Lincoln, in Lincolnshire, is in the northeast of England, 141 miles north of London on a route that passes through Cambridge, Peterborough and  Nottingham.  It has a magnificent Cathedral and a castle just across from it. The earliest settlement there can be traced to the iron age, and the Romans also were there as is attested to by some remains of Roman structures.  Before 1290 AD when Jews were expelled from England, Lincoln had one of the largest Jewish communities in England.  When antisemitism grew, a number of Lincoln Jews were accused of murdering a young boy and were convicted and hung in the Tower of London.  There is a house that bears the name "Jew's House" that belonged to one of the deported Jews.

 

Today Lincoln is an industrial town making gas turbines.  But before WWI the first tanks were invented, built and tested there.  During WWII Lincoln was a large producer of all sorts of war machinery and munitions.  Lincoln is also a tourist destination.

 

Lincoln is on the River Witham.  The town center is on low land on either side of the river.  After you cross the river you are faced with  steep climb up a hill to the cathedral and castle or you can take a bus.  We chose to climb the street, aptly named Steep Hill.  It was a tough climb but worth it because of the experience of ascending such a steep incline, and because of the sights and shop windows one passes on the way.  The "Jew's House" is one of these.

 

The cathedral, commissioned by William the Conquerer in 1072, is at the top of the hill behind an imposing entrance gate.  When you pass through you are facing the magnificent west front.  Like many cathedrals in England and France, this one had its share of catastrophes inclduing fires, earthquakes, and the collapse of a tower.  But, also like many others, all was repaired and restored.  Lincoln cathedral was used in the making of the movie, "The DaVinci Code".  We devote a page of photos to it. The space between the gate and facade is not large enough to be able to take a photo of the whole front.  Ron had to be satisfied with partial views of that but there are many photos of the interior.

 

The castle, just across from the cathedral, was William's home.  It is still in use as a concert venue.  One of four remaining copies of the Magna Carta is on display here.

 

Not to be omitted is the fact that a short drive from Lincoln is Helmswell, the site of one of the largest flea markets we ever have visited.  And we have visited quite a few large and small.