En route to buy a newspaper this morning, I came across the Roman arch – the northern exit from Lincoln on Ermine Street. Then the cathedral – magnificent west front. The best view of it was from the castle ramparts opposite. On the southern wall was a wonderful modern gargoyle clinging to the masonry – the root of all evil indeed. Inside there was a stone gateway dividing the chancel from the nave: the capitals seemed to be adorned with a fancy garland but, on closer inspection, you could see that on one side were men slaying dragons by sticking swords down their throats, and on the other side the dead dragons hanging up. Evil slain – in a grisly manner.
Then a visit to the Museum of Lincolnshire Life housed in an old barracks. As usual, there is always something of interest that springs up. Here a very early tank, a cart that made me think of my carter great-grandfather who became a railwayman, and a brown bess musket which reminded me of Barry Lyndon. Suddenly – remembering the battle scenes – I just had to know how quickly it could be reloaded. (Fortunately I was among people who knew the answer – two or three times a minute.) Afterwards the castle, with a great walk all the way round its ramparts. Inside is an old holding prison with a particularly repulsive chapel. There was a move in the mid-19th century to keep prisoners entirely separate to prevent any corruption being passed on. This extended even to the chapel, which was designed with so many tightly fitting screens and doors that each member of the (ahem) congregation was imprisoned in an individual wooden dock during the service. There is also an original 1215 Magna Carta – surprisingly small and completely indecipherable – and the later Charter of the Forest.
Old Shoe Box 