9: Lincoln Cathedral

"A bicycle shed is a building," wrote Nikolaus Pevsner. "Lincoln Cathedral is a piece of architecture", a statement so begging to be contradicted as to send one searching for the nation's most beautiful bicycle sheds. As for his choice of Lincoln as an ultimate exemplar, out of the whole wealth of European architecture, it's an intriguing one. It is not the most famous, glamorous, biggest or most perfect of gothic cathedrals, although it was possibly the tallest building in the world until its spire collapsed in the 16th century. Its appeal is something to do with its balance: French cathedrals of the same period – the 12th and 13th centuries – pursued the greatest possible height and the most logical possible structure, whereas Lincoln has more ribs in the vaults than structurally necessary and enriches its clean lines with decoration. It is also, if not the biggest, big enough to be impressive. In any case, Pevsner had company in his admiration: John Ruskin called it "the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles".