Lincoln; Sunday, 24 October, 2021

I had a bit of lie in and a late breakfast before wandering over to the Bus station to catch the bus up the hill to the top of town. I wandered back through the Newport Roman Arch and centre of the upper town before reaching the castle.

The castle grounds are open for free and you can wander around. Very little of the original Norman castle remains, with just the mound that the medieval Lucy Tower stands on and the line of the walls being part of the original construction. Today the castle houses a Victorian Prison as well as the Crown Court for the town.

The Victorian Prison is open to look around and in the grounds it houses the city’s original copy of the Magna Carta, as well as the Charter of the Forests that was issued a few years later by Henry III as he confirmed the terms of Magna Carta. Along with the actual documents there is also a video that tells the history of the charter.

You can also explore the cells of both the Womens and Mens wings of the prison and see what life would have been like for the Victorian inmates of the jail. The tour through the complex ends in the Prison Chapel where the concept of isolation was imposed on the inmates as each one had their own private cell in the chapel where they could only see the preacher and none of the other prisoners – even if they were just the other side of a wooden door from them.

Having looked round the prison I then headed up onto the Walls Walk – a full circuit of the castles walls including access to several of the towers along the route. This includes being able to stand above the East Gate and have stunning views across the medieval centre of Lincoln to the Cathedral immediately opposite.

Having completed the castle I headed the short distance across the centre of town to the Cathedral and had a look around that, taking in the main church as well as the cloister and the chapter house, and taking advantage of the refectory to sit out a hefty passing shower with a cup of coffee and a very late lunch.

From the Cathedral I wandered past the ruins of the Roman East Gate as well as the Priory Arch and Pottergate which formed part of the walls round the cathedral complex in times past. I then continued on down hill to The Collection – the local museum dedicated to the archaeology of the city and county.

I spent quite a long time looking round the museum, before continuing on my journey down hill, stopping at the foot of Steep Hill to take in the views of the one in seven climb, and the Guildhall before wandering back to the hotel to freshen up before popping out for dinner.