John began an affair. His marriage to Constance lead to Katherine being cast aside, however when Constance died in 1394, Katherine and John revisited their romantic relationship. Two years later, Katherine and John married at Lincoln Cathedral, and Katherine became the new Duchess of Lancaster and ‘second lady in the land’ after the Queen.
“John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, married Katharine daughter of Guyon King of Armes in the time of K. Edward the 3, and Geoffrey Chaucer her sister”.
The pair’s children were later legitimised by John’s nephew, King Richard II, and by the Pope. Sadly though, John would die just three years after their marriage, and Katherine would outlive him by four years. Together, the pair had four children: John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, Cardinal Henry Beaufort, Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, and Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland.
It was through the originally illegitimate, John Beaufort, that Henry VII’s claim to the throne was weakly based and had to be strengthened by his “right of conquest” ie his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. This, together with Richard III’s seizure of the throne and the Wars of the Roses make this whole period fascinating.
Katherine Swynford
Above and below is the tomb of Queen Eleanor of Castile. In the nave, at the opposite end to the entrance of Lincoln Cathedral, is the tomb for the entrails of Queen Eleanor of Castile, wife of King Edward I. Her heart was buried in Blackfriars in Lincoln and the rest of her body, in Westminster Abbey. She literally is in three places at the same time.
The soldiers’ chapel.
Above. Memorial window to RAF airmen who died in World War Two. Lincolnshire was the home of several squadrons of airmen who risked their lives to destroy the “Third Reich”', the evil regime of Adolf Hitler.
Above. A close-up of the section of the window showing Bomber Command. Hundreds of Lancasters, like those highlighted in this window, flew to Nazi occupied Europe on a regular basis not knowing if they would make it back.
A well hidden “Green Man” with loads of vegetation. Experts give this type, the “Disgorging Head” because of the vegetation coming out of his mouth.
Above a type of Green Man known as the the “Foliate Head.
Above and below, two more Green Men to discover.
Above an below, misericords. When walking down any nave to where the choir sits it is always worth having a peek for folded seats and accompanying misericords. Some people might think you are odd scrambling low down amongst seats but you get a “little high” when you discover one. Its not like discovering a “Banksy” but it is something that many people miss in their twenty-minute charge around the cathedral/church. I like to think of them as carpenter’s doodles or graffiti ie they are probably unplanned by the authorities, are usually fun and are not always easy to spot unless you are standing over them. They are found on the undersides of fold-up seats for the members of the choir and are intended to provide a partial seat when the chorister is standing up for long periods. They are always beautifully carved and usually show secular or pagan images, nothing like the Christian images in the rest of the church or cathedral.
Above, hidden graffiti. When I was standing at the East end of the Nave a wonderful cleric came up to me and asked, had I seen the Imp? When I answered yes, he replied, “ah but have you seen this? He then pointed out a tiny alcove that, on entering and turning around, displayed this amazing galleon. It cannot be seen as you wander past the alcove, you have to squeeze inside and turnaround. An amazing unofficial piece of art.
Above, the cloisters. Like most cathedrals, Lincoln has cloisters with fascinating vaulting and bosses. If you look carefully, you will spot examples of the “Green Man” here too.
Above and below, two Green Men that you can discover in the cloisters.
Below the amazing Chapter House. This was built in the 1220s and is a regular feature of cathedrals and abbeys. This is where all church business is discussed with members sitting around the outside to enable such events as the election of each bishop of Lincoln. On entering, your gaze is taken up the central column with its twenty ribs holding up the beautiful ceiling.
Three highly important events have taken place here along with elections and appointments;
It is thought that Edward I, Edward II and Edward III all held a sitting of parliament here. Edward I was here in 1301, Edward II in 1316 and Edward III in 1327 where he announced that his deposed father, Edward II, had died. (Note, under mysterious circumstances that historians continue to argue about)
When, across Europe, leaders began to condemn the Knights Templar and call for them to be disbanded, eleven Knights Templar were interrogated here in 1310, having been accused of heresy, immoral behaviour and witchcraft. in 1311, their trials continued in London. This all began in 1307 in France under King Philip IV who was short of cash and envious of the vast wealth of the Templars. He arrested every Templar in France and in 1310, 54 Templars were burnt to death outside Paris! They had originally been formed to protect pilgrims visiting the Holy Land but had developed a vast wealth and acted like a modern bank, lending money to kings, facilitating money transfers across Europe and possessing great power and influence. In 1312, Pope Clement V officially dissolved the Knights Templar.
The Pilgrimage of Grace 1536. Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries upset many people who relied on the monasteries for spiritual support as well as other devices such as medication and alms that they supplied. To many, this was “the last straw” as regards the “Henrician Reformation” and so, they protested. Henry’s reply to their demands that he cease closing monasteries was read out in this chapter house. He told them they were “rude”, “beastly”, “acting contrary to God’s law” and were to obey their king! This was followed by a rumour that Henry’s army was heading their way which resulted in everybody returning to their homes.
Essential information
Getting there;
The cathedral website states;
Located in the city centre as part of the Lincoln Cathedral Quarter, Lincoln Cathedral stands proudly above the city of Lincoln and can be seen for miles around.
East Midlands Railway run trains to Lincoln. You can find their dedicated journey page here which contains full travel details and useful information
You can also plan journeys to Lincoln from across the UK and Europe via train or coach using Trainline
Car parks are located across the city, with several located close to the Cathedral. Click here to visit the City Council website to find out more about parking in the city.
The Walk & Ride ‘Steep Hill Shuttle’ bus is the easy way to get around Lincoln and the quickest way up the hill, with 13 stops across the city.
Opening times
The Cathedral is open daily:
Monday to Saturday – 10am to 4pm
Sunday – 12noon to 3pm
The cathedral is open all day for prayer and reflection, opening for the first service and closing after the last service of the day. Between 10am and 4pm (Monday to Saturday) admission charges normally apply, but access to all services is free of charge, and part of the cathedral always remains freely accessible for prayer and reflection.
There may be occasions when access is restricted to some parts of the Cathedral. Please visit https://lincolncathedral.com/visit-us/planned-closures/ to check for more details.
Admissions
Adult: £9.00*
Concession: £7.20*
Children: £4.80* (5-16 Years – Under 5 Years Free)
Family: £20.80* (2 Adults and up to 3 Children)
All are welcome here at Lincoln Cathedral and we invite all our guests to come and experience the stunning view of the Nave, light a candle, attend a Service or pray in our Morning Chapel without charge.
Please note you do not need to pre-book your visit to Lincoln Cathedral.
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The old phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words” is very appropriate when looking at the magnificent Wenhaston doom painting. In the medieval world where few people could read, a painting of the events of the “Last Judgement” would carefully show what was going to happen to souls when the world would come to an end. This would guide people to manage their lives to ensure a wonderful future. The picture of Hell left no one in doubt that sinners would have a horrible future. The doom painting at Wenhaston is in remarkable condition with very little missing or incomprehensible.